Bandelier National Monument

October 8, 2016   This national monument had a really nice hiking trail that went around the base of the mountain.  There were lots of ancient dwellings and petroglyphs.  They also had a demonstration of native dancing.

More steps!

We also went to the Bradbury Museum at Los Alamos.  They had a good film on the Manhattan Project.  Most of the exhibits are very scientific.

Santuario de Chimayo

October 7, 2016  Holy Dirt Church

This church has a continuous fill dirt area that is believed to be healing power Holy Dirt.  It was a beautiful Church with many, many accounts of healing.  As you leave the Holy Dirt area there is a room full of medical implements that are no longer necessary after healings.

There is also another chapel on the property that is dedicated to a young boy that secretly carried food back and forth to the Christian prisoners to keep them alive.  He wore out his shoes making so many trips to the prisoners, so now people leave shoes at the chapel.

Last Stop on the Caravan

October 3, 2015 - Santa Fe    We visited a very nice Pueblo Indian Cultural Center.  We enjoyed watching the native dancers.

We went to a turquoise museum and listened to a very informative lecture on how to tell the value of turquoise.

We took a trolley tour of old town Santa Fe.  It wasn't a great tour.  We did have a great lunch at La Fonda hotel. 

We toured "Earthship". It is an "off the grid" community. It was a neat place and they used recycled materials for building. 

We walked out on the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

Albequrque Balloon Fiesta!

September 30, 2016  We arrived in Albequrque and were parked by the local Airstream unit.  They have a rally at the fiesta every year and we were able to park very close to the launch field.  Needless to say it was awesome and pictures and words can't do it justice.

Canyon de Chelly

September 27, 2016   The only way to tour this canyon is by commercial tour company.  Our tour jeep was in pretty bad shape and had a flat half way into the canyon and every time we stopped he had to put water in the radiator.  It was a pretty place to tour.

On the way back from the canyon tour we stopped and toured a beautiful round Catholic Church.  They try to appeal to the native Americans in the area, so the incorporate Navaho beliefs into the church.  The baptismal bowl in placed on mother earth with the father sky opening directly over it.  I love to tour churches.

We stopped and shopped in the Hubbell Trading Post.  It was very neat and a good place to stop during a tornado warning!

Sky City - Acoma Indian Pueblo

This pueblo dates to 1100 AD and is 370 feet above the canyon floor.  It was only accessible by foot until the movie studios decided to make a movie there and paid for a paved road to be built to access the pueblo.  The Acoma Indians still live up there and there is no electricity or running water.  We toured a beautiful very old Catholic Church, but no photos were allowed.

The mesa in the distance is the longest continuously inhabited pueblo in the United States.

Made it to the top....I cheated and rode the tour bus up!

The 1649 Catholic church in amazing condition

Community oven

It was an interesting place