El Morro

There is an old saying that if you don’t like the weather in the western mountains, just wait a few minutes. For us the saying is true. Neither rain nor wind nor sleet kept us from driving to and conquering El Morro, a mesa once inhabited by over 1,000 ancient villagers, traversed by Spanish conquistadors, and conquered by westward bound emigrants.


Our hike took us past black traces of seasonal waterfalls. We inspected ancient Zuni petroglyphs. We were taken by the writing styles of both Spanish conquerors who left no space between words and Americans settlers with their almost perfect penmanship. The climb up the steep switchback at 7000 foot elevation was rewarded with magnificent views and detailed Atsinna Ruins. As a storm threatened, we scampered over rocks on our windblown descent. We are glad the weather did not keep us from our stated climb.






Recovered from our hike, we enjoyed another bbq dinner at the Ancient Way Café adjacent to the campground. After dinner the men adjourned to the rigs for an evening of tv while the women decorated gourds in keeping with the culture around us.