Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Montrose, CO

Black Canyon of the Gunnison near Montrose, Colorado is the most amazing place.  It is a slash cut into the earth by years of water running through the canyon.  In some places the canyon floor is only 40 feet wide.  The walls of dark rock tower over the river that flows through the bottom of the canyon.  You can hear the water rushing before you can see it.  The canyon walls are so steep and towering that it leave you speechless.  The pictures do not do it justice.

Colorado National Monument, Fruita, CO

This is our second visit to Colorado National Monument in Fruita, CO.  Our first visit was in winter, so it was fun to see the difference in the scenery covered with snow versus bare rock.  This time we were able to drive the entire park since there was no snow blocking our way.  Take a look at some of the stunning scenery.

Mike the Headless Chicken Festival, Fruita, CO

We just happened to arrive in Fruita, CO when the Mike the Headless Chicken Festival was in full swing.  So, naturally, we had to stop in for a visit.  Here's the story.  In 1945 a farmer from Fruita, CO, went to cut the head off a chicken to cook it for supper.  But when he cut the head off the chicken didn't die.  So he got the idea to continue to feed it with an eyedropper and see what happened. Mike lived for 18 months. We enjoyed ourselves at the festival filled with games, music and food.  We were even given our own rubber chicken keychain to cut the head off of.  Only in small town America. Great fun. 

Green Chile Burger at Blake's Lotaburger

Green chile and Blake's Lotaburger go hand in hand as a New Mexico tradition.  Both are landmarks of the state.  Green chiles from Hatch New Mexico are sought after throughout the southwest.  Even the Burger King restaurants in New Mexico offer a green chile cheeseburger.  Blake's Lotaburger was founded in 1952 in Albuquerque NM.  They now have 75 restaurants in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona.  So, of course, we had to sample the Green Chile Cheeseburger.  It was delicious and just a bit hot.  The onion rings were wonderful too.  Blake's is easy to spot as well; they have a very interesting sign...see below.

Bisti Wilderness, Farmington, NM

The Bisti Wilderness is just what it sounds like: a wilderness, no trails, no buildings, no civilization.  Just sand, dirt, and amazingly cool rock formations.  The Bisti covers 45.000 acres of land in which you can hike to see all kinds of strangely shaped rocks.  These rocks were shaped by the wind and water.  We hiked for about two hours and just scratched the surface of what is out there. Take a look for yourself.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

We visited Mesa Verde National Park on a rainy day.  We took a tour of the Cliff Palace; an amazing cliff dwelling which was constructed over 800 years ago.  We also drove up to Sun Point and were able to view many of the cliff houses from a distance.  It was fascinating how each one was different, even though they were constructed by the same group of people.  Each one was constructed to fit into the space that was available.

Cliff Palace

Leaving Cliff Palace, steps carved into rock

Sun Point view

Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Los Alamos, NM

The Manhattan Project site in Los Alamos, NM is one of three park sites that represent the research and testing that was happening in secret places all over the US during WWII.  These sites were filled with scientists and engineers that were working on developing the Atomic bomb.  The other two sites that are part of the Manhattan Project NHS are in Tennessee and Washington.  The Los Alamos site only has a few buildings that you can tour.  There is still an active military area here but, of course, that is off limits.  This park pays tribute to the dedication and research that went into ultimately ending WWII.

Statues of Dr. Oppenheimer, scientific head of the project and General Groves, military head of the project.

Fuller Lodge, a beautiful log lodge that was a boys school until the building was purchased by the US government to be used for lodging for the project.  We were told that this school was very popular with the young men because they could bring their horse, their dog and their rifle with them.

This was fun; a local pub offered a Build your own burger Project.  And yes it tasted as good as it looks