Albuquerque, New Mexico

A hot dry wind has been blowing over the desert these last few days of travel. It followed us out of Grand Canyon National Park and into Holbrook where we camped overnight to enjoy a half-day tour of the nearby Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. It also followed us as we headed out of Arizona along Interstate 40 and into New Mexico where we stopped overnight at the Sky City RV campground on the Acoma Indian Reservation. And it blew coolly as we splashed around in the heated outdoor swimming pool at the nearby Casino Hotel (complimentary with our camping fee). The next day it dropped off to a slight breeze as we toured the amazing Sky City – an Acoma Pueblo atop a large mesa that is the oldest, most continuously inhabited pueblo in the United States. On Wednesday afternoon, as we pulled into Albuquerque, the wind finally dropped off. The travel leg between Grand Canyon and Albuquerque has provided an amazing geological display. Huge trees growing in a semi-tropical environment 225 million years ago collapsed and were buried under in the sediment of an ancient river system. Over time minerals slowly replaced every cell in the fallen trees turning them into colorful tree-shaped rocks. Plate collision eventually lifted the Colorado Plateau up to 5,000 feet, and the tree-shaped rocks along with it. The surrounding soil slowly eroded exposing stunning, colorful evidence of a lush forest that once existed where the Arizona-New Mexico desert is today. Also amazing has been the display of Native American history. Visiting the remains of ancient pueblos (traditional communities of Native Americans in the southwestern US) it is hard not to imagine thriving cultures many hundreds of years before Spanish and European explorers arrived in America. These pueblos are largely preserved due to the dry and arid conditions of Arizona and New Mexico deserts. After visiting the Montezuma Castle and Wupatki National Monuments in Arizona, the crowning visit was to the Acoma Pueblo, or Sky City, in New Mexico. We opted to pay for the guided tour of Sky City since it is not possible to tour inside the pueblo without a guide. Sitting atop the 357-foot sandstone mesa, a small community has continually inhabited the pueblo since 1150 AD. None of the 250 dwellings have electricity, sewer, or water. Approximately 22 families live full-time in the pueblo today. The other homes are filled at times of special ceremonies. Traditional native religion is practiced by nearly all of the local tribes. Around 70% continue to also follow Catholic teachings (forced upon them in the early 17th century by the Franciscans). Today, their Catholic practices blend some elements of native religion (such as native dancing) but there is no blending of Catholic practices into the native religious practices. These remain sacred to the people and no tourists are allowed when the ceremonies are being performed. The tour enabled us to walk the streets of the pueblo and see the traditional form of building along with increasingly modern blends. For example, the use of a front door has been generally adopted rather than entry via the roof or second story (originally a protective measure). And glass is used in many windows rather than original animal hide or later translucent stone quarried from the surrounding area (most likely part of those ancient trees now transformed to rock). A few natural rock cisterns still exist atop the mesa that were once used to catch the precious rain water when it fell. Otherwise all food and water was gathered from the valley floor below. Access to the mesa was originally by ladder/steps carved into the sandstone and all items were hand carried to the top. The tour provided a remarkable step back in time made all the more contrasting by having the occasional car or truck drive by on the narrow roads inside the pueblo. (A road was built when Hollywood wanted to make John Wayne movies that included the mesa and village area). Today, those cars and trucks are also hauling essential food and water to the pueblo living families. We’ve spent the last two days visiting with Gregory – Denise’s nephew and the girls’ 25-year old cousin – as well as his mother, Christine, and their very welcoming step-family. Last nights barbecue was a real treat. Today we head further north into New Mexico, seeking out hot springs that we hope to visit.