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Date:         Mon, 1 Aug 2011 00:24:35 -0700
Reply-To:     Daniel Rotblatt <d.rotblatt@VERIZON.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Daniel Rotblatt <d.rotblatt@VERIZON.NET>
Subject:      Re: Camping and Sights from L.A. to Santa Fe
In-Reply-To:  <20110731114343.Z9XXP.1243293.imail@eastrmwml41>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Thanks all!

That's a lot of great info! Thanks Dave especially for taking the time and writing so much. I did a trip through there 20 years ago - canyon de chelly (no guided tours then), mese verde, acama and indian sites, back through bryce canyon and the north rim. But it's so long I don't remember the route and where we camped at all.

So far I've revised my thinking of this trip from a relaxed camping trip to a driving/camping/sightseeing trip. Talked to the girlfriend tonight and so far we'll try to get to Flagstaff in one day leaving in the afternoon so we do the desert heat in the evening. Then the painted desert, petrified forest, meteor crater (all things I always wanted to see) and drive into Albuequerque if we can that evening to stay with an aunt - if not maybe stay in Gallup as Dave suggested. Then up to Santa Fe to a friends house and stay a day or two. Then north up to Carson Nat. Forest or somewhere up there - maybe Valle Vidal - and take the northern route as suggested back. North rim of Grand Canyon and places around there (maybe take up Brets suggestion and camp by Zion). We'll adventure - talk to people along the way to discover, and see what we see :-)

Thanks again,

Dan Los Angeles, CA "Winky" the '85 Westy Weekender

On Jul 31, 2011, at 8:43 AM, <mcneely4@cox.net> <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:

> Daniel, for a more pleasant, though slower, drive, take "the northern route." That is, go to St. George, Utah, and follow U.S. Highways (89, 160, and 64) to Santa Fe. You can see Zion N.P. (very crowded but beautiful, probably can't camp without reservations), the North Rim of the G.C. (again, probably reservations only for camping, but there are excellent forest service sites -- or, we just drove out to a dispersed camping location along the canyon rim east of the park, had the view of Marble Canyon to ourselves), Vermilion Cliffs (only primitive roads), Greer's Ferry (great historical interest, look up who it was named for), Canyon de Chelly (guided walking tours only, but worth it), a series of ancient Cliff Dweller and Puebloan national monuments including Hovenweep, Mesa Verde, Chaco Culture, Malpais Lava Flows and Ice Caves ........... . If you are into it, various Zuni and other Native American villages have festivals in the summer, open to outsiders. The tour of Acoma Pueblo is worth the time and small fee. There are campgrounds at all these places. > > North of The North Rim, you will be in Kaibab National Forest. This is a famous locale to wildlife professionals and ecologists, as it was the place made famous by Aldo Leopold in the early 20th century as the example for what happens to deer herds when predators are eliminated and hunting is curtailed. His testimony to Congress about the case led to some changes in how public lands were managed, particularly with regards to predator control. The bounty system was scaled way back. > > The place I mentioned, Valle Vidal, is 2 hours north of Santa Fe through a village called Costilla, then east on local roads into the mountains. The drive in from the west through Rio Costilla Canyon is spectacular. There is a local privately operated park area (http://riocostillapark.com/index.html) well worth a stay, then the forest service campgrounds in Valle Vidal proper are little visited but really nicely situated. If you drive out of Valle Vidal to the east on the local road, it is 40 miles on gravel, then you will be 100 miles NE of Santa Fe on U.S. 64, but the drive out to that point is fantastic, and takes you through the entire series of climatic-vegetational zones of the Rockies down to upper Sonoran (essentially equivalent to near tundra through various forest and woodland types, to high desert grasslands). > > If it is what you are looking for, there are lots of bigger, more developed and more visited forest service campgrounds along Red River east of Questa, N.M. The country is beautiful, heavily visited. Similar sites exist closer to Santa Fe, also, for example along the upper Pecos River (near Cowles, N.M.), and the area along the Rio Santa Barbara below Truchas Peak. Spectacular country. Right now, most of these sites closer to Santa Fe are closed due to fire danger, but the summer monsoon has begun, so they may be open by the time you are there. > > If you should decide to put up in a hotel in Gallup, N.M. (ok, it is on I40), the El Rancho (http://www.elranchohotel.com/) is a serious cut above the typical chain place in interest and comfort, but no more expensive. During the heyday of Hollywood westerns, 1930s through fifties, it was headquarters for film crews and actors participating in the movies made in Monument Valley, and contains lots of film memorobilia. The old section has the original fittings, including claw foot bathtubs in the rooms. Monument Valley itself is interesting, and has campgrounds, both BLM and Native American operated. There are also campgrounds in the national forest around and above Navajo Lake. > > Look over what is available along the northern route. I'll bet you will only drive I40 if time is your main concern. > > mcneely > > > ---- Daniel Rotblatt <d.rotblatt@VERIZON.NET> wrote: >> My girlfriend and i are heading to Santa Fe in a few days. I already read Dave's comments on Valle Vidal - that sounds nice. We plan to take two days to get to Santa Fe (870 miles), then a couple of days there visiting friends of hers, then 3-4 nights coming back. >> >> Any suggestions for places to camp or must see's between Albequerque and Los Angeles? The Grand canyon will be one night (she's never been). We're planning to head out on the I40 through flagstaff, but on the way back we are open, though I don't want to add too much to the drive. >> >> Thanks in advance, >> >> >> Dan >> Los Angeles, CA >> "Winky" the '85 Westy Weekender > > -- > David McNeely


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