Thread:61Storm/@comment-29709319-20190401001525/@comment-29709319-20190614025922

National Themes For June 14: Army Birthday, International Bath Day, National Strawberry Shortcake Day, National Pop Goes the Weasel Day, National Flag Day, National Bourbon Day, Wear BLUE Day, National Flip Flop Day, and 🇺🇸National New Mexico Day.

🇺🇸Army Birthday! On this day the United States Army celebrates its creation in 1775. Formed from amateur troops of volunteer soldiers defending colonies against British tyranny, the oldest military force in the United States began before the U.S. formally existed. Their forces consisted of mostly inexperienced militiamen commanded by independent colonial armies. According to battlefields.org, there were never more than 48,000 Continental soldiers at one time. Today, the United States Army consists of over one million active duty service members and an additional 800,000 National Guard and Reserves members. The enduring history of the U.S. Army means they have been integral to many of the United State’s military, peace-keeping and humanitarian efforts. During the Army’s Birthday, these and many advancements will be recognized through events and ceremonies.

🛁International Bath Day is day to fill up a bath for your children and for them to realize that bath time is a great time to discover and learn. With just a few bath toys or simple plastic cups, they will immediately begin to test the waves of their water lab. Watch and see how every child becomes a little scientist with fresh new bath time discoveries! Legend has it that on this day Greek mathematician, scientist and scholar, Archimedes, discovered while taking a bath that an object’s volume could be accurately measured by being submerged in water! Unable to contain his excitement, Archimedes leapt out of the bathtub and yelled, “Eureka, Eureka!” as he ran through the streets of Syracuse, Greece. Archimedes’ exact date of birth is not known, only the year (287BC) so the day chosen to commemorate is the day that he leapt out of the bathtub, June 14th. How was this date determined? The ancient Greek legend says that it was exactly one week before the beginning of summer. The calendar in those days was astronomical and seasons were determined due to the 23.5-degree tilt of the Earth’s rotational axis in relation to its orbit around the sun. Summer began (then and today) on June 21st so a week before is June 14th and this was the date set.

🍓🍰National Strawberry Shortcake Day! Either on a shortcake biscuit or a sponge cake, strawberry shortcake is an easy and refreshing summertime dessert. Strawberries are sliced, mixed with sugar then allowed to sit for about an hour until they have surrendered plenty of their juices. The shortcakes are then split, and the bottom is covered with a layer of the strawberries, juice and whipped cream. The top is then put back on, and more strawberries, juice and whipped cream are added to finish it off.

🍁National Pop Goes the Weasel Day. On this day people dig back into their memories to the nursery rhymes, they learned as children and celebrate the day singing “Pop Goes the Weasel.” The origins of this nursery rhyme are believed to date back to the 1700s. The original version went as such: Half a pound of tuppenny rice, Half a pound of treacle, That’s the way the money goes, Pop! goes the weasel. Up and down the City road, In and out the Eagle, That’s the way the money goes, Pop! goes the weasel. “The Eagle” in the second verse may refer to The Eagle freehold pub which was once at the corner of Shepherdess Walk and City Road in London. Its second life, in 1825, was as a music house. Then in 1901 it was demolished and rebuilt once more into a public house. It bears a plaque with this version of “Pop Goes the Weasel” along with the history of the pub. An alternative version: A penny for a spool of thread, A penny for a needle. That’s the way the money goes, Pop! goes the weasel. This version is interpreted as the “weasel” being a shuttle or bobbin, as used by silk weavers, being pawned in a similar way as the suits or jackets owned by the Cockneys. There are many different versions of this nursery rhyme, and they are all fun, with the same catchy tune.

🇺🇸National Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the United States flag on June 14, 1777. On National Flag Day, Americans show respect for the U.S. Flag and what it represents. Representing independence and unity, the Star Spangled Banner has become a powerful symbol of Americanism and is flown proudly. While Betsy Ross has been given credit for stitching together the first American flag, there isn’t any sound evidence supporting the story but there is one to disprove it, either. During Ross’s Revolutionary time, several standards were carried bearing red and white stripes and varying symbols where the blue field and stars now reside. Since 1777, the design of the flag has been officially modified 26 times. For 47 years, the 48-star flag was in effect. In 1959, the 49-star version became official on July 4. President Eisenhower ordered the 50-star flag on August 21, 1959. Seventeen-year-old Robert G. Heft of Ohio designed the 50-star American flag. His was one of the more than 1,500 designs that were submitted to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation deeming June 14 as Flag Day. President Wilson stated, “It is the anniversary of the day upon which the flag of the United States was adopted by the Congress as the emblem of the Union.” He also wrote, “On that day rededicate ourselves to the nation, ‘one and inseparable’ from which every thought that is not worthy of our fathers’ first vows in independence, liberty, and right shall be excluded and in which we shall stand with united hearts.”

🥃National Bourbon Day is the Official Spirit of America and is recognized in this day. Like Scotch, Cognac and some other spirits that must meet certain standards as well as be produced in a particular geographical region, Bourbon is a whiskey which is only so named if distilled in the United States. To legally be a considered Bourbon, it must be 51 percent corn, stored in new (not aged) charred-oak barrels and distilled no more than 160 proof and barreled at 125 proof. This particular whiskey derives its name from the Kentucky county which was established in 1785 and was a large producer of corn. The corn, once distilled, would be put in barrels and stamped “Old Bourbon” and shipped down the Ohio River. In 1964, a Congressional Resolution designated Bourbon as America’s native spirit. Since then, there is nowhere else in the world that can make a whiskey and call it Bourbon.

👕Wear BLUE Day! By wearing blue, you are saying you support the men in your life to lead a healthy lifestyle, and you care about their health. As part of the campaign that includes Men’s Health Month and Men’s Health Week in June, Wear BLUE Day encourages us to take stock of our health choices and become more aware of health risks. Men are more likely to skip a health checkup than women. At the same time, they are more likely to take chances with their health choices. The three leading causes of death for men according to the Centers for Disease Control are cancer, heart disease, and accidents. The Wear BLUE Campaign provides an opportunity for employers, communities and other organizations to hold events to raise awareness about concerns surrounding men’s health and how they can take charge. The day is also a way for loved ones to show their encouragement for the men in their lives.

👡National Flip Flop Day! Find your flip flops and wear them! In 2007, Tropical Smoothie Cafe created National Flip Flop Day to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Every year on this date, customers who come into participating Cafes across the nation wearing flip-flops receive a free Jetty Punch Smoothie. Tropical Smoothie then gives proceeds of a $1 paper flip flop from customers to send ill children and their families to Camp Sunshine. Camp Sunshine is based in Casco, Maine, and their mission is focused solely on addressing the effects of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family, the child, the parents and the siblings. This year-round program is free of charge to families. In 2015, $1 million was raised by Tropical Smoothie Cafe for Camp Sunshine. The total amount raised since the beginning in 2007 is over $3.7 million making National Flip Flop Day a successful fundraiser for Camp Sunshine.

