The long journey West

Today's drive took us from Albuquerque west to Grants, and south to El Morro. This a large sandstone outcropping  became home to Indians (who built a pueblo at the top) but also was a rest stop for travelling Spaniards and Americans and Civil War soldiers. It had a reliable source of water in the form of a large pool, or cistern so pioneers, Spanish soldiers..all stopped here to rest and water their livestock and horses. It was very moving in that we could read the names people had chiselled in the rock when they passed by.
One of them, the Governer of New Mexico, Don Juan de Onate, inscribed in 1605. He was particularly vicious to the Indians he was in the process of subduing, along with the help of missionary priests, of course.

It was a fantastic place for a picnic lunch, then northward on to Gallup. There were many 'trading posts' that we were interested in seeing but no bargains to be had. Here are the sights along the way home to Albuquerque.