Current Location: Gallup, NM, N 35 30.421', W 108 49.482', elev. 6494 ft.

Let me start by saying that New Mexico is a geologist's wet dream. Between Carlsbad and White Sands, Valley of Fire, volcanic activity and huge differences in elevation, climate, ecology and geology, a geologist could spend a lifetime here and not see everything. The best part is that you can go between all these diverse locales very quickly.

I got up early and headed north and east on the I-25 towards Santa Fe. My ultimate destination for the day was Bandelier National Monument, but everything in northern New Mexico is so close I didn't think I'd have a problem cramming a lot in. Santa Fe, like Albuquerque 60 miles south west, is a very beautiful city, very nice to drive around, and dominated and dwarfed by a huge mountain peak. It is also the oldest city among all the state capitols (founded in 1610, 20 years before Boston).

From Santa Fe, I headed northwest along US 285 / US 84, until I reached New Mexico 502, which I took west towards Los Alamos. Bandelier was a little difficult to find, as I discovered on the map, it is actually broken up into several parts. Before reaching Bandelier, I came across a town called White Rock Canyon, which oddly enough, was on the top of a canyon plateau. There was a magnificent overlook spot, which I decided to drive out to, and I took some photos.



The photos can't convey that this breathtaking view is actually from the top of at least a 600 foot precipice over the canyon below. Astounding.

After leaving White Rock Canyon, I did eventually find myself at Bandelier National Monument, parts of which contain the Lincoln National Forest, and various Los Alamos Nuclear Research installations. The main attractions within Bandelier are ruins of Pueblo and archeological cliff dwelling sites built into the sides of volcanic rock. I took a hike through the monument and got some good photos of the pueblos and cliff dwellings.



I spent about an hour hiking through here. Bandelier was definitely a neat place to stop, something I'd recommend if you are ever in the Albuquerque / Santa Fe area. I saw several squirrels that looked very hardy, they reminded me of grizzled, unkempt pirates for some reason. Arrrrr! Bandelier had a very pleasant aroma to it, like sweet spices (cinnamon, vanilla, etc.), and there were tons of trees and lots of shade, but no bugs buzzing around to annoy me, and very few people to get in my way. The rest of the day's photos can be found here.

Leaving Bandelier, I did sort of a roundabout (unintentional) loop out near Los Alamos, heading northeast on the New Mexico 4, to west on the New Mexico 502, then south west on New Mexico 501, until reaching the New Mexico 4 again. I was in Los Alamos for most of that, though I did not stop for any museums, as the day was already getting long and I intended to get to Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque. Plus I had had my fill of nuclear history the day before at Trinity Site. I figured the New Mexico 4 would take me southwest to New Mexico 44 back do the I-25 to Albuquerque. It looked real short on my atlas! However, the New Mexico 4 is a very long, very windy road with many switchbacks not shown on the atlas. I'm not complaining, it was a very beautiful drive through much of the Lincoln National Forest and the Jemez Mountains. Remember when I mentioned earlier about the rapidly changing elevation, geology and ecology? I saw a lot of those fast changes on this two hour drive. The Jemez mountains and the drive were immensely pleasurable and beautiful, and they very much reminded me of the drive through the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. I figured I wouldn't ever see such beautiful trees in New Mexico. And the temperature in the mountains and forest was very nice, I had my windows down for most of the drive. At one point I came upon a huge valley, it must have been 15 miles across, so the photos do not do it justice. The valley is named Valley of the Fires, like 3 or 4 other valleys I have seen in New Mexico and Texas.



Looking out over one of the many Valley of Fires



Some of the most colorful mountain rocks I have ever seen were near the end of the NM 4, in the Jemez Mountains pass.

Once I got back to I-25, I quickly rode over to Sandia Peak again so I could get some daytime photos of the peak, which are the last few photos of the Bandelier set. Because the drive through Bandelier, Lincoln Forest and the Jemez Mountains took a lot longer than I expected, I really didn't have enough time to go to Petroglyph National Monument, even though it was only about 2 miles from the motel I stayed in saturday night. I wanted to stay one more night in Albuquerque, but I really couldn't, because I have to be in Vegas at around 5 PM on monday. I am meeting up with some former co-workers and we have plans to see a show. Las Vegas is a ten hour drive from Albuquerque, so I cut down on some of that time by driving two hours west on I-40 to Gallup, New Mexico, before putting in for the night. On monday I plan on driving clear across Arizona on the I-40, stopping only for gas. I expect the drive will be about 8 hours, plus I get a free hour crossing into Arizona, which is usually part of Mountain Standard Time, but does not observe Daylight Saving Time.