🇺🇸New Mexico received its name long before the present-day nation of Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821. Spanish explorers also used the term "Mexico" to name the region of New Mexico (Nuevo México in Spanish) in 1563. The Spaniards had hoped to find wealthy indigenous Mexica (Aztec) cultures there similar to those of the Aztec (Mexica) Empire of the Valley of Mexico. The indigenous cultures of New Mexico proved to be unrelated to the Mexicas, and they were not wealthy, but the name persisted. New Mexico's capital and cultural center is Santa Fe, while its largest city is Albuquerque with its accompanying metropolitan area. It is one of the Mountain States and shares the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. New Mexico is the 36th state by population and fifth-largest state by area (121,592 sq mi (314,920 km2) of the 50 states. New Mexico's highest point is Wheeler Peak at 13,168 ft (4013.4 m) and its lowest point is Red Bluff Reservoir on the Texas border at 2,845 ft (868 m). Other state symbols and names follow: Nickname: Land of Enchantment, Motto: It grows as it goes, State song(s): "O Fair New Mexico" and "Así Es Nuevo México". Living insignia; Bird: 🕊Greater roadrunner, Fish: 🐟Rio Grande cutthroat trout, Flower: 🌸Yucca, Grass: 🌾Blue grama, Mammal: 🐻American black bear, Reptile: 🦎New Mexico whiptail (female-only species), Tree: 🌲Two-needle piñon. Inanimate insignia; Colors: Red and yellow, Food: Chile peppers, pinto beans, and biscochitos, Fossil: Coelophysis, Gemstone: Turquoise. In 1999 the New Mexico State Legislature passed a House Joint Memorial declaring "Red or Green?" as the official state question. This refers to the question always asked whether one prefers red or green chile when ordering New Mexican cuisine. This measure was passed to signify the importance that the chile industry has on the economy of the state. With the adoption of this state question, New Mexico is acknowledging the financial gain and national recognition that chile generates for the state. Chiles are served green or after they have ripened and turned red, and those who appreciate New Mexico cuisine have definite opinions as to which color they prefer with what dish. The issue is so important that diners are always asked for their preference when they order a meal. The color of your chile preference will reveal your roots as a northerner or a southerner in the state. The New Mexican landscape ranges from wide, rose-colored deserts to broken mesas to high, snow-capped peaks. Despite New Mexico's arid image, heavily forested mountain wildernesses cover a significant portion of the state, especially towards the north. Francisco Vásquez de Coronado assembled an expedition at Compostela in 1540–1542 to explore and find the mythical Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. The name New Mexico was first used by a gold miner named Francisco de Ibarra, who explored far to the north of New Spain in 1563 and reported his findings as being in "a New Mexico". Juan de Oñate officially established the name when he was appointed the first governor of the new Province of New Mexico in 1598. The same year, he founded the San Juan de los Caballeros colony, the first permanent European settlement in the future state of New Mexico, on the Rio Grande near Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. The settlement of Santa Fe was established at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains around 1608. While developing Santa Fe as a trade center, the settlers founded Albuquerque in 1706. The Republic of Texas claimed the portion east of the Rio Grande when it seceded from Mexico in 1836. Texas ceded these claims with the Compromise of 1850 to the United States in exchange for $10 million. At the turn of the 19th century, the northeastern part of New Mexico, north of the Canadian River and east of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, was still claimed by France, which sold it in 1803 to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Following the victory of the United States in the Mexican–American War (1846–48), under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico ceded its northern holdings to the United States of America. In 1853, the United States acquired the desert southwestern bootheel of the state and southern Arizona south of the Gila River in the Gadsden Purchase. It wanted to control lands needed for the right-of-way to encourage construction of a transcontinental railroad. New Mexico played a role in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. Both Confederate and Union governments claimed ownership and territorial rights over New Mexico Territory. Confederate power in the New Mexico Territory was effectively broken after the Battle of Glorieta Pass in 1862. The Confederate territorial government continued however, to operate out of Texas until the end of the war. Although, more than 8,000 men from New Mexico Territory served in the Union Army. Congress admitted New Mexico as the 47th state in the Union on January 6, 1912. European-American settlers in the state had an uneasy relationship with the large Native American tribes, most of whose members lived on reservations. Congress passed a law in 1924 that granted all Native Americans U.S. citizenship, as well as the right to vote in federal and state elections, New Mexico was among several states that restricted Indian voting by raising barriers to voter registration. A major oil discovery in 1928 brought prosperity to the state. A oil well named Midwest State No. 1 well was drilled to 4,330 feet and produced 700 barrels of oil per day on state land. The well produced oil until 2002. The New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources called it "the most important single discovery of oil in New Mexico's history". During World War II, the first atomic bombs were designed and manufactured at Los Alamos, a site developed by the federal government specifically to support a high-intensity scientific effort to rapidly complete research and testing of this weapon. The first bomb was tested at Trinity site in the desert between Socorro and Alamogordo on what is now White Sands Missile Range. In the late 20th century, Native Americans were authorized by federal law to establish gaming casinos on their reservations under certain conditions, in states which had authorized such gaming. Such facilities have helped tribes close to population centers to generate revenues for reinvestment in economic development and welfare of their peoples. Climate: The climate of New Mexico is generally semiarid to arid, though areas of continental and alpine climates exist, and its territory is mostly covered by mountains, high plains, and desert. New Mexico's statewide average precipitation is 13.9 inches (350 mm) a year. The average annual temperatures can range from 64°F (18°C) in the southeast to below 40°F (4°C) in the northern mountains. The average high temperature in the summer ranges from 97°F (36°C) at the lower elevations down to 78°F (26°C) at the higher elevations. The highest temperature recorded in New Mexico was 122°F (50°C) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Loving on June 27, 1994, and the lowest recorded temperature is -50°F (-46°C) at Gavilan on February 1, 1951. New Mexico is the third-largest crude oil and ninth-largest natural gas producer in the United States. New Mexico is one of eight states that funds college scholarships through the state lottery. The state of New Mexico requires that the lottery put 30% of its gross sales into the scholarship fund. The scholarship is available to residents who graduated from a state high school, and attend a state university full-time while maintaining a 2.5 GPA or higher. It covered 100% of tuition when it was first instated in 1996, decreased to 90%, then dropped to 60% in 2017. The value slightly increased in 2018, and new legislation was passed to outline what funds are available per type of institution. New Mexico still ranks as an important center of Native American culture. Both the Navajo and Apache share Athabaskan origin. The Apache and some Ute live on federal reservations within the state. With 16 million acres (6,500,000 ha), mostly in neighboring Arizona, the reservation of the Navajo Nation ranks as the largest in the United States. No major league professional sports teams are based in New Mexico. NRA Whittington Center in Raton is the United States' largest and most comprehensive competitive shooting range and training facility. Things to do in New Mexico. 1️⃣The Trail of the Ancients is a New Mexico Scenic Byway to prehistoric archaeological and geological sites of northwestern New Mexico. It provides insight into the lives of the Ancestral Puebloans and the Navajo, Ute, and Apache peoples. Geological features include canyons, volcanic rock features, and sandstone buttes. Several of the sites are scenic and wilderness areas with recreational opportunities. The Trail of the Ancients captures the archaeological evidence of hunter and gatherers who lived in the area since 10,000 B.C. or earlier, in the northwestern portion of the state. The Ancient Puebloans that lived in the area between about 850 and 1250 A.D. are the ancestors of the modern Hopi, Zuni and Rio Grande Pueblo tribes. Navajos, from the Athabascan tribal areas in northwestern Canada, migrated into the area about 500 years ago. Other Native Americans include the Utes and Apaches. Native peoples left evidence of their lives in ruins of agricultural communities, broken pieces of pottery, tools, pictographs, and petroglyphs. The landscape includes large sandstone formations, desolate deserts, interesting views, and geologic formations. A key site on the byway are the ruins at Chaco Canyon, which was the "ceremonial center" for puebloan people at that and outlying pueblos between 850 and 1250 A.D. Other key sites are the El Morro National Monument and El Malpais National Monument. A great portion of the land in northwestern New Mexico belongs to the Navajo Nation. The route traverses multiple roads, including U.S. Route 64, U.S. Route 550, NM 57, NM 122 and other state, county and Navajo Nation roads. ✨Chaco Culture National Historical Park: a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was inhabited in the canyon between 850 and 1250 A.D., is the center and starting point for the byway. It is located in a remote location on a rugged road. To reach the Chaco Culture site, follow National Park Service signs from U.S. Route 550, turning first onto County Road 7900. There is a visitor center, six monumental sites, and a trail to other sites. ✨Crownpoint: On NM 57 drive south of the park to NM 371 and drive south to Crownpoint, known for its monthly auction of Navajo rugs. ✨Casamero Pueblo: Continue south on NM 371 to Navajo Road 48. Turn right on McKinley County Road 19 and continue on the road to the Casamero Pueblo, which was an outlier of the Chacoan site between about 1050 and 1100. ✨Grants volcanic sites: Travel south on McKinley County Road 19 to NM 122, turn left and travel the road to Grants, where there is the New Mexico Mining Museum. Continue on NM 122 to NM 117 and drive south to the El Malpais National Monument, made about 3,000 years ago by lava flows. Return to Grants and from NM 122, take NM 53 south to the Ice Cave and Zuni-Bandera volcanic field, where there is the "Chain of Craters" of cinder cones. ✨El Morro: Drive west on NM 53 to El Morro National Monument, a large butte that appears "like a huge ocean liner" on the horizon. ✨Zuni Pueblo: Continuing west on NM 53, the Zuni Pueblo with six original sites was the goal of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in his search for the "Seven Cities of Gold." ✨Gallup is located north on NM 602, where there is a mural to the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II, Indian crafts for sale, a Visitor's Center, the Rex Mining Museum, and the historic El Rancho Hotel & Motel. ✨Trading Posts: Two Grey Hills and Toadlena are two trading posts located north of Gallup in Newcomb on U.S. Route 491. There are about 1,500 Navajo people living near the trading posts, some of them sell their woven rugs at the trading posts. ✨Farmington: Where two thirds of the surface water in the flows through area rivers, is north on U.S. Route 64. Recreational trails and the Farmington Museum are key sites. ✨Aztec Ruins National Monument: Two pueblo ruins at the Aztec Ruins National Monument, an outlier of the Chacoan Canyon site, are near Bloomfield, which is east of Farmington off of U.S. 64. ✨Badlands Recreation Areas: South of Bloomfield off of NM 371, in the badlands of New Mexico, are the Bisti Wilderness Area, De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area, and Angel Peak Scenic Areas. ✨Beklabito (also spelled Beclabito), a Navajo community, is located west on U.S. 64. The scenery includes Navajo hogans, red sandstone formations and yellow and gray-striped hills. 