65 and STILL ALIVE: AZTEC, NEW MEXICO August and Sept 2013

Geez.....I can't believe how much time has passed since my last update. We left Libby, MT August 10th and arrived at Aztec Ruins National Monument in Aztec, NM August 15th. The put us to work right away. It's amazing to me, that over 1000 years ago people built thriving communities. I don't know what I was expecting for that time period.....maybe something more temporary....like Tepees....something that could be taken down and moved on to the next spot. I don't know, but it wasn't the fabulous structures we saw in the Four Corners area of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. During our time in New Mexico we were able to visit other ruins besides the ones there in Aztec. We went to Canyon de Chelly in AZ and Chaco Canyon in NM. We had planned on going to Mesa Verde in CO but the Govt Shutdown put a stop to that. We had intended on staying there in Aztec until the middle of October. Effective Oct 1st when the shutdown went into effect we were given 48 hours notice to vacate the National Park property. So that put an end to our exploration of that area. All the ruins we visited were products of Ancestral Puebloans during that 850 to 1300 time period. In addition to the ruins we also visited Durango, CO and checked out the Silverton-Durango Railroad.
SILVERTON-DURANGO RAILROAD, DURANGO, CO