More Ruins

After another wonderful breakfast--this one including Gloria's banana bread--we were on our way East by 830 am. It seemed strange to say good-bye we've spent so much time with Gloria and Bud. Wonder when we'll see them again? Gloria asked if we were coming back so she won't strip the beds and wash the sheets this time--we said no--we're headed East for sure.

Bud told us about other Indian ruins in the area and so we set off for the Salinas Pueblo Missions near Abo and Mountainair. There are three sets of ruins--two are near Abo and about ten miles apart and the third and largest is Southwest of Mountainair. Since we felt we only wanted to see one this time it is the third to which we went. I bought a book about the various Anasazi areas and these missions in particular. It is interesting to note that though the peoples of these various communities were related their rate of development was quite different--yet they traded with each other and learned from each other. The Indians in this particular settlement were behind those of the Canyon de Chelly for example and were actually flourishing when those earlier settlements had been abandoned and the people moved on. At any rate, this settlement was much larger than the ruins in Aztec and much more impressive with a Spanish mission church completed and a newer much larger more ambitious one started. The priest charged with that construction asked to be transferred to Zuni Pueblo where we visited and he was the priest who was beheaded there. Should have stayed put!!! LOL His church here at Gran Quivira was never finished and another priest was never assigned to the village.

We returned to Mountainair and ate lunch at the 1923 hotel there--Bill had fajitas again--I had a club sandwich and sweet tea. As we continued East we encountered many trains since the road--Rt 60 once more follows the tracks. I had seen a book about the Belen Cutoff at the visitor center at the ruins and forgot to go back and pick it up when we were finished exploring. ( By the way, we explored backwards since it was easier to walk up the ramp and down the paved walkway than the other way round. I'll have to reorganize the pix at some later date. )

Also around Willard we came upon obvious dry bed salt lakes. Come to find the whole valley was once a saline lake--hence the name Salinas Pueblo Missions--the Indians used the salt from these very early lakes. They are huge and much the way the Great Salt Lake will probably one day appear. Around Vaughn the heat and my meal caught up with me and I fell asleep for about 55 miles. Bill told me I missed a burned area of good size and several antelope right near the road--since he had no documentation to prove these claims I think he merely wanted me to feel sorry to have slept! LOL

We continued past Billy the Kid's grave and the Bosque Redondo Monument marking the end of the Long Walk--which truly was a long way. The fellow who wrote the book I read wanted to walk it but needed permission from the Navajo over whose land he would have to go. The elders said no--the Long Walk was NOT a hike, so he followed as best he could in a car which had problems navigating some of the route.

We eventually reached Clovis, where we'd stayed last year, too. I opted to stay in and finish my Socorro brewery leftovers of steak and broccoli. Bill had Mexican and brought me back Sopadillas which were perfect.

Slept like a log!