2️⃣El Morro National Monument is a U.S. national monument in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. Located on an ancient east–west trail in the western part of the state, the monument preserves the remains of a large prehistoric pueblo atop a great sandstone promontory with a pool of water at its base and became a landmark where many centuries of explorers and travelers left historic inscriptions that survive today. Between about 1275 to 1350 AD, up to 1,500 people of the Ancestral Puebloan culture lived in the 875-room mesa-top pueblo. The village was situated on the old Zuni-Acoma Trail, an important prehistoric trade route. Spanish explorers visiting the area in the 16th century referred to the notable promontory as El Morro ("The Headland"); the local Zuni Indians call it A'ts'ina ("Place of writings on the rock"), and early Anglo-Americans called it Inscription Rock. With its oasis-like source of water, El Morro served as a stopping place for numerous travelers through the otherwise arid and desolate region, many of whom left signatures, names, dates, and stories of their treks on the walls of the sandstone cliff. While some of the inscriptions are fading, there are still many that can be seen today, with some dating to the 17th century. The oldest historic inscription at El Morro, left by Juan de Oñate, the first Spanish governor of the colony of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, is dated April 16, 1605. Among the Anglo-American emigrants who left their names there in 1858 were several members of the Rose-Baley Party. Nearby petroglyphs and carvings made by the Ancestral Puebloans were inscribed centuries before Europeans arrived. In 1906, U.S. federal law prohibited further carving on the cliffs. El Morro was designated a national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt on December 8, 1906, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Today the site is managed by the National Park Service. The many inscription panels, water pool, pueblo ruins, and the top of the promontory are all accessible via park trails. El Morro is one of many prehistoric sites on the Trails of the Ancients Byway, a designated New Mexico Scenic Byway. 3️⃣Albuquerque Museum is the home of 10,000 works of art, 35,000 historical objects, and more than 130,000 items in photo archives. Consisting of more than 10,000 works of art, Albuquerque Museum’s collection focuses on art of the American Southwest and its influences. The collection includes works by all of the region’s cultural groups and media from the Territorial period to the present. The permanent collection exhibition called "Common Ground: Art in New Mexico" relates visual continuities and innovations in the southwest region from early Native American traditions, through the introduction of European, Spanish and Mexican settlers, to current contemporary paths and explorations. Highlights from the collection include Native American jewelry and ceramics; Hispanic religious and domestic folk arts; documentary sketches and paintings from Territorial-era exploration; masterworks from late 19th and early 20th century Taos and Santa Fe artists and contemporary reflections on land, landscape, and regional cultures. ✨Albuquerque Museum’s outdoor Sculpture Garden, accessible all year, featuring works by Glenna Goodacre, Allan Houser, Luis Jiménez, and Nora Naranjo Morse reflects a similar diversity of large scale metal, stone, and earthen works. ✨Albuquerque Museum Photo Archives: Is an archive of historic photographs documenting Albuquerque, its people, architecture, businesses, urban landscape, and depictions of daily life and important events. Albuquerque Museum's Photo Archives has approximately 130,000 images and items made by amateur, commercial, and studio photographers throughout the central Rio Grande valley and the City of Albuquerque from 1867 to the present. The collection includes photographic prints, stereoscopic views, glass plate negatives, family albums, slides, oral history recordings, ephemera, postcards, film, and digitized media. ✨Albuquerque Museum History Collection has about thirty-five thousand artifacts, cultural arts, maps, photographs, and archives that interpret the history of the central Rio Grande valley from 12,000 CE to the present. The collection also includes two historic properties: Casa San Ysidro: The Gutiérrez/Minge House in Corrales, which houses the Ward Alan and Shirley Jolly Minge Collection, and the Little House Diner, which currently houses the Albuquerque Police Department’s Monte Vista Triangle substation. The 1967 gift of the Albuquerque Historical Society’s core collection, approximately nine hundred objects, helped to define the History Department’s scope of collecting. It includes objects that interpret the history of the central Rio Grande valley and, for territorial period to twentieth-century collections, the greater Albuquerque area. The Society’s core collection is strong in Albuquerque’s founding families, including the Armijo and Segura families of Old Town, the Ilfelds of New Town, and Civil War veteran Zenas H. Bliss. Consisting mainly of domestic artifacts that would have been used from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century, the gift helped the museum focus on targeted acquisitions. ✨The History Collection Today: With a core of generous donors and multiple galleries with which to present major historical themes, the museum has been able to build focused twentieth- and twenty-first-century collections covering such topics as the Alvarado Hotel, Route 66, and the film and television industries in Albuquerque. During this new century, the Museum has built its collections in ways that help interpret the diversity of the region. Adding collections from immigrant families such as the Bluehers and Matteuccis has improved the Museum’s ability to tell compelling stories about nineteenth-century immigrants and their experiences. ✨The Ingram-Foster biplane is believed to be the finest surviving example of an original Curtiss-design pusher. It was designed after the first biplanes flown in New Mexico by Charles Walsh in 1911, and Lincoln Beachey in 1912. To commemorate these landmark flights, The Albuquerque Museum and the Albuquerque International Sunport jointly purchased this historic airplane for the people of Albuquerque. Its presence in the Sunport is a monument to the history of early aviation in New Mexico. In contrast to modern aircraft, the propeller is located in back of the craft and it pushed, rather than pulled, the biplane through the air. Most of the airplane, including the wing fabric, is in original, unrestored condition. Minor repairs have been made to the wing fabric and bamboo since the plane was acquired in 1987. Only a very small number of parts, including some of the rigging wires, have been replaced. 4️⃣Chaco Culture National Historical Park is part of the Trail of the Ancients is a New Mexico Scenic Byway. The very remote Chaco site of northwest New Mexico has the largest, best preserved and architecturally advanced of all ancient Southwestern villages, and although lacking the dramatic cliff alcove setting, the ruins here are made more evocative by the great desolation and emptiness of the surrounding countryside. This part of the state is mostly flat, sandy desert crossed by only a few little-used tracks, very sparsely settled and with no prominent geographical feature for many miles. Only a few low gorges and mesas interrupt the general flatness, and the prevailing aridity plus the long winters experienced by this relatively high location (6,200 feet) make this an odd place for what was a large and advanced civilization to develop. But for 300 years the Anasazi Chacoan villages, most based on a single walled enclosure with hundreds of inter-linked rooms known as a great house, were at the center of a network of roads and outlying settlements that extended 100 miles to the south, west and north, and include a few others also well preserved today like Aztec Ruins near Farmington. Access Roads: There is only one main road to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, though this is not the one shown on most maps - for many years access was along state route 57, an unpaved road that leaves US 550 at Blanco Trading Post but this is now replaced by CR 7900 and 7950, starting further south along US 550 near Nageezi. The drive to the park is 21 miles, along bumpy, often heavily graded gravel or dirt tracks with several T-junctions, which are well signposted, and past just a few Indian houses amidst sandy, arid mesas and scrubland, part of the Navajo Reservation. In recent years the last 4 miles have become rough due to lack of maintenance, especially either side of Escavada Wash, and may be impassable after rain, but any vehicle driven with care can usually reach the park. Chaco Canyon: Road 7950 descends into a shallow canyon (Gallo Wash) becoming paved at the park boundary, passes the campground and a few small ruins then enters a deeper valley up to one mile wide. This is Chaco Canyon, where all the important ruins are found; ten major sites, most of which are right next to the 8 mile (one way) loop roadrunning beneath the crumbling, yellow/brown sandstone cliffs that enclose the valley. It is a short drive but there is a lot to see, and about half a day is needed to explore the closer villages or a full day including hikes to some of the more distant sites on top of the adjacent mesa. There is one other way into the park from the south, along sandy road 57 that runs quite straight through more empty, wide-open desert land for 19 miles to the next paved highway, Indian Route 9. This is less maintained that the northern approach, bumpy in places but still generally quite good, though not advisable during wet weather when the surface becomes too muddy. In addition to ruins within the main unit, the park includes three outlying sites (Pueblo Pintado, Kin Bineola and Kin Ya'a), the last two of which generally need a 4WD vehicle to reach. History: The Chaco Canyon area was first inhabited in the middle of the ninth century and reached its peak importance about 200 years later, by which time the population reached 4,000 and over a hundred satellite villages had been constructed across north New Mexico. Trade routes were opened up with more distant settlements in Colorado, Arizona and north Mexico, and yet as with all other ancient civilizations in this part of the Southwest, the thriving Chacoan colony declined rapidly and all the great houses were abandoned in the late thirteenth century, though this site in particular retains great significance to many modern Indian tribes. Chaco became part of the national park system (as a national monument) in 1907 and was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987. 5️⃣Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument is located approximately 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), it was established as a U.S. National Monument by President Bill Clinton in January 2001. