What Was I Thinking
Okay, it was another gorgeous day with some spectacular riding, seeing an old friend, and experiencing another cultural site. But it was also day three in a row with temps in the mid 90’s and it isn’t looking any cooler in the near future. I think I may have to adjust my itinerary. Back north? Out to the coast?
Today I left Bloomfield, NM and headed east on highway 64. Objectives for the day were 1) get out for a scenic ride, 2) get to higher elevation (cooler), 3) meet an old friend in Pagosa Springs, and 4) check out Chimney Rock National Monument.
Definitely achieved objective number one. The highway out of Bloomfield was in great condition and had a reasonable number of twists and turns. The scenery was great with it gradually changing from low sandstone bluffs dominated by sagebrush and pinion junipers (?) to more rugged bluffs and peaks with abundant larger pines/spruce/firs. Much of the ride was through either the Carson National Forest or Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation. Peekaboo views of high, rugged peaks to the north gave me hopes of cooler temperatures.
Leaving the reservation, I hopped on highway 84 and headed north for Pagosa Springs, CO. The views opened up some with grass covered valleys to go with the bluff and peaks. Continued to be a great ride with more twisty road, great scenery, and minimal traffic.
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Got to Pagosa Springs around 11 and met an old friend (Jared) for lunch at a local place (Two Chicks and a Hippie) that was absolutely packed. Jared was one of the drillers that got stuck dealing with me on my last trip to Afghanistan. A great group of guys all the way around. It’s been 15 years since we last saw each other in person and it was great catching up.
After lunch, I headed to Chimney Rock National Monument. This is another Chaco cultural site. The site is much smaller than the Chaco Canyon sites and less ornate than the Aztec Ruins site but it’s located in a much cooler site. It’s located on a ridge and the great house is situated such that certain celestial events could be viewed between Chimney Rock and Companion Rock. Pretty cool site. All of the structures on the site have been at least partially filled in with soil to preserve the site. For example, the top of the wall in the bottom of the kiva would have actually been where the roof structure rested.
And the Forest Service Rangers were incredibly friendly and informative. In fact, all the Federal civil service personnel I’ve met on this trip to date have been amazing.
And I did manage to spot one more new bird – a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
It was my intent to camp at a campground near the Chimney Rock NM but the temperatures were just to hot and I opted to head to a hotel in Durango, CO. Tomorrow morning will be Mesa Verde National Park before deciding if I’m going to head into Arizona in accordance with my original plan or head north away from the heat.