April Roadtrip, Day 4... Camel Rock

 Day 4

Tuesday April 5

     While there was plenty to see and do in the area, I only had one day.  So, I chose  to start the day with a forty-five minute drive north to Bandolier National Monument.  Designated by President Wilson in 1916, the land was set aside to protect the remnants of the pueblo indian sites, dating from 1,100-1,650AD.  It's named after Adolf Bandolier, a Swiss immigrant.  Following in the family business held little interest.  Instead, he eagerly read everything he could about anthropology, eventually doing fieldwork on abandoned pueblan sites.  His passion and study made him one of the leading experts on Pueblan history.  

      Hwy 84 would take me north, out of town.  Of course, I did have to make a stop at Camel Rock.

     

     Hwy 502 took me west to the town of White Rock and eventually the national monument.

        Just inside the park is a pullout and an overlook of the canyon below...

    There were two trails I wanted to hit within the main section of the park.  The first was the Falls Trail.  It's a fairly easy three and a half mile round trip that hits two different waterfalls.  Unfortunately, due to a recent flood, the trail is partially washed out beyond the first one.  Still, a good three miles to start the day.  

     Upper Falls...

   The second trail went through an old Pueblan settlement.

      A half mile further from here is a place they call Alcove House.  Unlike these, it takes more than just a short ladder to access.  

     All access was closed and may be for a while.  Two weeks ago, someone was pretty high up the mountainside when they were hit by a falling rock and then fell thirty feet.  They died during the course of the rescue.  

      I had seen a few signs for Valles Caldera, but knew nothing about it.  The park ranger said it was definitely worth checking out.  Twenty minutes of twisting mountain roads brought me to an overlook... Yes, that's snow.

    A million years ago, this was the top of a volcanic mountain.  When it blew, it's estimated to have ejected 500 times the material as Mount St. Helens.   That ring of hills circles the volcano's caldera.  

    There was one more trail I wanted to hit in this general area.  Technically, it's part of Bandolier National Monument, but a separate area.  To get there, I decided to drive through the town of Los Alamos on Hwy 501.  

     I knew this road would go by Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Pre-Covid, they offered tours of the labs where the first atomic bombs were developed.  What I wasn't expecting was a security checkpoint.  This was simply to drive past the facility, not go inside.  I simply had to show my ID to the guard and I was on my way.
     Eventually, I did find the parking area and trailhead for the Tsankawi Section of the park.  There's a loop trail through the area that passes by some ruins, though there's not much to see.  The view and challenges of the trail far made up for it.

    

    The weird part of the trail involved the well worn, but tight sections.  These ruts go from anywhere between ten inches wide to barely enough space for a boot.

    As for the ruins, all I saw were a few crumbles foundations...

    And some petroglyphs tossed in as a bonus...

     

     It was much later than expected when I finally sat down for a late lunch.  Bathtub Row Brewing  doesn't do food, but welcome it from the other area restaurants.  A sandwich and a couple of pints and I was good to go.