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan. The monument is a unit of the BLM's National Conservation Lands. Kasha-Katuwe is located on the Pajarito Plateau between 5700 and 6400 feet (1737–1951 m) above sea level. The area owes its remarkable geology to layers of volcanic rock and ash deposited by pyroclastic flow from eruptions within the volcanic field of the Jemez Mountains that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago. Many of the layers are light in color, which is the origin of the monument's Keresan name. Over time, weathering and erosion of these layers has created slot canyons and tent rocks. The tent rocks are composed of soft pumice and tuff. Most of the tent rocks have a distinctly conical shape and some retain their caprocks of harder stone. The tent rocks vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet. Recreational activities: The BLM maintains hiking trails as well as parking and restrooms at the site. The Slot Canyon trail is a one-way trail covering 1.5 miles (2.4 km) through a slot canyon and up a climb of 630 feet (190 m) to a lookout point where the tent rocks may be viewed from above. The Cave Loop trail is approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) and leads past the base of the cliffs, near some of the tent rocks and a small cavate similar to those found at the nearby Bandelier National Monument. The Veterans’ Memorial Scenic Overlook, dedicated in 2004, includes a 1 mile (1.6 km) loop trail and views of Peralta Canyon and the Jemez Mountains. The overlook is located at the end of a gravel road approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of the tent rocks and may not be accessible depending on road and weather conditions. The monument is open for day use only and may be closed by order of the Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Governor. Considerations for hiking include the possibility of flash flooding in the slot canyons and the high altitude of the monument. The monument is closed to dogs. 6️⃣The Aztec Ruins National Monument preserves Ancestral Puebloan structures in the U.S. state of New Mexico. This national monument is close to both the town of Aztec and the Animas River. The Aztec ruins date from the 11th to the 13th centuries. American settlers in the 19th century named them the "Aztec ruins" based on their belief that the Aztec civilization built them. The site was declared "Aztec Ruin National Monument" on January 24, 1923. After a boundary change, "Ruin" was changed to "Ruins" on July 2, 1928. Pueblo people describe this site as part of their migration journey. Today you can explore a 900-year old ancestral Pueblo Great House of over 400 masonry rooms. Look up and see original timbers holding up the roof. Search for the fingerprints of ancient workers in the mortar. Listen for an echo of ritual drums in the reconstructed Great Kiva. Walk the half-mile trail through Aztec Ruins. Discover T-shaped doorways, intact ancestral Pueblo rooms, and a reconstructed Great Kiva! The monument is on the Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway, which is one of New Mexico's Scenic Byways. 7️⃣Farmington Museum at Gateway Park: Experience a wide variety of exhibits relating to the diverse history of the area’s cultures, traveling exhibits, and art shows. Lecture series, performances, workshops, and special demonstrations are offered year-round. The Museum store, “Currents,” features exhibit-related merchandise, books on local and regional interests, toys, and educational materials. Collections: ✨The oil and gas industry has been an important part of American history having fueled the country’s industrial expansion. One of the most visible aspects of the industry has been the memorabilia, such as gas pumps, oil cans, and signs, which have dotted the American landscape since the beginning of the twentieth century. The Farmington Museum has an extensive collection of these cultural artifacts, and they are showcased in the exhibition Petroliana: Oil and Gas Memorabilia from the Farmington Museum Collection. ✨Four Corners Photographic Society is a local photography club consisting of members from the Four Corners Region. Representing all levels of skill from beginner to professional, in every genre of photography, the lobby exhibition emphasizes the creative expression of the recording and presentation of images, taken from a variety of locations, near and far. ✨Adventures in Wood: Contemporary Craftsmanship by Steven Barr: Using techniques and approaches gleaned from nature, art, architecture, and craft, Steven Barr creates woodworking patterns that are both practical and playful. His unique visual palate mixes woods and wood textures in a reverent approach to the materials and processes of woodcraft. Beautifully handcrafted examples of his work, ranging from inventive sculptures to intricate furniture pieces will be on display. ✨Stan the T-Rex:'The Farmington Museum is delighted to be able to host Stan the T. rex in partnership with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Visitors to the museum will be thrilled to find themselves face to face with the gaping maw of one of the largest T. rex ever found, in full attack mode. The original Stan (as this Stan is a reproductive cast) is from the Hell Creek Formation near Buffalo, SD. Stan is named after the amateur paleontologist who found him in 1987, Stan Sacrison. Stan is coming from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and will remain at the Farmington Museum through May 2020. 8️⃣New Mexico Mining Museum: While many mining museums commemorate the collection of precious metals, the New Mexico Mining Museum in Grants highlights a material that only gained value in the mid-20th century: uranium. Located 78 miles west of Albuquerque, Grants, New Mexico has experienced many booms, from railway to logging to carrots. But when a local Navajo shepherd discovered uranium ore in nearby Haystack Mesa in 1950, Grants was flooded with uranium prospectors and experienced a mining boom spanning the 1950s to the 1980s. New Mexico has the second highest Uranium reserves in the United States. The particularly rich Grants mineral belt stretching across McKinley and Cibola counties in the north west of New Mexico accounts for the majority of that uranium. The uranium boom brought prospectors, jobs, and money to Grants and neighboring communities. Uranium mining slowed and gradually died out in the 1980s when the price of uranium fell with demand. While mining has ceased in the state, the New Mexico Mining Museum preserves the history. The museum is right off of I-40, tracing the rough path of historic Route 66. In the entry way there is petrified wood, dinosaurs bones, and other artifacts that had been collected by local miners during their career in the uranium mines. A short but informative video provides a quick overview of the history and uranium mining of the area. Alongvwith numerous displays of geiger counters, headlamps, and yellow cake is an lower level mine model with an audio tour. Take an elevator below the New Mexico Mining Museum for a walking tour through the uranium mine display. Visitors can walk through examples of uranium mine workings complete with ore carts, dynamite drilling, mucking tools, and a lunch room. 9️⃣Shiprock (Navajo: Tsé Bitʼaʼí, "rock with wings" or "winged rock") is a monadnock rising nearly 1,583 feet (482.5 m) above the high-desert plain of the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, U.S.. Its peak elevation is 7,177 feet (2,187.5 m) above sea level. It lies about 10.75 miles (17.30 km) southwest of the town of Shiprock, which is named for the peaks which resemblance an enormous 19th-century clipper ship. Governed by the Navajo Nation, the formation is in the Four Corners region and plays a significant role in Navajo religion, myth, and tradition. It is located in the center of the area occupied by the Ancient Pueblo People, a prehistoric Native American culture of the Southwest United States often referred to as the Anasazi. Shiprock is a point of interest for rock climbers and photographers and has been featured in several film productions and novels. It is the most prominent landmark in northwestern New Mexico. In 1975, Shiprock was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. Shiprock is composed of fractured volcanic breccia and black dikes of igneous rock called minette, or lamprophyre. It is the erosional remnant of the throat of a volcano. Shiprock and the surrounding land have religious and historical significance to the Navajo people. It is mentioned in many of their myths and legends. All areas near the formation are closed to non-Natives for the traditional religious purposes and for the safety of the formation and lava dike. It is recommended that the public stay at least three miles (4.8 km) away from the formation and 20 feet (6.1 m) from the lava dikes or wall when visiting. The formation is a Navajo religious site. The restrictions were put in place in July 2016 by the delegated tribal authority. Visitors without any proper tribal authorization will be considered to be trespassing on Federal Indian Reservation land and are subject to legal sanctions. 🔟El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic church in Chimayó, New Mexico, United States. (Santuario is Spanish for "sanctuary".) This shrine, a National Historic Landmark, is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site. It has been called "no doubt the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States." Santuario is on Juan Medina Drive in Chimayó. It is entered through a walled courtyard. Built of adobe with a bell tower on each side, the church is 60 feet (18 m) long and 24 feet (7.3 m) wide with walls more than 3 feet (about 1 m) thick. The "elegant" doors were carved in the 19th-century. An unusual feature is two side-by-side rooms at the entrance forming a vestibule or narthex, once used for storage. The nave contains a crucifix representing Christ of Esquipulas, 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. Other notable folk-art decorations include five reredoses and a small sculpture of St. James the Great. A small room called el pocito (the little well) contains a round pit, the source of "holy dirt" (tierra bendita) that is believed to have healing powers. An adjacent Prayer Room displays many ex-votos as well as photographs, discarded crutches, and other testimonials of those purportedly healed. Some say that before the Spaniards arrived, a hot spring that then flowed near the site was sacred to the Tewa Indians for its healing powers. One version of the legend says that during Holy Week, Abeyta (or a friar) saw a light shining from the hillside and dug the crucifix up with his bare hands. He turned it over to Fr. Álvarez, who took it to the Santa Cruz church, but the crucifix mysteriously returned to the spot where Abeyta found it. After the third time this happened, Álvarez and Abeyta decided to build a chapel on the spot to house the crucifix. 1️⃣1️⃣Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center. The park entrance is located on US Highway 62/180, approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Approximately two thirds of the park has been set aside as a wilderness area, helping to ensure no future changes will be made to the habitat. Carlsbad Cavern includes a large limestone chamber, named simply the Big Room, which is almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at its highest point. The Big Room is the fifth largest chamber in North America and the twenty-eighth largest in the world. Capitan Reef: An estimated 250 million years ago, the area surrounding Carlsbad Caverns National Park served as the coastline for an inland sea. Present in the sea was a plethora of marine life, whose remains formed a reef. Unlike modern reef growths, the Permian reef contained bryozoans, sponges, and other microorganisms. After the Permian Period, most of the water evaporated and the reef was buried by evaporites and other sediments. Tectonic movement occurred during the late Cenozoic, uplifting the reef above ground. Susceptible to erosion, water sculpted the Guadalupe Mountain region into its present-day state. