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Heading toward Gallup NM, we're still in awe of the terrain
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Neat roadside rock - different than most
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Seems like the roadside attractions with the most highway signs have the least to offer
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We certainly were enchanted, to a point
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Even though we knew the terrain was volcanic, we were surprised to drive through a lava field
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Just north of Albuquerque, the line to park our motorhome at The Rally moved slowly
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First couple of hours in the exhibit hall are always crowded
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An unusually long line to catch a bus back to the RV parking
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There were upwards of 3,000 RVs parked in that field. Most impressive
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Nightly entertainment was held in a big "permanent" tent that leaked in the rain
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First night there were a bunch of Elvises
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Second night was Neil Sedaka, performing sans toupee
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We also saw Rita Coolidge (above) and the three remaining original Osmond Brothers
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These folks offered hot air balloon rides, and also staged a "Glow" one night
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In a Glow, they inflate several balloons and then fire the burners to make them glow
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It's about a half-hour of constant "Ooo - Ahhh"
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There were 7 balloons in this glow
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And they set up adjacent to the RV parking
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The parrot was parked right next to the balloons, and was rather vocal about the excitement
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Outside rally registration, a display of classic RVs and the vehicles that pull them
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Most of them were from the 50's and 60's
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The guy with the truck was living off the grid with lots of solar panels and a wind turbine
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Most days, there were beautiful sounds eminating from this tent
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Country Coach from Junction City OR showed an interesting coach with a fold-down deck
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Two days, the Albuquerque pet adoption truck visited. Over 60 animals were adopted
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A bunch of folks took balloon rides at dawn. We didn't (borrowed image)
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Last day of the rally some volunteers relaxed a little
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On Good Sam Club Day, folks lined up to open a chest for a prize
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Most keys didn't fit. Most prizes were plastic doo-dads
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After leaving the rally grounds, we spent a few hours at the Balloon Fiesta Museum
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Three years ago, we couldn't take pictures indoors
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The museum has many historically significant ballooning items
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This is the balloon that lifted the previous gondola
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A typical hot air balloon chase vehicle
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Al managed to crash three times on a very cool balloon simulator
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Parts of the mechanism of a Japanese Fugo balloon. They carried bombs across the ocean to the Pacific Northwest in WW-2
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A scale replica of a balloon we saw once in Jackson MI
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Outside Santa Fe, a neat not-really-balancing rock
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Highway overpasses near Indian reservations are often beautifully decorated
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Approaching the Rio Grande River near Los Alamos NM
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This place is home to several hundred pueblo and cave dwelling ruins
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There's a mile-long trail taking you to the ruins, many of them in that cliff
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The cliff rock is "toff", relatively soft, made from volcanic ash, looks like sandstone
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Caves that were lived in have sooty ceilings, sometimes attacked by vandals
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A subterranian Kiva, usually a gathering place. Pits in the floor may have been foot drums
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There were extensive ruins of a several hundred room ground-level pueblo
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Cliff dwellings tended to start out as caves, which were then enhanced
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Many times, pueblos were built in front of the caves. These were reconstructed in a CCC project
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Looking down at the ruin of the largest pueblo in the valley
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Several of the cliff caves were accessible by ladders, much as used by the inhabitants
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Judy climbed into two of the caves
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Weather causes some interesting erosions on this soft rock
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This pueblo was rebuilt in the 1930's
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Great smile! These were inhabited from about 800 to 1400
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We were kind of tagging along with a group of energetic young ladies
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The valley housing the ruins offered water, game and opportunities for agriculture
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Another view of that big pueblo.
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Fortunately for us, the park service built some stairs and a walkway
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Judy peeks out of an original opening. Many times rock openings were partially closed with mud bricks
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Inside one of the cave dwellings . . . probably was a storage alcove
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The energetic young ladies posed for us
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It seemed like every possible cave had been enhanced for habitation
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If you look carefully, you can see an opening in there going deeper into the rock
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It's absolutely fascinating. Even though soft, working that rock took a lot of time and effort
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We saw a few petroglyphs on the cliff face
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This shot shows horizontal lines of holes marking roofs of a four level pueblo
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This graphic was found on a wall behind a layer of mud plaster - it is now protected by a glass pane
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And we call these folks "Primitive"
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We like the ability to get up close to the ruins. We hope that doesn't harm them
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There are lots of caves and ruins in areas of the park without trail access
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When you see those horizontal lines of holes, you know there was a roof there once
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We have no idea how many cave dwellings there are in the park
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A reconstructed oven - either for baking or pottery
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A poster picture showing the "Arroyo" complex, another half-mile into the canyon. We didn't go
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After we left the park. we saw some cliffs along the Rio Grande that looked promising
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Sure enough - cave dwellings right along the highway
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We are always in awe of mountains with snow, as long as we're not in it
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Neat decoration on the "RealBurger" building near Santa Fe. Wonderful burgers, too
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La Fonda Hotel in downtown Santa Fe. Nothing to do with Henry or his kids
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The Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi is being renovated for the city's 400th anniversary in 2010
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St Francis himself, we think
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They said the interior scaffolding would come down within the month
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But the restoration work is absolutely spectacular
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We are always impressed with the ornate decorations in these churches
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The stained glass is always wonderful
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One of the artists working on the friezes
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Two of the artists working on the friezes
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A statue of the first Native American saint. She was an Algonquin, but the Navaho sculptor didn't know that . . .
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We didn't go into the art museum. Maybe next time
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The Loretto Chapel dates to 1873, and was built with the adjoining convent
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Great statuary
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The chapel is home to the "Miraculous Stairway", added after the building was built
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A picture of a poster showing how the stairway probably looked before the railings were added. No wonder the nuns were nervous
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The chapel is no longer active, but part of an inn that now operates in the former convent
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But the chapel is still used for weddings and other "appropriate" events, and is still very attractive
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Adjacent to the chapel was a street market, selling all kinds of interesting stuff
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So much mission pueblo style architecture in Santa Fe . . . even this parking garage
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We'll end on this image of a wooden fence, typical of many in the area. Kind of neat