Northwest New Mexico to Northeast Colorado

Just outside Farmington, New Mexico

Part 3 of our current Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado Love Your Parks Tour Road Trip adventure.

In the early morning hour of Sunday, June 2 we checked out of the historic El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico and headed north on Hwy. 491 towards Aztec Ruins National Monument. Our ultimate goal for the day was to reach Greeley in northeast Colorado, for an early dinner with our new friends Amy, Jenn and Michelle. Of course, we had some interesting detours along the way….

Giant Volcanic Rock Formations on the way to Shiprock

It was a scenic drive up Hwy. 491, and as we neared the legendary community of Shiprock, our jaws dropped as giant and dramatic rock formations took over the landscape. From Shiprock we headed east towards Farmington and Aztec Ruins National Monument. Somehow we ended up on an extended scenic detour that put us behind schedule a bit, but hey....you can't rush a road trip!

We took the self-guided tour of the ruins at Aztec Ruins National Monument

We finally reached the astounding Aztec Ruins, a tightly clustered Chacoan complex made up of a Pueblo, a reconstructed Great Kiva and plaza, and several close-by ceremonial ruins. Pueblo tradition claims this settlement as an important waypoint in the ancient settlement of the Rio Grande Valley. If you visit Chaco Canyon, I highly recommend a visit to Aztec Ruins and vice versa.

You can see the Great Kiva....it's pretty magical and mysterious when you go inside...

From Aztec Ruins, it was time to cross into Colorado, and boy, here came another big landscape change. Massive mountains with snow capped peaks, and lush green meadows with wildflowers along the roadside. 

Snow along Wolf Creek Pass

The road started to wind around the mountains as we headed east through the Rio Grande National Forest towards Pagosa Springs. Then it started to climb...and I mean really climb...way up over 10,000 feet on the Wolf Creek Pass! Yikes! And, there was snow on the side of the road. Burrrr! 

San Juan River at the bottom of Wolf Creek Pass

The rest of the drive was a little easier, though we still had to tackle some more grand mountain passes and a little stormy weather. One of the impromptu stops we made to stretch our legs was Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area. A great waterfowl and bird habitat, this beautiful National Natural Landmark has a spring creek, wetlands and a little boardwalk you can walk along. 

Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area

Eventually we made it to Greeley, and though we were a little late, we still made it in time to have a wonderful welcome dinner with our friends. We spent a week exploring Greeley and Weld County and what an amazing experience that was. Stay tuned for my post on that next week!

Today, we're wrapping up our lovely visit to Santa Fe, The City Different, and heading back to Florence, Colorado.

Happy Summer!
Miss P.