Day 7 (Fri. May 19/06)
Santa Rosa, NM to Gallup, NM
The Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, NM where divers can go to depths of 81 FT
The water is so clear that you cannot see the surface in the pictures. However, you can see
the reflection of the trees on the surface. This hole is fed from an underground river. The
excess water flows out through a small waterfall and flows away to the Park River Pond.
We talked to a retired couple who were teachers and were now following Route 66. He
supervised the restoration of the carosel at Santa Monica Pier for 12 years. He met a lot of
stars like Dustin Hoffman and Peter Fonda who used to frequent the park. They used to give
away passes to the stars because they knew the stars would attract more visitors.
Sky City on the Indian reserve
We rode through the Sky City reserve but didn't take the tour. The tour takes you to the oldest inhabited
community in North America, the mesa top village that is known for it's unique art and
profoundly rich culture. It is built atop a sheer walled 370 foot sandstone bluff in a
valley studded with sacred, towering monoliths. Sky City has remained suspended in time
for two millennia.
There is no tax on the reserve which also hosts a casino and hotel, entertainment, gift
shops and a travel centre. There is a charge to take the tour and also for the permit that
is required to take pictures. We just drove through the reserve and took pictures of the landscape.
Lava rock, known in Spanish as El Malpais.
It covered thousands of acres in this area from a volcano that has since disappeared. It
supposedly blew itself up as it erupted and disappeared. The rock is used in creating
decorative walls as seen in Sky City.
El Morro, better know as Inscription Rock
Starting back from the Spanish Conquestadors, they inscribed messages at the foot of the
sandstone rocks to claim the land that they had conquered for Spain. No one is allowed to
carve in these rocks any more. There are 2 rocks at the front of the Visitor Center that
you can carve messages in. I was going to carve "Uncle BoB" somewhere but the rocks are
much harder than I had perceived.
A small but efficient desk for computer work
HHHhmmm This reminds me of Cuba where the maids left their artwork in towels on the bed.
Daily Stats
530 Kms Ridden
5 Hrs 52 Mins Riding Time
2 Hrs 19 Mins Stopped Time
80.5 Km/Hr Avg Riding Speed
Fuel Used: 35.72 L
Fuel Cost: $27.41 US
Avg Km/L: 14.79
