Surprises along the way

The trip today took us from the snowy mountains down to the surprisingly snowy desert. In itself the shift of climate wasn't unexpected, but we did have a few other surprises as we traveled--two good, and one not so good.

After about 3.5 hours of driving we ended up in Aztec, NM, and had planned to visit Aztec Ruins National Monument. Originally when we planned to visit Aztec we thought it would be just something to do on a heavy travel day, but we were surprised at how nice the site was to visit. The ruins date to between 1100-1300 AD during the peak of the Pueblo civilization in the American Southwest. Unlike Mesa Verde and other cliff-dwellings, these were built into the ground, with several large round kivas along with nearby home sites, and they have been preserved fairly well in spite of the climate. The name is somewhat of a mistake, as Alexander von Humboldt (among others) believed these civilizations to be an extension of the Aztec dwellings much further to the south. Although we had to take turns touring the ruins (Smith wasn't allowed), it was a great and surprising site.

The second (and not so good) surprise was the site where we were supposed to stay for tonight. I don't want to embarrass them by naming them here, but we should have known when the front entrance to the cabins was closed and there was a small envelope taped to the door with out name on it that the service wouldn't be good. Rich tried (in vain) to get into the cabin we'd rented, but couldn't unlock it, and a quick look inside indicated that if we weren't going to freeze to death overnight that we might be infested with any number of desert creatures. We quickly decided to re-tape the envelope to the front door and get out of there, and made for Farmington NM and picked a reasonably good hotel instead. It's not a cabin, but at least it's not going to kill us.

The final surprise was once we got here and decided on Farmington. The clerk at the front mentioned a river walk, and since Smith was restless from the long drive and lack of a hike at Aztec, we decided to take him. The Animas River park is about five miles long, with an associated nature center, but it was a fantastic and surprisingly nice end to the long day. The wildlife were abundant along the trail, and the plant life included at least three cottonwood species (one, the narrow-leaf cottonwood apparently more rare--Jim V. can you confirm?).

Tomorrow should hold fewer surprises, but we'll see what the road brings us.