Summer in the valley has been too hot for too long, so we thought if we waited until October to go to Minnesota we would be just in time for a nice cool fall with changing leaves and brisk days. Ya, well that idea went right out the window. Seems a nice early winter was waiting for us, along with below average temperatures and SNOW. For those who have never lived in Minnesota let me tell you accumulated snow is not normal until November. Lucky us! Despite the weather we had a great time.

As we were heading south from Minnesota we noticed "The Largest Hand Dug Well" on the map of Kansas, so we had to go see it. Yes, this is the same Greensburg that was leveled by a tornado in 2007, but they still have their well. Unfortunately the shop was not opened or we could have taken the tour. It does look interesting and if we are near there again we will take the time to tourist

Since we are taking the scenic route from Minnesota to Bandelier there are many opportunities for stops at fun places, like ghost towns. Taking Scenic Highway 64 from Raton gets you to Colfax, an abandoned mining town. It started up around 1908 and became officially abandoned in the 1930's. Most people moved to one of the larger cities nearby.

Elizabethtown lasted from 1860s to about 1931 when the Post Office finally closed. It sits in the serene Moreno Valley and was once home to 7,000 people until the mines ran dry. People still live in the valley, and you drive past their homes and pastures on the way to the ruins of the Mutz Hotel, but no one seems to mind.

We took this road in 2006 when we went skiing with our friends in Taos ( see New Mexico Ski) and we enjoyed it so much we did it again going south.

First we had to take some pictures of St. Francis of Assisi Church when it's not cold and snowy. It's really just as pretty.

Then we drove south and stopped at Las Trampas to see the San Jose de Gracia Church which was built in the same style as St. Francis and around the same time.

After more meandering on this nice, windy road we reached El Santuario de Chimayo often called the "Lourdes of America" for the healing powers of it's soil.

Highway 64 is truly a scenic highway. As we were nearing Angel Fire we noticed a sign for this memorial, so we decided to pay our respects. It sits on a beautiful hilltop, but between the visitor's center being closed, the wind gusts of 30mph and the falling temperatures we did not stay long enough to do it justice.

We were just south of Cimarron on Hwy 64 when we rounded a bend and this incredible sight loomed in front of us. Naturally we pulled over to take pictures since we love rocks.

Bandelier is quite different from other parks with ancient dwellings. First, most are actually carved into the huge tuff formations which look like Swiss cheese, and second, you get to climb up into several along the Main Loop Trail. The large town structure is Tyuonyi (chew-OHN-yee). It had about 400 rooms and housed about 100 people. The trail along the cliff face also has some petroglyphs and petrographs. It appears people have been living in this area for over 10,000 year.

We wanted a nice hike so we choose Falls Trail, so named because there are waterfalls along the way. Clever these park people. It was nice, quiet, and perfect weather. The trail ends at the Rio Grande River, which is nothing to write about at least not where we were. We ate our ittle lunch down here, waved at the Osprey plane that was flying around us, and walked back out.

When we finished the Falls Trail hike we decided to take a look at The Alcove. This old dwelling area is about 140' from the ground and is accessible by climbing 4 ladders and some narrow stone steps. There is a reconstructed kiva on top, and a great view of the valley floor. If you don't mind heights I recommend it. Going up the ladders isn't as bad as going down for some folks.

What visit would be complete without the cute, cuddly looking animal shot. This little guy had no fear and was quite busy filling his little cheeks and tummy with nuts and seeds. I thanked him for being such a good poser