Eastward Expansion - Day 2: Grants, NM
As you may have read in Part 1 of this series of blog posts, we recently camped our way across the country in Zelda the travel trailer, moving the two of us and the girls from Arizona to Kentucky. When last we blogged, we'd made it to the KOA Journey in Grants, NM, where we set up shop amidst the cold, howling wind, only to find that the slide on the camper was stuck in the "in" position.
Zoe's keeping a close eye on our breakfast preparations
Thankfully, Sunday dawned cold but calm, with a beautiful blue sky showing off nearby Mount Taylor to spectacular effect:
Once everyone was awake, we bundled up and moved outside to fix breakfast burritos on the flat top griddle.
Keeping an eye on Dad - and food - two of this maniac's favorite things!
The Chef at work
This area of New Mexico is home to the Baldera Volcano, last active 10,000 years ago
The KOA itself is in the middle of what was the Baldera's lava field, and sharp rocks are all over
After finishing breakfast and taking showers, we bundled up, threw the girls in the truck, and headed a bit southwest to El Morro National Monument. The NPS website describes El Morro as the "Respite in the High Desert," as weary travelers wandering this area have been making use of its naturally occurring pool of water dating back to the area's first inhabitants. Proving the theory that humans really haven't advanced at all in our eons on this planet, the sandstone headlands ("El Morro") near the pool bear all sorts of historic graffiti - petroglyphs and inscriptions from generations of visitors to the area, many of them reading, essentially, "hey, I was here." The paved Inscription Trail takes you past many of these sites, and since it was dog friendly, we all got to enjoy the hike.
You can see that the bridge behind the girls still has snow in some places -
El Morro is up on the bluffs at 7200 feet, 1000 feet higher than the nearby towns.
The girls also had a great time, post-hike, eating fresh snow off a nearby picnic table.
I've been getting more use out of my puffer coat than I thought - it's been cold so far!
The pool is about 10 feet deep and is naturally fed from rain and snowmelt.
The dark lines on the sandstone are where water runoff feeds the pool.
Ancient Puebloan petroglyphs - you can see hand shapes in the upper right
An inscription from an English visitor - that's impressive penmanship!
The long skinny inscription on the right reads, in part, "paso por aqui" - or "passed through here."
The inscription on the left is darker due to earlier preservation attempts using graphite (pencil lead).
More petroglyphs - there are elk in this area now, and they must have been around generations ago, too!
The cliffs rising above the area - there was a trail to hike up there, but much of it was closed due to ice
We crossed the Continental Divide again!
Noms! Tacos!
Since the weather was perfectly fine, we left the girlies in the truck to keep an eye on things. While Bea loves all car rides, the truck is truly her love (it's really Bea's truck, let's be honest), and she made sure no one got too close to the doors.
No need to use sound - it's just restaurant noise - but be sure not to miss the hopping up and down,
wagging her tail frantically, while she barks her tiny head off. She's having a great time.
Post-lunch, we did a quick run by Walmart for random supplies, then to a local brewery for some adult beverages for the evening. Our first pick, Elkins Brewing Co., did not open until later, so we pivoted and headed for Junkyard on 66 Brewery, near downtown Grants (also on Old Route 66). We're so glad we went in - what a really cool spot! The owners started with the junkyard, which is still in operation, and eventually added a brewery that also serves food. We tasted a few options and took home a growler of their Rack and Pinon lager, infused with pine nuts, chocolate, and caramel.
The check-in desk/cash register at the brewery
The much larger room next door, complete with brewing tanks and car parts as far as the eye can see
Part of the hubcap fence framing the outdoor patio
Back at the KOA, I started a load of laundry while Chris flushed the black tank (lame chores never stop, even when you're technically on vacation), and then we relaxed outside in the sun for the rest of the afternoon.
Our setup at the KOA with Mt Taylor in the background.
There were a few more folks here on Saturday, but on Sunday afternoon, it was pretty quiet.
Truck glamour shot
It was cold enough that we kept the growler under a nearby tree, and the beer stayed the perfect temp.
We also used part of the afternoon to stroll the girls once more; the KOA had a walking trail through the lava fields on part of its property, complete with informative signs, and we enjoyed the meander.
These mounds of lava rock were pretty tall - higher than my head by a few feet
Be sure to read this sign - that's the hill in the back
This wasn't even on the walking path - instead, it was right behind the dumpster in the middle of the KOA.
Nature out here does what it wants, where it wants.
Before too long, it was time for dinner, and we made good use of the grill at our site to make hamburgers and charred broccoli. The girls went to bed, but we stayed out, starting a fire and watching the stars come out.
I think Bea is giving Chris the "Dad, turn off the light" face
Camping in a spot with lots of stars, no cloud cover, plus adult beverages - you know what that means! It's time for extremely crappy astrophotography!!!!
Behold the constellation Orion!
And one of the dippers!
And the Milky Way! Or possibly a cloud!
This one isn't too bad, actually - our happy little (portable) home under the stars!
On the next blog, we drive to Texas while the sun slowly fades from the sky...and then comes back again! It's a travel day during a solar eclipse!
Later!
Amy
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