DRIVE (Day 5 - part 3)
We continued along Highway 380 which took us past numerous lava fields and directly alongside the White Sands Missile Range (location of the Trinity site where the first nuclear weapon, nicknamed The Gadget, was tested in 1945).
Lava field
Unfortunately one couldn't really see the area from the road... but it was clearly there!
More UFO humor
We chose an interesting looking restaurant for lunch in Socorro. The place was hugely popular and it took a while to get some service, but the food was quite scrumptious!
Our original plan was to continue along twisty backroads, but it started to rain (making visibility less than desirable) so we opted to just take major highways instead.... the 25 north to Albuquerque then the 40 west to Holbrook. We managed to skirt the big city via the small, connecting Highway 6 which led through reservation lands. This is also where we started to see a MANY trains. Over the course of just a few hours, we counted 24 trains... each of them at least a mile or two long.
Appropriate
Such a contrast of living conditions between the homes...
... and the casinos.
Unfortunately, alcoholism is a huge problem on the reservations, and it becomes very difficult for the younger generations to escape from it when it is so embedded in the culture.
Indian? Native American? Indigenous peoples? It seems there isn't truly a right answer, mostly just regional and generational preferences.
This sign refers to the Navajo reservation which covers parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. It is the largest and most populous reservation with 14 million acres.
Since the beginning of colonization of the Americas by Europeans, the native peoples have been removed from lands that the conquerors wished to occupy... either by voluntary moves based on mutual agreement, treaties made under considerable duress, forceful ejection or violence. In 1830, the US federal government even passed the Indian Removal Act to move them far away from European-populated areas.
Currently there are 326 reservations in the US. Each one is associated with a particular tribe or tribes. But not all of the country's 567 recognized tribes have a reservation... some tribes have more than one, some have to share, and others have none.
This stretch of Highway 40 had numerous emporiums all filled with Native American crafts, jewelry and souvenirs. We stopped at a few of them. Prices ranged drastically!
Indian Village was series of stores at the base of the Painted Cliffs by Lupton, located on the New Mexico-Arizona state line.
Statues of deer, bear and eagles make their home on a thick ledge.
Painted images tell stories of the past, of the conquistadors and missionaries arriving...
... and the native peoples (literally) fading away.
Yes, this is a store. The Teepee Trading Post was built in 1982.
Fortune teller machines come in all forms... old gypsies, mystic magicians, beautiful princesses, and apparently this medicine man. It was a bit unnerving since there was clearly some kind of motion sensor which caused him to speak whenever someone walked near him.
Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union in 1912. It is the country's sixth largest state.
Ortega Indian City Arts, located in Houck
Indian Ruins Indian Store in Sanders
More rain, more lovely skies... and a 1 hour time change. Arizona is in the same Mountain Time Zone as New Mexico and Colorado, however, most of the state does not observe daylight saving time. The Navajo Nation does though.
We are here(ish).
We arrived at our hotel in the town of Holbrook around 6 pm. After checking in, we randomly chose an Italian restaurant which didn't look all that impressive from the ouside but proved to be sensational!
Our home for the night
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