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is situated in a bed of limestone above groundwater level. During cavern development, it was within the groundwater zone. Deep below the limestones are petroleum reserves (part of the Mid-Continent Oil Field). At a time near the end of the Cenozoic, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) began to seep upwards from the petroleum into the groundwater. The combination of hydrogen sulfide and oxygen from the water formed sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid then continued upward, aggressively dissolving the limestone deposits to form caverns. The presence of gypsum within the cave is a confirmation of the occurrence of this process, as it is a byproduct of the reaction between sulfuric acid and limestone. Once the acidic groundwater drained from the caverns, speleothems began to be deposited within the cavern. Erosion above ground created the natural entrance to the Carlsbad Caverns within the last million years. Exposure to the surface has allowed for the influx of air into the cavern. Rainwater and snowmelt percolating downward into the ground pick up carbon dioxide; once this water reaches a cavern ceiling, it precipitates and evaporates, leaving behind a small calcium carbonate deposit. Growths from the roof downward formed through this process are known as stalactites. Additionally, water on the floor of the caverns can contain carbonic acid and generate mineral deposits by evaporation. Growths from the floor upward through this process are known as stalagmites. Different formations of speleothems include columns, soda straws, draperies, helictites, and popcorn. Changes in the ambient air temperature and rainfall affect the rate of growth of speleothems, as higher temperatures increase carbon dioxide production rates within the overlying soil. The color of the speleothems is determined by the trace constituents in the minerals of the formation. In 1898, a teenager named Jim White explored the cavern with a homemade wire ladder. He named many of the rooms. Until 1932, visitors to the cavern had to walk down a switchback ramp that took them 750 feet (230 m) below the surface. The walk back up was tiring for some. In 1932 the national park opened up a large visitor center building that contained two elevators that would take visitors in and out of the caverns below. The visitor center includes a cafeteria, waiting room, museum and first aid area. Cave rooms names; ✨Balloon Ballroom: Located in the ceiling above the main entrance hall, this small room was first accessed by tying a rope to a bunch of balloons and floating them into the passage. ✨Bat Cave:A large, unadorned rocky passage connected to the main entrance corridor. The majority of the cave's bat population lives in this portion of the cave, which was mined for bat guano in the early 20th century. ✨Bell Cord Room: Named for a long, narrow stalactite coming through a hole in the ceiling, resembling the rope coming through the roof of a belfry. This room is located at the end of the Left Hand Tunnel. ✨Bifrost Room: Discovered in 1982, it is located in the ceiling above Lake of the Clouds. Its name refers to a Norse myth about a world in the sky that was accessed from Earth by a rainbow (the "Bifrost Bridge"). The room was given this name because of its location above the Lake of the Clouds and its colorful oxide-stained formations. ✨Big Room or The Hall of the Giants: The largest chamber in Carlsbad Caverns, with a floor space of 357,469 square feet (33,210 m2). ✨Chocolate High: A maze of small passages totalling nearly a mile (1500 m) in combined length, discovered in 1993 above a mud-filled pit in the New Mexico Room known as Chocolate Drop. ✨Green Lake Room: The uppermost of the "Scenic Rooms", it is named for a deep, malachite-colored pool in the corner of the room. In the early 1960s, when the military was testing the feasibility of Carlsbad Cavern as an emergency fallout shelter, the Green Lake was used to look for ripples caused by a nuclear bomb test many miles away. None appeared. ✨Guadalupe Room: Discovered by a park ranger in 1966, this is the second largest room in Carlsbad Caverns. It is known for its dense collection of "soda straw" stalactites. ✨Hall of the White Giant: A large chamber containing a large, white stalagmite. Rangers regularly lead special wild-cave tours to this room. ✨Halloween Hall: A room roughly 30 feet in length located above the Spirit World. Named for its discovery on October 31, 2013. The room's diameter is about 100 feet (30 m), and more than 1,000 bat bones were discovered inside the room. ✨King's Palace: The first of four chambers in a wing known as the "scenic rooms", it is named for a large castle-like formation in the center of the room. ✨Lake of the Clouds: The lowest known point in the cave. It is located in a side passage off the Left Hand Tunnel. It is named for its large lake containing globular, cloud-like rock formations that formed under water when the lake level was much higher. ✨Left Hand Tunnel: A long, straight passage marked by deep fissures in the floor. These fissures are not known to lead anywhere. The Left Hand Tunnel leads to the Lake of the Clouds and the Bell Cord Room. ✨Mabel's Room: A moderate-sized room located past the Talcum Passage in Lower Cave. ✨Mystery Room: A large, sloping room located off the Queen's Chamber, named for an unexplained noise heard only here. A small vertical passage at the far end connects it to Lower Cave. ✨New Mexico Room: Located adjacent to the Green Lake Room and accessed by means of a somewhat narrow corridor. ✨New Section: A section of fissures east of the White Giant formation and paralleling the Bat Cave. New discoveries are still being made in this section. ✨Papoose Room: Located between the King's Palace and Queen's Chamber. ✨Queen's Chamber: Widely regarded as the most beautiful and scenic area of the cave. Jim White's lantern went out in this chamber while he was exploring, and he was in the dark for over half an hour. ✨Spirit World: Located in the ceiling of the Big Room at its highest point (an area known as the Top of the Cross), this area is filled with white stalagmites that resembled angels to the room's discoverers. ✨Talcum Passage: A room located in Lower Cave where the floor is coated with gypsum dust. ✨The Rookery: One of the larger rooms in Lower Cave. A large number of cave pearls are found in this area. ✨Underground Lunchroom: Located in the Big Room at the head of the Left Hand Tunnel. It contains a cafeteria that was built in the 1950s, and is where the elevators from the visitor center exit into the cave. One of the extra events hosted by the park is the bat flight viewing. A program is given in the early evening at the amphitheater near the main entrance prior to the start of the flight, which varies with the sunset time. Flight programs are scheduled from Memorial Day weekend through the middle of October. Optimal viewing normally occurs in July and August when the current year bat pups first join the flight of adult bats. Morning programs are also hosted pre-dawn to witness the return of bats into the cave. Throughout the year, star parties are hosted by the park at night. Rangers host informational programs on the celestial night sky and telescopes are also made available. These parties are often held in conjunction with special astronomical events, such as a transit of Venus. Seventeen species of bats live in the park, including a large number of Mexican free-tailed bats. Many techniques have been used to estimate the bat population in the cave. The most recent and most successful of these attempts involved the use of thermal imaging camera to track and count the bats. A count from 2005 estimated a peak of 793,000. The Mexican free-tailed bats are present from April or May to late October or early November. They emerge in a dense group, corkscrewing upwards and counterclockwise, usually starting around sunset and lasting about three hours. Every early evening from Memorial Day weekend to mid October (with possible exceptions for bad weather), a ranger gives a talk on the bats while visitors sitting in the amphitheater wait to watch the bats emerge. 1️⃣2️⃣PICs Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument was created to protect Mogollon cliff dwellings in the Gila Wilderness on the headwaters of the Gila River in southwest New Mexico. The 533-acre (2.16 km2) national monument was established by President Theodore Roosevelt through executive proclamation on November 16, 1907. It is located in the extreme southern portion of Catron County. Visitors can access the Monument by traveling northbound from Silver City, New Mexico approximately 37 miles on NM 15. The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is home to two prominent ruins sites among a collection of smaller sites located within the Gila Wilderness inside the Gila National Forest. The Monument landscape ranges in elevation from around 5,700 to 7,300 feet above sea level and follows the branches of the Gila River. The terrain around the ruins is rugged and arid, and contains steep-sided canyons cut by shallow spring rivers, mesas and bluffs forested with Ponderosa pine, Gambel's oak, Douglas fir, New Mexico juniper, pinon pine, and alligator juniper (among others). The area geologic history stems from the Oligocene epoch and volcanic activity that subsequently covered the area with ash. The Monument's hot springs are remnants of this volcanic history. The Monument consists of 553 acres (2.24 km2) and contains the remains of a Mimbres Culture community in various locations, two of which are most prominent. The namesake ruins' developers made use of natural caves to build interlinked dwellings within five cliff alcoves above Cliff Dweller Canyon. The TJ Ruins are located on a bluff overlooking the Gila River. The Mogollon Peoples are believed to have inhabited the region from between 1275 and into the early 14th century, during the Pueblo III Era. Archaeologists have identified 46 rooms in the five caves on Cliff Dweller Canyon, and believed they were occupied by 10 to 15 families. The "Heart-Bar Site" or the TJ Ruins (named for the former ranch which the mesa takes its name from) located on TJ Mesa are largely un-excavated. It is not known why the community was abandoned. Other ruins include Javalina House, about 1/3 mile above the main ruin, West Fork Ruin, currently under Highway 15 across from Woody Corral, Three Mile Ruin along the west fork of the Gila River, and middle fork of the Gila River at the 11 room Cosgrove Ruin. Dendrochronology (tree ring dating) determined that the wood used in the dwellings were cut between 1276 and 1287. To visit the namesake dwellings, requires visitors to hike a well-traveled mile (1.6 km) long trail loop with several foot bridges over a stream. The hike begins at an elevation of 5695 Feet (1736 Meters) and ends at 5875 Feet (1790 Meters). A museum and visitors center is located at the monument near the TJ Ruins. The visitor center is jointly operated by the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service. The Museum hosts exhibits of Apache and Mogollon artifacts, uncovered both in the surrounding wilderness, and at the Monument. Other nearby attractions include hot springs, associated ruins sites, national forest hiking trails and fishing along the Gila River and in the Gila Wilderness. 