Sunday 28th April Across the Rio Grande

Another glorious morning and west New Mexico beckons.

Definite objectives today and not necessarily associated directly with Route 66 but still very much on my “to do” list. I want to see the Coronado Monument, the Statue Tribute to the Pioneer women who trekked across the west with their men and follow a bit of the El Camino Real (yes Roger I know El means the but I’m an intrepid biker not a linguist) the earliest Euro-American Trade Route in the US.

But first I had to drive down the escarpment from Santa Fe and on the way down look for the remains of the original winding route from the early 30s. I never found that – the guide books say approach by 4x4 only and my 2x1 began to object at the off-roading, constantly moaning that it was a Pan European designed for French Autoroutes and German Autobahn - even this cow thought “what the ….”

 

After abandoning that search I enjoyed an amazing ride along sweeping roads across a landscape with red rock buttes in the distance yet scattered with black volcanic rock from the long extinct – like 150, 000 years long - Black Volcano near Albuquerque...,

 



 



 and chasing trains...

 

 

the climax of which must have been actually crossing the Rio Grande, still can’t believe I’ve done that!

Then immediately on to the Coronado State Monument in Bernalillo. In 1540 Captain-General Francisco Vasquez do Coronado led an expedition north out of what was then New Spain in search of the Legendary Seven Cities of Gold. He hoped to find treasures similar to those found a couple of decades earlier among the Aztecs and Incas. He didn’t and after wondering about a bit and generally making life unpleasant for the indigenous population – in this case Pueblo Indians – he went home. It was the life of the Indians I was interested in and the Coronado monument is on the site of one village, Kuaua, started in the early 1300s.  The village was excavated in 1935 and the major find was an underground room, known as a Kiva, which was the heart of the villagers ritual ceremonies – like many such peoples their homage was to the land, the sun and water and whatever they undertook they called down the spirits of the elements to bless them. In this Kiva the archaeologists found murals from the 1500s and they were on show – it was a truly wonderful, peaceful place and the fact that it was on the banks of the Rio Grande was just too tempting – I had to have a paddle.

 

That - and below - is the Rio Grande - and a big grin!

 

 

Now on to Alburquerque. Tales of pioneers moving westwards always feature men doing men’s stuff, fighting indigenous tribes, harsh winters, rough terrain, weather etc. So in 1909 a group of women, later joined by the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution and National Old Trails Road Association started a project to honour and celebrate those eight hundred thousand women who accompanied the men and did exactly the same - as well as looking after the children, the “mobile home|” and of course their men. Referred to as The Madonnas of the Trail Project the early plans to erect a monument every mile across the continent - 3095 in all - didn’t materialise but 12 statues were erected in 1928-29, strung along the National Old Trails Roads – each identical, 18ft high showing a mother with a babe in arms, a young child, a determined look and a rifle. There is one in Albuquerque and I wanted to see it. And see it I did…

 

 

From Alburquerque I began to look for El Camino Real (see I learn quickly) but that will have to wait til tomorrow – did 269 miles today in 29⁰C wearing full riding gear and am very weary need a bath and maybe a beer…..

 

I must admit on looking back at the above it is a bit heavy, sorry must have been more tired than I realised. It really wasn't that kind of day - but full of really good riding roads, twisty and through the red rock gorges - some though just petered out...

 

Notice the Cow theme today...

others swung far away from the Interstate to take easy routes but you could see where the more modern road builders had just sliced through

 

Here the old route swings right to go around but top left the Interstate just goes straight

 

At this stop I found a shrine to a German Biker who died in October last year and who apparently loved this rout. Someone had placed a photograph in a rock cleft

 

 

Don't know where you are Klaus, but it is still as much fun as ever....

 

Then, another significant find, well I thought it was.... The Continental Divide, the line at which rain that falls to the East drains into the Atlantic and that which fall on the West drains into the Pacific. Now here I owe my American friends - I have a few, ok 3 but it is the quality of friendship not the quantity, now there's a dig at facebook, that's important - and I did think that with all the "World Famous" this (bait farms, totem poles, pancakes etc) they would have made a big thing about the Continental Divide and was quite excited. Well......

 

a bit of a disappointment to say least.  However... on talking to one third of my American Friends, ie Gary, I realise that being off the track I saw the local Native American approach and there is an official and perhaps more detailed acknowledgement nearer the Interstate. Sorry America...