Carla and Douglas Kerr in Los Alamos, New Mexico

Sunday, June 18, 2017 in Los Alamos, New Mexico (Father's Day)

This startling looking creation looks like a battleship which we spotted on the way to Los Alamos

After a good breakfast at Cumbres Suites, we packed up and started our drive to Los Alamos, New Mexico. Upon arriving, we were too early for check in so we went exploring and, even though this was Sunday, we found the Chamber of Commerce was open. A lovely man there (I believe his name was Pat) loaded us up with brochures and maps containing information about the area and recommended a restaurant called The Blue Window. We went looking for it and later discovered that they had the former address of this place as they had recently moved. Also, they were closed on Sundays anyway. We finally settled for El Parasol Mexican Restaurant. It was just okay, but we were starved and sustenance was the word!

We then went to the Historic Museum and it was  chock full of  interesting information, pictures, momentos, etc. about the history of Los Alamos and how it eventually evolved to become the thriving and beautiful little city that it is. There was quite a lot of walking involved and Doug got very tired. I went to retrieve the car and drove to where he was and picked him up.

Doug spotted a sign that said "Overlook Point" so we drove there and it was the most amazing view of the Rio Grande River way below us winding its way along and through the valley.

This is a lovely place to view the surrounding area

This is the mighty Rio Grande River meandering through the valley

A small waterfall coming out of the mountainside

Another view of the Rio Grande

This is the lower part of the falls you saw earlier

Doug at Overlook Point

Yet another rock formation

We had killed enough time to go back and check into the Holiday Inn Express and Suites and we were ready for a nap. The hotel is beautiful with lots of artwork on the walls, a huge breakfast room with everything one would need to make a substantial breakfast. The bed was extremely comfortable and we decided to call it a day.

This is all I have to say for now.


(Additional photos taken by Douglas A. Kerr Photography during our exploration of Los Alamos.)

Welcome to Los Alamos

 

The new entrance to a formerly secret city

The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce gave us information about the Historical Museum and we explored it. The lady there told us the building was formerly the dorm house for the boys who came to the area for a number of years where they were toughened up and made into men.

Entrance to the Historical Museum

Another section of the Museum

This is a very old sign advertising Los Alamos and the Bandelier National Monument

A beautiful sculpture honoring former museum directors

After lunch, we drove to Overlook Point

I am standing on the edge of the world here

We returned to the Holiday Inn to rest up for the next day's adventures.

This is all I have to say for now.

Rio Grande River, Bridges and Scenery, Taos

Even if you live in Texas, I'll bet you don't know that the Rio Grande River begins in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado and travels 1,885 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. The river flows south down the Rio Grande Rift through a series of long narrow valleys from Alamosa in Colorado to El Paso in Texas. For 82 miles, from Lobatos Bridge, CO to Velarde, NM, the river cuts into the rift to form the Rio Grande Gorge. While rivers normally create their own valleys, it was the Rio Grande Rift valley which captured and controls the direction of the Rio Grande River. In other words, unlike the Colorado River, which formed the Grand Canyon, the Rio Grande Rift valley was already formed and the lazy Rio Grande River just followed the course already laid out for it.

When we got ready to leave the motel for the day, we went in search of breakfast. Seeing an Appleby's that looked open that early in the morning, we pulled in. It turned out that the Taos Rays Baseball Team was doing a fund raiser and we could have pancakes, bacon and coffee for $7 each. The boys were very polite and took good care of us. The pancakes were perfect and the bacon unusually delicious. Go Rays!

Here am I standing on the shore of the Rio Grande near Taos, New Mexico

Some brave rafters coming down the Rio Grande

Don't know what this plant is named, but the flower resembles a lavender paint brush

An extremely dilapidated bridge across the Rio Grande

Same bridge, different angle

We believe she was waiting for her raft to come in

Gaging Station for reporting depth of water in managing floods

This bridge is open, but as you can see at the edge, needs repair

This is the end of paved road for a while once you cross yet another bridge

We've come way up the mountain on a washboard road  and the wind is ferocious

There was method to our madness. This scary road is a short cut to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge so we do sort of know what we are doing. Eventually, we will drive into the north side of Taos, on paved road, I might add.

We've arrived at our destination and I just can't wait to take in the view

It was definitely worth the drive

This bridge has truss spans of 300, 600 and 300 feet and a 36-foot steel I-beam span at each end. It has a total length of 1,272 feet and a 28 foot wide roadway, and is 565 feet high. The cost of the bridge was $2, 153,000.

The Rio Grande Gorge at this location is approximately 1,200 feet wide and 600 feet deep. The Rio Grande Bridge was designed by the New Mexico State Highway Department Bridge Design Section, and it received the American Institute of Steel Construction's award for "Most Beautiful Long Span Steel Bridge" of 1966. In 1997 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I am literally blown away by this incredible man-made landmark

The Rio Grande from the other side of the road. It's a loooong way down!

This is Teresa, an Indian lady selling her jewelry by the side of the road near the bridge

The next morning, we pack up, check out of the Super 8 Motel and drive to a local restaurant for breakfast. We have that good ole standby, biscuits and gravy. There is a church in Taos that Georgia O'Keefe painted a lot and we wanted to be sure to see it before heading back to Alamogordo.

This is a shot of the wall around the church showing the straw mixed into the adobe

These beautifully carved doors are part of the priests quarters

The San Francisco de Asis Church with two giant blue spruce in the courtyard

A side view of the church. Isn't the architecture exquisite!

An old building showing how it looks under that beautiful adobe covering

This is the sign identifying the church

Even their little walkways are works of art

The area is surrounded by quaint colorful little shops

We took the high road back to Santa Fe and this is one of the mountain views from the highway

These mountains are an exquisite shade of pink

This is one last shot on our way back to Alamogordo

One can never get bored driving in New Mexico. The scenery is ever changing and beautiful. We have picked up rocks from everywhere and will be making a travel totem with each rock named for where it came from. The totem will be built in the backyard to enhance our desert theme there.

Thanks, Doug, for the great photography.

This is all I have to say for now.