1️⃣3️⃣The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS) is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad running for 64 miles (103 km) between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico, United States. The railroad gets its name from two geographical features along the route, the 10,015 foot (3,053 m) high Cumbres Pass and the Toltec Gorge. Originally part of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad's narrow-gauge network, the line has been jointly owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico since 1970.vThe rail line over which the Cumbres & Toltec operates was constructed in 1881 by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) as part of their San Juan extension stretching from Alamosa, Colorado to Durango, Colorado. The line was originally built to support mining operations in the San Juan Mountains, mainly around Durango and Silverton. By the mid 20th century, the ore traffic had dwindled but the line continued to support various agricultural and industrial operations until the 1960s. In 1968, freight traffic was virtually gone and the railroad began the process of abandoning the line. However, the states of Colorado and New Mexico purchased the 64 mile portion between Antonito and Chama in 1970 and began excursion services on the route as the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad operates between late May and late October with two trains (one in each direction) departing each morning from Antonito and Chama. Both trains are timed to meet at Osier, an old section town located about halfway along the route, for a lunch stop. Afterwards, passengers continue with their train to its destination or switch trains to return to their original terminal. Through riders are returned to their starting place by motor coach after the train arrives at its destination. In addition to the through service, the C&TS operates various special excursions during the season such as dinner trains. On certain days during the holiday season, the railroad offers special "Santa Trains" from both Chama and Antonito and guests are encouraged to bring gifts and/or food for the less fortunate. In 1973, the Cumbres & Toltec was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the boundaries were increased in 2007. In 2012, the railroad was designated a National Historic Landmark. Rolling Stock; Locomotives: All of the steam locomotives currently operating on the C&TS are former Denver and Rio Grande Western 2-8-2 outside frame engines built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in the early 1900s. Among these are K-27 #463, the K-36class, and the slightly larger K-37 class engines. In addition to the steam locomotives, the C&TS also operates two GE 47-ton switchers for light duties. Passenger Cars: For passenger services, the Cumbres & Toltec operates a mixture of flat roofed and clerestory cars with interiors corresponding with the railroad's three classes of service: Coach, Tourist, and Parlor. The C&TS also operates observation gondolas as well as special coaches configured to accommodate wheelchairs and house concession areas. A typical C&TS train includes 1 K-27 or K-36 2-8-2 steam locomotive (A second locomotive is normally added depending on the length of the train), 3 Coaches (On some days, extra coaches are added to meet demand), 1 ADA/Concession coach, 1 Observation gondola, 1 Tourist class coach, and 1 Parlor class coach. The Cumbres & Toltec also owns a varied collection of former D&RGW narrow-gauge freight wagons for both display and for use in nostalgic rail tours. Now climb aboard a National Historic Landmark for a 64-mile trip. Their coal-fired steam engine carries you through steep mountain canyons, high desert, and lush meadows as you zig zag between the Colorado and New Mexico border. View rare Western scenery which can only be viewed from their train’s unique route. Ride in the Victorian elegance of their deluxe parlor car or choose the budget-friendly coach car. Either way, a buffet lunch is included. Trains depart daily from Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. A luxury motor coach chauffeurs you back to your starting point at the end of the ride. 1️⃣4️⃣Ice Cave And Bandera Volcano: For a real experience in contrast, visit the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano, "The Land of Fire and Ice," right on the Continental Divide. Walk through the twisted old-growth Juniper, Fir, and Ponderosa Pine trees; over the ancient lava trails; down into the cave; and into a dormant volcano. Inside the cave, the natural layers of ice glisten blue-green in the reflected rays of sunlight illuminating natural arctic algae. Take a walk around the Bandera Volcano and view one of the best examples of volcanic eruption in the country and one of the most accessible. ✨Bandera Crater is the largest volcanic cinder cone in the region. It erupted around 10,000 years ago. There were two stages of the eruption: first the cinder cone developed, then a massive lava flow broke out the southern side. Bandera's lava flow is nearly 23 miles long. At the end of the eruption, the lava suddenly fell back down the main vent making the bottom of the cone deeper than the outside lava flow. This crater is nearly 1200 feet wide at the top and roughly 750 deep. The elevation at the look out point is 8122. The elevation at the rim is 8372. Over time, erosion and gravity take their toll on the crater and it is slowly filling up as cinders and rocks fall down into it. This makes for a very fragile environment. The trail to the Bandera Volcano is nearly half a mile long. The trail rises gradually from its base to its lookout, a total of a 150 feet. The lookout gives a clear vantage to observe the shattering effects that shook the earth nearly 10,000 years ago, spewing magma from within, and bursting out the southern side. ✨The Ice Cave is located in part of a collapsed lava tube, and the Ice Cave's temperature never rises above 31º F. The natural layers of the perpetual ice create such an atmosphere that even subspecies of algae can grow fruitful in near freezing conditions. As rain water and snow melt seep into the cave, the ice floor thickens. The floor of the ice is approximately 20 feet thick. Depending on summer rainfall, the cave floor may accumulate water until the prevailing temperatures drop well below 30 Degrees F. At this time, usually during December or January, the water from summer rainfall will freeze adding new layers of ice to the floor. The deepest ice is the oldest and dates back to 1100 BP. The green tint is caused by an Arctic algae. The back wall was formed in the early days when ancient Indians and early settlers mined the ice. In 1946, ice removal was stopped at which time the ice wall was nearly 12 feet high. Since then, the ice floor has risen relative to the back wall. The rate of ice accumulation varies with annual precipitation. The cause of original formation of ice back in 170 AD is uncertain. However, its perpetuation is due to a combination of existing conditions that make a natural ice box: 20 feet of ice in a well insulated cave shaped to trap frigid air. The Ice Cave was known to the Pueblo Indians as the Winter Lake. The trail to the Ice Cave is nearly a quarter mile long. The viewing platform is located 70 steps from the initial landing near the surface of the lava tube. The final landing is located within the cave, with a view of the perpetual ice, and natural cave formation. The cave is subtly lit with the outside ambience, no lighting implements are required. Gemstone Mining: The Ice Cave features a gemstone-mining-sluice, pan for gemstones and arrowheads in the old-time water-tower and trough. The gemstone mining sluice is great fun for all ages, and provides an educational diversion for your stay. 1️⃣5️⃣The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a yearly festival that takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during early October. The Balloon Fiesta is a nine-day event from October 6 to October 14, and has over 500 hot air balloons each year. The event is the largest balloon festival in the world. The Balloon Fiesta began in 1972 as the highlight of a 50th birthday celebration for 770 KOB Radio. Radio station manager Dick McKee asked Sid Cutter, owner of Cutter Flying Service and the first person to own a hot air balloon in New Mexico, if KOB could use his new hot-air balloon as part of the festivities. The two began discussing ballooning, along with conversation and help from Oscar Kratz, and McKee asked what the largest gathering of hot air balloons to date had been. 19 balloons in England, Cutter replied. Kratz asked "Can we get 19 here?" Cutter agreed to try. He got commitments from 21 pilots, but bad weather kept some of them from arriving in time. The first fiesta ended up as a gathering of 13 balloons on April 8, 1972, sponsored by KOB. The first event was located in the parking lot of the Coronado Center Shopping Mall with 20,000 spectators and with balloonists from Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Texas taking part. McKee, Cutter, and Kratz are the three men who had originally started the balloon races. The first fiesta incorporated a "Roadrunner-Coyote Balloon Race" (a "hare-and-hounds" race elsewhere in the world) with 1 balloon being the "Roadrunner" and the others being "Coyote" balloons (the "Roadrunner" balloon was actually emblazoned with likenesses of both Warner Bros. characters). The winner of the race, the "Coyote" that landed closest to the Roadrunner was Don Piccard of the noted aerostation dynasty, flying a balloon of his company's design and construction (his wife also placed in the race). The next year Albuquerque hosted the first World Hot-Air Balloon Championships in February and the fiesta became an international event. In 1975 Albuquerque was looking at hosting the World Championships again, but the event was scheduled for October. So the fiesta was moved to correspond with the championships. To maintain interest in Albuquerque's bid to host the championships, a balloon rally was held in February of that year. Autumn being a far better flying time than February, the event has remained in early October to the present day. The Balloon Fiesta grew each year for decades, and today is the largest balloon convention in the world. The number of registered balloons reached a peak of 1,019 in 2000, prompting the Balloon Fiesta Board to limit the number to 750 starting in 2001, citing a desire for "quality over quantity". The limit was changed to 600 in 2009; citing recent growth in the city and a loss of landing zones. On any given day during the festival, up to 100,000 spectators may be on the launch field where they are provided the rare opportunity to observe inflation and take off procedures. Countless more people gather at landing sites all over the city to watch incoming balloons. Dawn Patrol began at the Balloon Fiesta in 1978, when two California balloonists developed position lighting systems that allowed them to fly at night. Dawn Patrol pilots take off before sunrise and fly until it is light enough to see landing sites. Fellow balloonists appreciate the Dawn Patrol because they can watch the balloons and get an early idea of wind speeds and directions at different altitudes. One of the biggest events of the fiesta, where all participating balloons launch in two waves, filling the sky with hundreds of balloons at once. Launch directors, also known as “zebras” because of their black-and-white-striped outfits, serve as “traffic cops,” coordinating the launch so balloons leave the field in a safe and coordinated manner. Special Shape Rodeo: Many non-traditional, uniquely shaped balloons are launched at the same time. Some of the most famous shapes include a milk cow, a wagon coach, twin bees, and many others like soda pop cans and animals. This is the most popular part of the event as families can see how balloons can be all different in shapes and sizes. Balloon Glows: Large numbers of balloons are illuminated at night by their propane burners. They stand static and do not take off during these events. The "Glowdeo" is a night glow for the special shapes balloons. 🎈Special Events and Competitions; ✨Various events like: 🌵The Fiesta Challenge, a game where balloonists attempt to drop a marker closest to a target. 🌵America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race, where special long-distance gas balloons are inflated and then launched. The winner of the race is the balloon that travels the farthest. Some balloons in the race have gone as far as Canada and the U.S. East Coast. 🌵The Flight of the Nations Mass Ascension, where balloonists from each nation launch, one at a time, to their national anthem and waving their nation's flag. 🌵Other piloting, skill, and speed competitions. 🎈Albuquerque box; Diagram of the Albuquerque Box Effect when conditions are optimal: The success of the Fiesta depends in part on the cool Albuquerque morning temperatures in October and the Albuquerque box. The "box" is a set of predictable wind patterns that can be exploited to navigate the balloons. At low elevations the winds tend to be northerly (from the north), but at higher elevations they tend to be southerly. Balloonists use these winds to navigate in a vertical box: they ascend slightly from the launch park, move south, ascend further, move north, descend, and repeat the box or land back in the launch park or quite nearby. During events involving on-field targets, such as the "Key Grab" (where pilots attempt to grab prizes, including a set of keys to a new vehicle, from atop tall, flexible poles), it's not uncommon to see the same balloon make 5 or 6 passes at the targets, simply by working the "Box" to keep returning to the field. Location: Balloon Fiesta Park, from which the balloons are launched, is located on the northern edge of the city. In 2005, the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum was opened on the grounds. The museum is dedicated to the history, science, sport, and art of ballooning and other innovative forms of flight. 