Fort Garland, CO

If history of the western cavalry, Buffalo Soldiers or Kit Carson interests you, then I would recommend a visit to Fort Garland. The restored fort has a number of buildings surrounding a rectangular parade ground. These include the commandant's quarters, the officers' quarters, the infantry barracks, the mess hall and other buildings that have exhibits of the Buffalo Soldiers and Colorado's involvement in the Civil war. Christopher "Kit" Carson, the famous frontier scout, was in charge from 1866-1867. Information on the Carson family is on exhibit in the commandant's quarters.
There is also a museum store with lots of western themed postcards and a research library.
Fort Garland is located on Route 160 in southwest Colorado.

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, CO

If it's a cool day, take off your shoes in the parking lot, wade across Medano Creek and hike up the Great Sand Dunes. These ever shifting dunes are America's highest dunes and can get as high as 750 feet. Some of the ridges can be very steep so use caution when walking along them. Take water and wear sunglasses and a hat. There are no routes on the dunes so you can walk where you please. If you have a fear of heights, you can walk along the bottom of the dunes or take trails from the parking lot near the dunes or the visitor center. You'll need your shoes for these trails. Watch out for the cacti and the scat.
Depending on the season, the stream between the parking lot and the dunes can be a trickle or swiftly flowing.
Backed up against the Sangre De Christo Mountains, the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve were first designated a national monument in 1932 and then changed to a national park in 2000.
If you are not camping in the park, hotels and restaurants in Alamosa are about 38 miles away. The park is in south-central Colorado. Take Colorado Highway 150 north from Route 160 and drive 17 miles.

Aztec Ruins National Monument, NM

Aztec Ruins National Monument, which consists of 319 acres, was established in 1923. This is another of the many Chacoan communities that flourished in the early 1100s. It is not Aztec as the name implies. The main feature at this site is the reconstructed great kiva, the only reconstructed great kiva in the southwest. This circular stone and adobe structure is mainly built below ground level. Inside, the walls are stories high.
Other structures that can be toured from the self-guiding trail are the West Ruin and the Hubbard site. The West ruin is a large great house originally consisting of over 400 rooms. The Hubbard site is a kiva surrounded by three concentric walls that are divided into 22 triangular shaped rooms.
Aztec Ruins are located near the junction of US 550 and NM 516 in northwest New Mexico.
If you are approaching the Ruins from the south, you will see Shiprock National Monument in the distance to the West.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, NM

Chaco Culture National Historical Park was established in 1907 by President Roosevelt. 100 years ago! 34,000 acres were set aside to preserve these ancestral Pueblo structures. A great house, which consists of a maze of connected adobe buildings, is one of the main features of Pueblo Bonito. It is huge. You can almost get lost going from one doorway to another (luckily, there are numbered signs to guide the way from one end to the other). Note the different types of doorways, openings and stone layout.
You can choose a self-guided tour or a park ranger tour. In the interest of time, we chose the self-guided tour. There are other pueblo ruins at Chaco such as Casa Rinconado, a 63 foot kiva (a ceremonial space) but none as impressive or as well preserved as Pueblo Bonito. There also various trails at Chaco ranging from 3 miles to over 7 miles.
Remember the Wetherill brothers who found Mesa Verde in Colorado? Richard Wetherill filed a claim on this land and helped excavate Pueblo Bonito. Thousands of these artifacts ended up at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Sadly, Richard was killed in the canyon in 1910 and is buried here.
Chaco, off Highway 44/550, is in SW New Mexico. Rather remote, there are 16 miles of dirt road enroute.

Welcome to Western Travels

Welcome!

My family's idea of a vacation is to see and experience as many activities as we can each day. We don't spend money and time just to go to a place to relax (unless you count hiking as relaxing). This blog will cover national parks and monuments, scenic highways, museums and galleries, hikes and restaurants.