Red or Green

We headed out this morning at 6:20, stopped to pick up Big Jim, and drove to Kanab. We met Gayle, Marilyn, and the Other Larry D. there and headed for Albuquerque. It was a long, long drive. We stopped for lunch in Holbrook, bypassing the opportunity to be "standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona". We left I-40 at Gallop and drove to El Morro National Monument.



I convinced Bubby and Marilyn to pose for a photo outside the visitor's center. This is an interesting place. It is a cultural site, supposedly most occupied by refugees from the Chacoan civilization. The Anasazi's were here from 12-1300 AD (I think). There is great water in the area and the native peoples built significant dwellings. They also drew extensive rock art on the cliffs of El Morro.



The Spanish came up from Mexico in search of gold in the 16th Century. Bubby is posed by a diorama of one of the Spaniards making his inscription on the cliff face at El Morro (inscription rock). Because of a natural water source, the Spanish used the site extensively through the 17th century. Next the pioneers came and added their inscriptions to El Morro. This site really does record, with petroglyphs, the history of this region of the Southwest.



The rock itself is locally called the Zuni Sandstone. It is Jurassic in age, correlative to the Entrada Sandstone of southern Utah, and the Cow Springs Sandstone (in which Window Rock, AZ, is located). It is poorly cemented, which makes it easy to inscribe and full of iron stains produced by woody materials (branches and twigs) that were buried when it was deposited along the channel and edges of free flowing streams.



Of course, in its present form, it stands in relief above the valley and provides significant views within the pinion-juniper forest. I had a great time taking photos.



We saw our first "alligator juniper" at El Morro. Bubby couldn't resist having her photo taken next to the trunk, which is the source of its name. It really does look like the skin of an alligator.

Tonight we had dinner in Old Town, Albuquerque. We got asked the "State Question" Bubby and I answered "Christmas". The food was great, and we are settled in for the evening now. I am watching "Rudy" as I write this. Tomorrow, we are going to look around Albuquerque and then we will head to Santa Fe, where we will sleep tomorrow night.

This is a spring outing that we look forward to every year.

Buboppy