California Dreaming – Day 5, Near Santa Fe, New Mexico

Finally hiking! Day 5 had us checking out the nearby Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.

The tent rocks, or ‘tepees’ as Michael referred to them were an unexpected delight. They are amazing rock formations and the current weather had us scrambling through them having to navigate through patches of snow and ice. And coming from our low lying home, we could certainly feel the altitude. We needed to wind our way through wind formed channels in the rock – sometimes no wider than your shoulders with the walls towering to either side.

The views from the top of the peninsula were spectacular, and the tops of the ‘tepees’ were very interesting – many with their protective cap rocks on. The holes in the sides are a result of bursts of volcanic steam (fumaroles) early in their formation. At the site we also visited a local cave dated back as far as ~1200 which early Native Americans had further carved out and lived in (indicated by the fire soot on the ceiling).

We took some time in the late afternoon to relax and I checked out the local ‘Hobby Lobby’ shop. We had dinner at the adjacent Applebee’s where we played trivia and did quite well. We had a very cheap $27 deal for 2 with 1 appetizer, I had ribs (quite good) and Michael had chicken/seafood combo (not so good).

And today was just a glimpse of the geological wonders to come.

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