West From Taos To Farmington (Page Five)
We like seeing the country so we headed north to Taos via Santa Fe New Mexico and we saw the sights as we used the back roads wherever possible.
We took only the back roads and climbed to 11,000 feet in doing so!
We got to Taos and decided to drive on to Farmington through the high country. We actually go to 10,000 feet and played in the snow before going down into Farmington.
On its way west, 64 crosses the Rio Grande, here a muddy ravine
traversed by a trembling bridge and surrounded by hippies selling
trinkets. Hippies live all over the place, some of them in bizarre
eco-friendly dwellings that look like 21st-century updates of the sod
houses back in Oklahoma.
Back in the mountains, 64 passes through the mountain town of Chama, the
embarkation point for the Cumbres and Toltec narrow-gauge scenic
railroad. A lack of state funding delayed the train’s season in 2003;
check for availability in future summers.
The 13,000-acre Navajo Lake offers more recreation opportunities near
the town of Dulce, capital of the Jicarilla Apache reservation. Around
here, rocks start appearing in formations worthy of Coyote and
Roadrunner cartoons. The granddaddy of them all, of course, is Ship
Rock, the final landmark before 64 crosses into Arizona and ends.
The road followed a stream for miles and miles
See the river in the background? It was moving fast!
Sue enjoys our frequent stops
We Took The Road Less Traveled... We Took The Back Roads Avoiding The Interstates!
Hwy 64 got us to over 11,000 feet in altitude and we were able to play
in the snow!
The skies were so blue and the clouds so white!
Farmington New Mexico Was The First Stop On Our Way Home From Albuquerque
On
the way to Farmington
Located in the picturesque San Juan River Valley, Farmington is within sight of Colorado's rugged San Juan Mountains and desert highlands of Arizona and Utah. Farmington, New Mexico (pop. 41,000) is the largest city in the Four Corners area. Farmington is a perfect place for enjoying extraordinary outdoor recreation and travel adventures. Farmington is surrounded by world class cultural treasures and outstanding landscapes. The Four Corners area is legendary for its year-round pleasant climate, which makes the area a pleasurable destination during any season.
Farmington went through several "oil and gas" booms during the 20th century. At one time, Farmington was the leading oil and gas producing area in the state of New Mexico. The oil and gas industry still remains a staple for the area.
Down
in the valley, the valley so low!
View from the parking lot... They have a "Riverwalk" outside the hotel
She is stretching her legs for the anticipated day of driving
The truck is
filled, windshield washed (again) and ready to go!