1️⃣6️⃣The ABQ Biopark Aquarium, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States is a facility of the Albuquerque Biological Park and is located next door to the Rio Grande Botanic Garden. The ABQ Biopark Aquarium exhibits Gulf of Mexico and South Pacific saltwater species from a variety of habitats, including surf zone, shallow waters, coral reefs, open ocean and deep ocean. The highlight of the aquarium is a 285,000 U.S. gal (1,080,000 l) shark tank with a 38-foot (12 m)-wide, 9-foot (2.7 m)-high, 8-inch (200 mm)-thick acrylic viewing window. Jellies: Aliens of the Sea, featuring moon jellies and Japanese sea nettles, and the Pacific Coral Reef Tunnel are popular with aquarium visitors. The South Pacific Gallery features seahorses, pipefishes, and colorfully patterned reef fish. The Rio Grande at Central Bridge exhibit in the aquarium lobby offers visitors an opportunity to compare the kinds of fish that lived in the Albuquerque reach of the Rio Grande 100 years ago and those found today. The Shark/Ray Encounter allows guests to have a guided, up-close experience with bamboo sharks and stingrays. After entering the museum, visitors first view freshwater tanks that display fish from the Rio Grande, both currently found and those no longer found in the river today. Adjacent is a small movie theater displaying informational films on aquatic life. Following this is a Gulf of Mexico Coast Gallery, which contains several exhibits depicting the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, with fish and bird species from this region as well as stingrays, and a Texas Terrapin exhibit, and a retired shrimp fishing boat. A replica of a coral reef displaying such fish as parrotfish, angelfish, grunts, porcupinefish, and triggerfish comes next; followed by a coral reef tunnel exhibiting several types of fish species found in the South Pacific. The next exhibit is a series of small tanks exhibiting "oddities" such as clownfish, seahorses, pipefish, jellyfish, hagfish, cuttlefish, and nautilus. On occasion, there will also be a touch pool tank open that contains stingrays and bamboo shark pups. The final exhibit, a 285,000-U.S.-gallon (1,080,000 l) saltwater tank with a 38-foot (12 m) viewing window, displays six shark species (sandtiger sharks, sandbar sharks, blacktip sharks, nurse sharks, zebra sharks and tasselled wobbegongs), tarpon, barracudas, stingrays, large schooling fish, moray eels and three species of sea turtles (loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, and hawksbill). Every day divers enter the tank to do daily chores like feeding and cleaning. The Albuquerque Aquarium currently runs a facility that focuses in the conservation of fishes found in the Rio Grande. The project includes the Rio Grande silvery minnow breeding program and the Socorro isopod. In January 2008, three blacktip shark pups were born at the Albuquerque Aquarium, making it the first birth of this species of shark ever recorded in captivity. The births were caught on video, which is available for viewing. The stated mission of the aquarium is to educate the public about the world oceans and the animals that live within. Events are held year round and include monthly sleepovers, a "Shark Week", camps for children during the summer and spring, and celebrations for World Oceans Day, and Earth Day. The Albuquerque Biological Park is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). 1️⃣7️⃣The ABQ Biopark Botanic Garden is a 36-acre (15 ha) botanical garden located at 2601 Central Avenue NW in Albuquerque, New Mexico, beside the Rio Grande. The garden showcases plants of the Southwest and other arid climates, and includes a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) conservatory, formal themed gardens, and a demonstration garden. Railroad Hill includes miniature trains and villages. Exhibit; The gardens contains a series of outdoor and indoor spaces: 🍀Spanish-Moorish Courtyard and Walled Gardens. These outdoor gardens, located just inside the entrance, contain a Spanish-Moorish themed garden displaying aromatic plants such as rosemary, Spanish lavender, fig and pomegranate trees; a small, round garden with a raised bed of cultivated roses called the Jardin Redondo; and the Ceremonial Rose Garden which contains a scenic trellis covered with wisteria and rambling roses. 🍀Mediterranean Conservatory. This large greenhouse displays a variety of plants native to coastal areas with hot dry summers and mild rainy winters, such as the Mediterranean, the California coast, southwestern Australia, South Africa and coastal Chile. Rockroses, bottlebrush trees, olive trees, myrtles, oleanders and numerous mints and sages are displayed here. This conservatory is also the locale for several flower shows, including Winter Fire Colors, Bulbs in Bloom and the Orchid Show. 🍀Desert Conservatory is a second greenhouse that simulates a dry climate and displays a collection of plant life from deserts of the American Southwest, such as saguaro cactus and palo verde trees from the Sonoran Desert, creosote and yucca from the Chihuahuan Desert, and elephant trees from Baja. 🍀Curandera Garden. This is a traditional herb garden based on the practices of Curanderos, or Spanish folk doctors, who have a long history of herbal medicine in New Mexico. 🍀Camino de Colores is divided into four areas, each themed to one of the four seasons, with plants chosen to represent each season's colors year-round. This garden also contains a water feature in the winter garden. 🍀Sasebo Japanese Garden is a classically Japanese designed containing Japanese architecture and design elements such as the tile-capped garden wall and tile-roofed entry gate, an elevated bell tower, stone lanterns and pagoda sculptures, a ceremonial hand-wash basin, a waterfall, koi pond, an arched-moon bridge, and a viewing deck. The plant palette includes both traditional Japanese and American Southwest plantings. 🍀Heritage Farm is a re-creation of a 1930s era Albuquerque area farm, containing a kitchen garden, crops, an orchard, vineyard, berry bushes, replicas of a farmhouse, a barn, and a stables. Demonstrations take place in the farmhouse, and farm animals such as cows, goats, sheep, and horses live at the stables. 🍀PNM Butterfly Pavilion is an indoor butterfly house, open seasonally with several species of butterflies from North America. On one side of the pavilion, visitors can see small displays with dozens of other insects and arachnids and talk with the arthropod experts. 🍀Dragonfly Sanctuary Pond is buzzing with activity during spring, summer and fall as dragonflies and damselflies fly, hunt and search for mates. The exhibit is the first dragonfly sanctuary pond in the United States. Plants for perching grow around the pond, allowing guests to view and identify several species of dragonflies at once. A stream bubbles into the exhibit from a rocky desert landscape, and a deck overlooks the vibrant scene. 🍀Cottonwood Gallery is five-acres located at the north end of the Botanic Garden. The garden showcases a restored forest with a canopy of mature cottonwood trees and an understory of native trees and bushes. The natural area attracts interesting wildlife, including roadrunners, kestrels, porcupines and great-horned owls. The palette of plantings includes species used by animals for forage and shelter. Wetlands and shaded paths provide quiet places to watch for animals. 🍀"Garden" Railroad is an outdoor model railroad layout. 🍀Children's Fantasy Garden has a 14-foot-high (4.3 m) dragon standing at the entrance of the Garden that gives visitors a mite's eye perspective on the garden. Giant bugs, gardening tools, and huge pretend vegetables tower over visitors to this garden. A walk-through "pumpkin" 42 feet (13 m) in diameter and two stories high is the centerpiece of this garden. 🍀BUGarium is a 3,500-square-foot building that features different insect and other arthropod species from around the world, including Malaysian walking sticks, giant bird eating tarantulas and southwest velvet ants. Some of the exhibits include: a tropical tree feeding station connected by a 70-foot overhead "liana" to the second-floor nest of leaf cutter ants, aquatic insects that seem to connect to the outside dragonfly sanctuary pond, a nocturnal exhibit allowing viewing under infra-red light of tarantulas, giant katydids and African scorpions, and a cluster of individual bubbles housing the social communities of naked mole rats. 🍀High Desert Rose Garden is a display of 17 beds of roses especially adapted to Albuquerque's climate. Borders surrounding the space are planted with related species and two xeriscaped beds feature a wide variety of desert-adapted plants. Annual Events; 🌿Earth Day is one of the biggest events at the botanic garden. It is a day when visitors can learn more about our planet and what they can do to protect the animals and plants that inhabit the Earth. 🌿Children's Seed Festival celebrates the connections between seeds, plants and humans. This annual event is held in the Children's Fantasy Garden. 🌿National Public Gardens Day is where visitors can learn more about gardening, the environment, how to grow plants and use water wisely. Garden staff are on hand to offer tips on home gardening and landscape design. 🌿Summer Night's Concert- Summer Nights concerts feature an array of musical styles performed by local and regional talent on Thursday evenings in the Festival Green. 🌿Tanabata is held in early July in the Japanese Garden. Visitors are given the opportunity to write their wishes on strips of paper that are tied to stalks of bamboo. On the last day of the festival, the bamboo with its paper strips are ceremonially thrown into the garden pond. 🌿Obon is held in the Sasebo Japanese Garden. Visitors are provided with small candle-lit paper boats to decorate and then set adrift on the pond at sunset. 🌿River of Lights is an event held every year as a fundraiser for the BioPark to support various ABQ BioPark projects. Each year it showcases many displays and new sculptures that are created by the BioParks artist and craftsmen. 1️⃣8️⃣ABQ Biopark Zoo; Exhibits: 🍃Africa; Take an African safari. When Visiting...Meet chimpanzees, cheetahs, hippopotamuses, hyenas, African painted dogs, zebras, giraffes and more. Walk through aviaries filled with African birds, including Marabou storks, hammerkops and Cape Griffon vultures. Stop by the Out of Africa Gift Shop and Train Station. Explore savanna, woodland and rainforest in our six-acre Adventure Africa. Seventeen exhibits feature dozens of mammals and birds. You can also enjoy a snack, pick a great gift and catch the train here. 🍃Amphibians: Life on a Limb. Encounter strange and stunning species like poison dart frogs, hellbenders, and caecilians. The amphibian exhibit is home to dozens of frogs, toads, salamanders and other amphibians. Get a rare glimpse into their world to discover their environmental importance and the extinction crisis that threatens their future. When visiting...Watch colorful poison dart frogs hunt for insects. Listen to the sounds of a frog-filled pond at dusk. Get an inside look at how BioPark herpetologists care for endangered species in the biosecure Amphibian Conservation Lab. 🍃Ape Walk; Gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and siamangs are apes, not monkeys. Apes have long arms, no tails and heavier bodies than their monkey relatives. Most apes are omnivores, eating fruit, vegetables and meat on occasion. Apes are curious, playful and intelligent. Zookeepers use enrichment to keep the apes active and engaged. Boxes, balls and other toys filled with fruit and treats encourage natural behaviors like foraging and puzzle solving. 🍃Australian Outback; Meet marsupials and colorful birds at the Australia exhibit. The Australia exhibit takes guests on a trip through the outback to see some of the continent's most iconic creatures, including kookaburras, wombats, Tasmanian devils and kangaroos. Also When Visiting...Meet the only Tasmanian wombats in the United States. Visit their tree kangaroo at Koala Creek. Enter the cave in Koala Creek to find more animals from down under, including snakes and fish. Feed the lorikeets during summer. 