Rocks and Wind

We arrived in Raton NM Wednesday afternoon and had an early dinner of Mexican food.  Then we went looking for the RV park that we had decided to stay in for the night.  The RV park app on my iPhone said it was just outside of town, no problem and away we go.  I should tell you that the wind in NM has been blowing rather strong lately and Wednesday as we later learn it is blowing around 45 mph.  Rather stiff and no fun trying to drive an RV in.  But no problem as we only have 3 miles to go.  HA! after 7 miles and we hadn't found it yet we turn around and go back into town and pull into the KOA for the night.  As it turns out that other RV park is on a completely different road in another direction.  Good thing we turned around when we did or we could have found ourselves in Kansas.

On our way into Raton we passed this,  NRA Whittington Center.  We didn't know what this was so of course we pulled to the side of the road and did what anyone would do, we Googled it.

NRA Whittington Center  The center is everything outdoors, and all about fire arms.

We went back to the Whittington Center Thursday morning to see one of the reasons we were in Raton in the first place.  The Santa Fe Trail.

Wagon ruts along the Santa Fe Trail.  The trails west weren't always one lane.  

Mostly they were wide super highways like you can see in this pic.  

Here you can see it was 4 lanes wide.

The other reason we came this way was to see this.

The word Capulin is Spanish for chokecherry.

View from highway 64.  See the road going up and around the side?

We drove to the top but to do that they stopped all traffic coming down the volcano to allow us(we are 30' long) to go up as part of the road is narrow and curvy. Thank goodness there weren't many cars that day.  The drive view is spectacular. 

View from top.  See those other volcanoes?  Northern NM is all about volcanoes.

Looking down into the crater.  See red Indian Paintbrushes blooming?

There are several trails, one down into the crater one around the crater plus several around the base.  

Onward through

To 

These are the highlights.

Wind farm in Colorado.

This is Gobbler Knob. 

"These prominent formations are an outcropping of Dakota Sandstone, 

which geologists believe are about 100 to 140 million years old".

Here's Rose doing what she does best, checking things out.

Whenever we stop Rose is at the door wanting to go out to see where we are.  She waits while I put her harness on and then eases out the door onto the step where she looks around then jumps down to the ground and then it is "let's go here mom, how about over there, what is that bush, boy big rocks, ouch there is a sand spur in my paw".  I just hold the leash and follow her around giving gentle guidance and nudges.  Today was the first time she was ready to get back to RV before me, and I could hardly keep up with her, she was dashing home. 

Good night from Lamar, Colorado