Santa Fe to Farmington NM

Last night's sunset

My intended itinerary for today was to drive from Santa Fe to Farmington with a side trip to Chaco Canyon National Historic Park. Mission accomplished. Along the way, I saw the face of god. Hyperbole? I don't think so. The land I drove through today - the rocks, hills, canyons, buttes, lakes, and skies are manifestations of divine splendor. There are many such places and I have been fortunate enough to have visited several. Milford Sound in New Zealand, the High Sierras in California, Uluru in Australia, Tibet, the French Alps. I now count the drive I took today among them.

Jesus Miguel Gallegos

I left Ernie and Jean Peterson's leaving Santa Fe via US 285/84 North. At Espanola I turned West on US 84. I had breakfast in Abiquiu and met Jesus.

Jesus Miguel Gallegos, grandson on Michael Antonio Gallegos, graduate of Berkeley, former engineer, and now organic gardener. I met him in front of the adobe church in Abiquiu. His bicycle had a flat. He asked me if I could help him. I took Jesus, the boxes of produce he was carrying, and his bicycle to Trujillo's Mercantile down the road to get his bicycle tire fixed. On the way he told me his and his grandfather's history.  He also tried his best to explain Valence theory and the importance of Scandinavium that has an atomic weight of 44 - which is somewhere close to the atomic weight of carbon dioxide. Most of that part of the discussion was beyond me. Tire fixed, I dropped him at his garden located in front of a motor vehicle repair shop just off 84. Jesus showed me how he hand tills his garden and gave me some fresh pears. We said goodbye and I drove off.

US 84 north of Abiquiu

I won't even try and describe the rest of the drive to Chaco Canyon. From 84 I took New Mexico route 96 south along Lake Abiquiu and through forests, prairies, deserts - always against astounding rock formation backdrops under skies so big I wanted to weep at the beauty. I took photos, of course and a few of them are on my Facebook page. But what I saw today can only be hinted at either in words or pictures. You'll just have to make the drive yourself and see for yourself.

Chaco Canyon is 26 miles off US 550 accessible only by bone rattling dirt road. Many of the ruins in the park were sacred spaces for the Chaco culture. The park is a shadow of what was once an advanced culture that vanished. The land and the ruins still hold a special charge and still guard the secrets of the disappeared.

Pueblo del Arroyo

Tonight I am in Farmington, New Mexico in the heart of Tony Hillerman country. Farmington has become a small city since I was here last. The choices of motels have improved, but I wouldn't call most of the rest of the development improvement. Tomorrow I will do Mesa Verde and the Four Corners Monument and start off for Sedona.