🍃Birds of the Americas; Birds of North and South America have amazing adaptations that allow them to thrive in many different ecosystems, from lush rainforests to dry deserts and open grasslands to piney mountains. The Geraldine Johnson Birds of the Americas exhibit is home to several North and South American birds, including the beautiful hyacinth macaw, the sociable sun conure and the native roadrunner. American Bird Facts: Hyacinth macaws have scaly tongues to help scrape fruit pulp into their mouths. Roadrunners are members of the cuckoo family. Sun conures spend many hours in their nest, even when not breeding. 🍃The Carnivores exhibit features felines, polar bears, plus a few other animals from around the world. 🍃Asian elephant herd! Each day, our multi-generational Asian elephant herd (Elephas maximus) rotates through three different yards, each with its own elements to encourage exploration. The elephants also receive daily exercise, enrichment items like pumpkin and fruit, and lots of interactions with the rest of the herd. 🍃Mexican gray wolves, also known as lobos, inhabit ponderosa pine forests and pine/oak foothills. Social and intelligent, wolves live in packs consisting of a dominant male and female (the alpha pair) and their offspring. They communicate through body postures, facial expressions, scent-marking and howling. 🍃Polar bears roam the Arctic ice sheets and swim along the coasts. They paddle with large, webbed paws and keep warm with thick, insulated fur and a layer of fat. At the exhibit meet twins Kiska and Koluk. They were born on November 19, 1996. They have a 20-foot water slide, an air-conditioned ice cave, waterfalls and a 14-foot-deep pool. When visiting...Get nose-to-nose with these graceful swimmers in the ice cave or walk to the top of the exhibit to see them eat fish popsicles and slide down the waterfall. 🍃The BioPark Reptile House displays 59 different reptile species, including endangered animals from around the world. Discover fun and surprising facts about large Komodo dragons, venomous mambas, rare Chinese alligators and other animals. 1️⃣9️⃣White Sands National Monument is located in the state of New Mexico on the north side of Route 70 about 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Alamogordo. The monument is situated at an elevation of 4,235 feet (1,291 m) in the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin and comprises the southern part of a 275 sq mi (710 km2) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. The gypsum dune field is the largest of its kind on Earth. History: The idea of creating a national park to protect the white sands formation dates to 1898 when a group from El Paso, Texas, proposed the creation of Mescalero National Park. The plan failed as it included a game hunting preserve that conflicted with the idea of preservation held by the Department of the Interior. In 1921–22, Albert B. Fall, Secretary of the Interior and owner of a large ranch in Three Rivers northeast of the dune field, promoted the idea of an "all-year national park" that, unlike more northerly parks, would be open even in the winter. This idea ran into a number of difficulties and did not succeed. Tom Charles, an Alamogordo insurance agent and civic booster, was influenced by Fall's ideas. By emphasizing the economic benefits, Charles was able to mobilize enough support to have the national monument created. On January 18, 1933, President Herbert Hoover designated White Sands National Monument, acting under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906. The dedication and grand opening was on April 29, 1934. The visitor center and a nearby comfort station, three ranger residences, as well as three maintenance buildings were constructed of adobe bricks as a Works Progress Administration project starting in 1936 and completed in 1938. The original eight adobe buildings and other nearby structures were designated the White Sands National Monument Historic District when they were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The monument is completely surrounded by military installations (White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base) and has always had an uneasy relationship with the military. Errant missiles often fell on the monument, in some cases destroying some of the visitor areas. Overflights from Holloman disturbed the tranquility of the area. In 1969, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish introduced oryx into the Tularosa Basin for hunting. The oryx, having no natural predators, entered the monument and competed with native species for forage. In 1996, increasingly problematic alcohol abuse by students on spring break led to a ban on the consumption of alcohol, and the possession of alcohol or alcohol containers, throughout the monument from February 1 to May 31. Filming history: White Sands National Monument has been featured in a variety of western films, including Four Faces West (1948), Hang 'Em High (1968), The Hired Hand (1971), My Name Is Nobody (1973), Bite the Bullett (1975), and Young Guns II (1990). White Sands (1992) is a crime film containing some scenes filmed in the national monument. King Solomon's Mines (1950), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), and Transformers (2007) were also filmed at White Sands. Description: During the Permian Period, shallow seas covered the area that today forms White Sands National Monument. The seas left behind gypsum, and subsequent tectonic activity lifted areas of the gypsum-rich seabed to form part of the San Andres and Sacramento Mountains. Over time, rain dissolved the water-soluble gypsum in the mountains, and rivers carried it to the Tularosa Basin, which has no outlet to the sea. The trapped water sank into the ground or formed shallow pools that subsequently dried out, leaving gypsum on the surface in a crystalline form called selenite. Groundwater that flows out of the Tularosa Basin flows south into the Hueco Basin. During the last ice age, a lake now called Lake Otero covered much of that basin. When it dried out, a large flat area of selenite crystals remained, which is named the Alkali Flat. Lake Lucero, a dry lake bed which occasionally fills with water, is located in the southwest corner of the park, at one of the lowest points of the basin. The ground in the Alkali Flat and along Lake Lucero's shore is covered with selenite crystals that measure up to three feet (1 m). Weathering and erosion eventually break the crystals into sand-size grains that are carried away by the prevailing winds from the southwest, forming the white dunes. The dunes constantly change shape and slowly move downwind. Since gypsum is water-soluble, the sand that composes the dunes may dissolve and cement together after rain, forming a layer of sand that is more solid, which increases the wind resistance of the dunes. The increased resistance does not prevent dunes from quickly covering the plants in their path. Some species of plants, however, can grow fast enough to avoid being buried by the dunes. White Sands contains various forms of dunes. Dome dunes are found along the southwest margins of the field, transverse and barchan dunes in the center of the field, and parabolic dunes along the northern, southern, and northeastern margins. From the visitor center at the park entrance, the Dunes Drive leads 8 miles (13 km) into the dunes. Four marked trails allow visitors to explore the dunes by foot. During the summer, there are also ranger-guided orientation and nature walks. The park participates in the Junior Ranger Program, with various age-group-specific activities. Unlike dunes made of quartz-based sand crystals, the gypsum does not readily convert the sun's energy into heat and can be walked upon safely with bare feet, even in the hottest summer months. Visitors frequently ride sleds down the dunes by the parking areas. Both the park and U.S. Route 70 between Las Cruces and Alamogordo are subject to closure for safety reasons when tests are conducted at White Sands Missile Range which completely surrounds the monument. Tests occur about twice a week on average, for a duration of one to two hours. Climate: According to the Köppen climate classification system, White Sands National Monument has a continental or "cold" semi-arid climate (BSk) bordering extremely closely on a continental desert climate (BWk). Daily means resemble those of a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), though its relatively high elevation and low precipitation causes a higher diurnal temperature variation and shorter growing season than would be typical of such a climate, the latter lasting only from April 27 to October 19 (175 days) on average. Like much of the Southwestern United States and other subtropical regions around the world, the hottest temperatures are experienced in the dry early summer before the arrival of the monsoon (in this case the North American Monsoon), though the effect is much less pronounced than in warmer, more extreme regions like North India or the Sahel. 2️⃣0️⃣Jemez Falls gushes down through the Jemez Mountains. A short hike takes you from the Jemez Falls Campgrounds, through the Santa Fe National Forest, to an overlook of the falls. If you decide to explore further, you can actually take a dip in some of the shallow pools around the falls. 2️⃣1️⃣Nambé Falls Recreation Area is a gorgeous spot in Nambé Pueblo. There are two ways to reach the waterfall and each trail is only 0.25 mile long. One guides you to the top of the falls, while the low trail, which can be a wet experience, leads to the bottom. 2️⃣2️⃣Fillmore Falls: From I-25, take exit 1 (University Avenue/Dripping Springs Road) in Las Cruces and head east. The road ends at the Bureau of Land Management Visitor Center parking lot. Follow the Fillmore Canyon Trail until it runs directly into the falls. On the trail, be wary of disused mine shafts. During the rainy season, a pool forms at the bottom of this slickrock waterfall. The trail to this 40 feet waterfall is an easy 1.5 miles in length. 2️⃣3️⃣Sitting bull is a series of waterfalls located in a canyon in the Lincoln National Forest southwest of the city of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The falls are fed by springs located in the canyon above. The water flows through a series of streams and pools until reaching the falls where it drops 150 feet into the canyon below. A number of hiking trails allow visitors access to the springs above the falls. A paved path connects the picnic area to the area around the bottom of the falls where wading and swimming are allowed. Additionally, there are a number of caves in the area which require special permits to visit. 2️⃣4️⃣Quemado Falls is a 132' waterfall in Pecos Wilderness. 2️⃣5️⃣Sacaton Falls is a 300’ high waterfall in the high Mogollon Range in Gila National Forest. The bottom 150’ is free falling. There is no maintained trail but it’s fairly easy hiking up the stream.2️⃣6️⃣Echo Falls is a 50' waterfall. 2️⃣7️⃣Double Falls drops 30 feet in two tier. 2️⃣8️⃣Timberline Falls is a 100' waterfall located in Carson National Forest which is in Wheeler Peak Wilderness. 2️⃣9️⃣Maverick Falls is 30' high in the Cimarron Canyon State Park. Access is a 3/4 mile hike from US Hwy 64. The nearest town is Eagle Nest. You can see both Clear Creek and Maverick Falls in the same day. 3️⃣0️⃣Clear Creek Falls (4 waterfalls) are a mile and a half hike from US Hwy 64, halfway between Eagle Nest and Ute Park in Cimarron Canyon State Park. #1 fall is 16’ high, #2 is about 10’ high, #3 is 20' high and #4 is 35’ high. 3️⃣1️⃣Bull Creek Falls is split into 2 tiers of 20' tiers making it 40'. Its in the Santa Fe National Forest and Pecos is about 8 miles west of it. 3️⃣2️⃣Unnamed Waterfall Down Stream From Bull Creek Falls. This waterfall is 8’ high and 30’ wide. 3️⃣3️⃣Diener Falls, Zuni Mountains, Cibola National Forest. 3️⃣4️⃣Lower Geronimo Falls is a 100’ high waterfall half a mile downstream from Geronimo Creek Falls in the Gila Wilderness Area in Gila National Forest. 3️⃣5️⃣Lower Frijoles Falls estimated at 90' high in Bandelier National Park on a mile and a half hike on a well-kept and well-marked trail. 3️⃣6️⃣Upper Frijoles Falls estimated at 80' high, Bandelier National Park.

I'm ready to go to New Mexico. So much to see and do, especially White Sands (my snow without the cold).

We had a windy day with a temperature of 68°F.

Warm hugs!💕🐶🐶🌤