Megan’s Take Today, we saw some beautiful views en route to El Santuario de Chimayo. El Santuario de Chimayo is a historic Catholic pilgrimage site with a church, chapels, museum, and el pocito – the well of holy dirt. You can learn more about the holy dirt here: https://www.holychimayo.us/blank-6 “Bernardo Abeyta knelt when he discovered […]
Month: June 2026
2026 New Mexico – Day 13 – Valles Caldera National Preserve
Megan’s Take Today we went to Valles Caldera National Preserve. These are the views we’ve been longing for! There is a very cool, high tech “volcano discovery center” that provides simulations of how this area formed. The kids enjoyed watching volcanic explosions over and over again. We hiked 1.5 miles on the Cerro la Jarra […]
2026 New Mexico – Day 12 – Bandelier National Monument
Megan’s Take Bandelier National Monument is beautiful! What a welcome change in scenery after our disappointment at Petroglyph National Monument. We’re “off-the-grid” in the campground here, but with Phil’s solar panel set-up, we could use our air fryer and all the basics. We’re being conservative with our electricity use, but we’re still very comfortable. Fortunately, […]
2026 New Mexico – Day 11 – Petroglyph National Monument, Explora Children’s Museum
Megan’s Take Petroglyph National Monument was a disappointment. I probably had big expectations because Colorado National Monument last year was really cool. This monument isn’t worth visiting again. The views aren’t as striking as other monuments since the sites are dispersed among residential areas, and the petroglyphs don’t seem as well-preserved as others we’ve seen. […]
2026 New Mexico – Day 10 – Pecos National Historical Park
Megan’s Take This morning, Emmett and Emilia had a couple hours to play with their campground friends before we all left. (We “slept in” until 7 am and I was relieved that our neighbors were still there. Last night, the girls had told me they’re early risers. Emilia would have been heart broken if she […]
2026 New Mexico – Day 9 – Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
Megan’s Take Today was primarily spent visiting the three sites within the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument – Quarai, Gran Quivira, and Abó. Gran Quivira was probably our favorite site for how extensive the pueblo ruins are, but I also really liked Quarai (the title image) – church ruins plus a beautiful 1 mile hike […]