Into the West

Thanksgiving was great. A few days later & I'm off again.
This part of the trip was really exciting to me. I only have a couple of vague memories of being in Colorado when I was a child, and have never really explored the West much at all.  Oklahoma and East, seems like I have been all over the place. I have been looking forward to the dramatic landscapes. I will say, they have not disappointed at all.
    My original plan was to head to Bryce Canyon, then North through Utah across Colorado into Denver.  Figured I'd make every effort to get to Santa Fe the first night.  Beautiful sunset right as I was entering New Mexico, followed by clear skies at nightfall.  It has been a very long time since I have seen the stars out here. WOW. Had to stop for a while on a dark, 2 lane road to check them out. Saw 5 shooting stars that night!
    Arrived in Santa Fe around 10 that night, drove and walked around quite a bit - the architecture was unlike anything I have experienced before.  Everything seems more horizontal than vertical, and stucco. Loads of single story, still packed in tight, but the the buildings have soft lines, as opposed to the hard lines you get with brick or siding. I met a woman at a place called The Matador - I chose the place because it was downstairs & had punk rock blaring from the outdoor speaker. All the joints that were open had music playing outside, helped to figure out what the vibe was going to be like prior to entry.  Serina was her name. I have trouble remembering names, although I think I just figured out a trick. Say the wrong name with confidence, and a little embarrassment seemed to make me remember.  Hmmm....
    She suggested that I check out this place called Bandelier National Monument.

Near Los Alamos. It was on the way, so sure!  Early start, and I was there by 9 in the morning.  Remember, I arrived at night. It started to get really dark while I was driving across the plains. I could see shadows of landscapes but that was about it. There are mountains outside of Santa Fe!  The scenery was overwhelming at times! Here are some shots of that little visit.
    I stopped off at Los Alamos on the way out. I didn't realize that it was still a functioning research facility. So just for contrast, here's what I saw that afternoon:

Yes, that is a reproduction of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.  Needless to say, I didn't stick around too long. Made my way to Pagosa Springs, CO that night.