A Walk Around the Rim

Last night after supper, we sat outside facing west where the sun would go down over the mountains.  It was worth the wait.

After breakfast we drove to  Capulin Volcano National Monument which is about 75 miles from our campsite.  This is the first time we have ever been here and really didn't know what to expect but it turned out to be a very enjoyable day.  It was very hazy so some of the pictures aren't as clear as the beautiful scenery we saw.

After stopping at the Visitor's Center, we drove a road around the mountain to a parking lot at the edge of the rim.  There were two trails leaving from that lot.  We took the one-mile trail that follows the rim.  It was mostly an upward trek but fortunately there were benches we could rest on.  The volcano had erupted and eventually collapsed into itself leaving the shell of the volcano intact and the center a bowl.  There was a short trail into the center of the volcano but after hiking the  rim, we decided not to take that trail.

We are almost down and back to the parking lot.

  

Here is a picture of the two of us as we almost reached the top.

We drove back to the camp but stopped at a McDonald's for a late lunch.   This one had a double-sided computer screen to place your order.  Fortunately, there was someone there to help us or else we probably would have walked back out. I guess this is the new thing to come to fast food.  The sky was filling with clouds and an occasional drop of rain fell but we didn't even have to turn on the wipers.

On this part of I-25 we saw a sign advertising "Ludlow Massacre."  I was curious about it so I looked it up on the internet.  In 1916 the coal miners of Colorado went on strike.  They wanted to unionize.  The State of Colorado sent the National Guard to break up a camp of strikers and families.  The strikers had been evicted from company housing and were living in a tent city.   Nineteen people were killed when someone began to shoot.  That nineteen people included women and children.  The tent city was set on fire. This put an end to the strike but eventually a union was formed.  The park service has set aside this place and one other to preserve labor union history as it pertains to this country's history.
We got back to camp around 3:00.  Sandy was happy to see us.  There was a nice wind blowing so we sat outside and enjoyed the view.  The temperature got up to 91 but the breeze kept us comfortable.

After supper and walking Sandy, we continued to watch "Lonesome Dove."  We discovered that this story is loosely based on events that went on in this part of the country in the 1870-80's.  In the movie there is a African American cowboy ridding with the cattle drive to Montana.  In the Capulin area there was a African American named George McJunkin who was well known around here for his cowboy skills, bronco riding, and roping.  He participated in several cattle drives during that time period.  The Visitor's Center had a display of several of his things, including his saddle and hat.

We enjoyed the day and our trip to Capulin Volcano National Monument.  We have been in this area before but didn't know about this Monument.  I asked the ranger if it was a new monument and he told me that it had been established in 1916 so it has been around awhile.  We hope to visit several other lesser known national parks and monuments this trip.  Tomorrow it will be Great Sand Dunes National Park