Up at 7:30, finished repacking, easy breakfast with the Doanes and a short walk. At 10:30 we left Helen and Paul after a great stay with them. The temperature was 61 degrees with partly cloudy skies. Forgot to mention that Peter had a lot of comments at Tent Rocks on Wednesday about his Brooklyn T-shirt! We headed for Acomo 75 miles west on I40 with a turn on SR 34 where we were again amid canyons, mesas, buttes and
open range signs. At noon we arrived at the Sky City Cultural Center where we signed up for a tour of the Acoma Pueblo at 12:30.
The pueblo was settled in 1100AD. Acomo is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the U.S. The current population of Acoma pueblo atop the Mesa is 50, the homes being owned by Acomo Pueblo females while most Acomo people periodically return to their ancestral homes from surrounding villages for ceremonial occasions.
The mission church church was completed by Franciscans in 1640. all of the buildings are made of sandstone adobe. The oldest 3 stories high with an entryway with ladder or with an entryway too small for Spanish soldiers to enter. The Spaniards were as controlling and cruel to the natives as American have been. The tour also passed many vendors just outside of their homes selling mostly their pottery.
We were back on the road at 2:15 heading to Arizona on I40 west. We crossed continental divide at 3:30 and then encountered roadwork, cloudy skies, scattered showers and 64 degree weather. By 3:40, it was down to 55 degrees. We entered Arizona at 4PM but, since Arizona not has no DST, it was 3PM, and we gained an hour! The landscape was very flat at 5500 feet so we were still in the high desert.
At 3:45 we entered the Petrified Forest National Park where we drove first
through the Painted Desert and then on into the Petrified Forest. At 4:30 it was 48 degrees with wind gusts to 60 mph. We checked the Harwich weather which was 46 and cloudy....same here! The landscape was desolate interspersed with colorful geological mesas. However there was dark sky all around us. So the top went up just before the steady rain started.
At 6:30 we checked into the Best Western in Holbrook AZ, had our usual dinner of a big salad and retired fairly early.
2 comments:
Hi Guys: Back from Hillsboro-a spectacular weather week- not a drop of rain- sunny every day-no humidity & comfortable temps! Catching up on your blog - sounds like a great trip so far. I am surprised to hear that the oldest home in the US is in NM and not somewhere on the East Coast. I always learn something from your trip/blogs, Connie. Here's to continued safe travels and fun times,
Good to hear from you, Pam. Our weather has been amazing, too, until today, Sat. April 16! Oldest home was owned by Native Americans. That's why it's in NM!
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