Mar 9, 2012 - Bloomfield and Aztec Ruins

March 9 We got up to snow again this morning and ice on the slides. There was crunching and groaning as the slides came in and then a loud noise. There was so much ice on the driver’s front slide it pushed the awning cover out of whack. Hopefully when the ice melts everything will be ok. First stop is propane, we are down to ¼ tank. We then head out of Albuquerque and drive north, we fuel up in Bernalillo and finally we are on the way to Bloomfield. We will spend the night here after visiting Aztec Ruins National Monument. Ancestral...

Apr 6, 2011 - Aztec Ruins Natl Monument

Today we rode out to the Aztec Ruins National Monument. The structures which were mistakenly credited to the Aztecs by archaeologists in the nineteenth century were actually built and inhabited by the Pueblo people from about the late 1000’s to the late 1200’s, amazing architecture for that time period. The “great house,” which at one time rose to three stories, had at least 500 rooms. This was a public building much like modern public monuments, civic centers or places of worship. There were doorways that had to be less than 5 ft. in...

May 7, 2010 - Run before the wind

We arrived in Aztec, New Mexico after a good drive from Kanab. The scenery was great and the weather was never a factor. Sunny and moderate breezes most of the way. The biggest issue on this long leg was the terrible road condition on US 64 about 50 miles or so out of Farmington, NM. It shook our fillings loose and really tuckered out the Bird. He usually sleeps and eats and talks through almost any road condition we have encountered. That stretch tuckered him out. He hasn't talked to us since. I didn't know birds have a middle...

May 4, 2010 - Aztec Ruins, New Mexico

The Aztec Ruins National Monument is the site of ancient ruins from 1000 years ago. This location is estimated to have housed about 5000 people who abandoned this place 800 years ago. Once thought to have been built by Aztec people that is how it got it's name. However it is now believed to be the ancestors of the pueblo people who still inhabit this area. The great Kiva has been restored and would have been a gathering place for spiritual events and no women would have been allowed inside. The small cubicle rooms would have housed the...

Apr 27, 2010 - The Long Way to Aztec World Heritage Site

HOW TO FIND THE WRONG WAY: We get an early start as we want to visit Chaco Canyon and then reach Aztec by nightfall. However, the raw almonds I ate the evening before seem to have been rancid and I have had a bad night (3 sleepless hours reading and taking 6 doses of pepto bismol) so am not helpful with either driving or navigation. Jim makes the very unusual (for him) mistake of turning the wrong direction on 250 and Elfie Garmin is not helpful since we don't find the exact title or nearby city to program her for either. By the time we...

Nov 7, 2009 - Aztec, NM

The trip from Albuquerque to Aztec was spectacular, the Mt's and prairies are so beautiful. We went to the Aztec Ruins Nat'l Monument, dating from 1000 to 1200 AD. Just Great!!!! We will be here for two nights. Will journey by car on Sunday and see as much as we can in and around this area. (the four corners--NM,AZ,CO,& UT) The weather has been wonderful, about 65 to 72 and sunny and nights in the 40s. Hope it stays that way for another week or so. We are very much enjoying ourselves and having a great time with Boyd & Carol. Ron & Jean

Apr 23, 2009 - Aztec Ruins National Monument

After the whirlwind five days we spent at the rally, we were ready for some nature and did we hit the jackpot. We headed north to Bloomfield, New Mexico where we found a prize of a historic site - the Aztec Ruins. We thought the pictographs were cool, but these ruins were simply amazing. Built between 1110 and 1130, it represents a transition from a time when it's inhabitants roamed, to learning to farm and live in a community working together. And what a community it was. Included in the Aztec Community were several multi-story buildings...

Oct 4, 2008 - Anasazi Ruins

We used some of our time in Bloomfield to see three Anasazi pueblo style ruins in the area. Aztec Ruins National Monument. We drove to Aztec New Mexico to see the Aztec Ruins National Monument on September 28th. This was our first visit to these ruins. The ruins were built with the Chacoan style of construction. The restoration of the grand kiva was one of the main attractions. Salmon Ruins. The Salmon Ruins and Museum are located on US 64 between Bloomfield and Farmington so we passed it each day going to and from the rehab center to see...

May 2, 2008 - Aztec Ruins, NM. - Monument Valley, UT.

April 30 we visited the "Ancient's" ruins in Aztec NM. How these people built these dwellings and survived in the harsh conditions here we will never know. The ruins are over 800 years old and we were able to walk into them to view how and where they lived as a community. We then took a small side trip to Durango, CO which is a historical mining town. We walked the streets and visited the historical Durango-Silverton train station. The museum was pretty amazing and we enjoyed our visit alot. Yeaterday (May 1) we drove to Monument valley in...

Apr 25, 2008 - Four Corners Monument; Aztec, New Mexico

Friday, April 25, 2008 We discovered we could watch recorded TV shows without MotoSAT locked onto the satellite. Since we had stowed MotoSat the night before, and we weren’t level, we decided not to put it up before leaving. We continued to learn something new about being in a motorhome. After going on a bumpy guided tour of the magnificent Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, and driving to the Navajo Market, Tsegi Overlook, Navajo National Monument, and Navajo Shadehouse Museum we left Gouldings Campground at 9:28 am. It was 55˚, with the...

Nov 21, 2006 - Four Corners

What a day. After taking the tour through Monument Valley, we took off for Four Corners. What that is, is the meeting of the four corners of four states. Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. We had already crossed the Utah/Arizona border several times today but it's not often you can have one foot and one hand in each of four states. You can walk through, jump through, run around etc through all of them and trust me, the kids do. Oh and they charge you $3 per person for it but the Frybread you can get there is yummy. We got there by once...

Oct 4, 2006 - Move to New Mexico

We drove to Bloomfield, New Mexico to provide a base to visit Chaco Canyon and for Tim to play golf at Pinon Hills Golf Course. Tim got his golf in today and we headed to Chaco Canyon on Thursday. It rained alot and we only got in a short visit to Chaco. A fee photos show the ruins at Chaco Canyon. Pueblo Bonito was the largest ruin and was really incredible to see. The trip was worth the drive even it the weather did not cooperate.