August 7 – 12, 2016
Bandelier – Sunday & Monday
Camped in near-empty Juniper Campground, Coyote Loop. Couldn't get it quite level but made it work. First time out with solar panels, and had direct sun mostly the first day to make them work. Mostly cloudy after that. Two big afternoon storms rolled in, one right in time for dinner the first night, mad dash to take down awnings and bring in the food off the grill as Bill jumped inside with hail following him!
The next day we took the ~2-mile trail down to the canyon to the visitor center and all the cliff dwellings. This time of year you must take a shuttle rather than drive in so we bused it back to camp, that was nice. Would have been an uphill climb! Cleaned up and took a drive to Los Alamos, entering the backside of the town, whereupon you find the guardhouse. They let us through after looking at Bill's license, and instructed us "no right turns" until you get past the secure area! Just a quick look around and a grocery store and back to the trailer. Another evening rain event.
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| First time out with the new solar panels. Willy is thrilled. |
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| The trail from campground to National Monument. |
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| Looking down, and lifting copy off the website: "Petroglyphs, dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs, and standing masonry walls pay tribute to the early days of a culture that still survives in the surrounding communities." |
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| The view as we descended the trail from the campground down to the monument. |
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| Bandelier Kiva |
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| View from the back of the campsite. And those great summer NM clouds. |
Stayed at Santa Fe Skies toward the back in a "dug-out" spot. Dish worked but couldn't pick up NBC for the Olympics!! What?? weird. Also Thursday night was the Persieds meteor shower. Saw some great comet-like streaks across the sky. Should have dragged out the camera, but too lazy. Missed a great opportunity. Got all the shopping done the first day, and of course, MARIA'S. Kohl's shopping, twice... Wednesday was a nice but overcast bike ride on the bike/walking arroyo trail behind the malls at Zapharano, went about 3 miles and turned around. Went to Tiny's for dinner, trying a new place; once is enough.
Thursday went to the Botanical Garden to see what's growing. Very nice, got some good ideas. Also in this same area we drove up to look at a house for sale waaaaay up in the hills, a place we could never drag the trailer. No wonder it was priced so well. Chocolate Maven for lunch, then, feeling full, went on a hike on the Dale Ball Trail at the end of Canyon Road. It was warm and sunny so a shady trail was good. Nice breeze though. Dinner at Santa Fe Bites--another first-- for a green chile burger, it was good and greasy as it should be. Got in a nice walk around the plaza area in the evening, and oh yeah, a lobby tour of La Posada! That was interesting, partially built of an old mansion. It was like walking though someone's house, because we were.
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| Love it. |
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| Our dug-out spot at Santa Fe Skies RV |
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| Always the first stop! Then Trader Joe's across the street. |
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| Big ol' Cottonwood tree off the plaza, just in case one day we return and it's gone. |
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| This needs no caption. |
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| Daily Plaza life as it has been for ... centuries? except for the cell phones. |
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| Trying to figure out why someone would stencil a spinning wheel onto an old tractor. Seen onsite at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park old tractor collection. |
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| Billy on the Dale Ball Trail off Canyon Road. |
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| Gorg stained glass in La Posada, as I tell Bill how to take a picture... again. |
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| Just a rainbow in a clear blue sky. See? There is something about Santa Fe. |
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| Tweaked image, but Mother Nature put out the foundation for drama. |
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| Santa Fe Botanical Garden looking good. |
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| St. Francis at sunset. |
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| WANT!!! Fred Harvey era replica of Mary Colter ashtray. $900 while supplies last. |
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| "You can't handle Maria's Margaritas!" |
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| In our opinion, they don't get any better than this. |
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| Selfie on the bike trail. |
