Day 24 - Monday, June 2 - Grants, NM to Cortez, Colorado (With a Visit to El Morro)

One of the best sources of information at any location is the local folks who live in that town. On Monday, we discovered how truly valuable tourist advice from the local folks can make a difference. Prior to my arrival in New Mexico, I had no idea that Grants had anything interesting to see. In fact, I had just selected Grants, New Mexico as a midway point between picking up Sheri and the boys from El Paso and Mesa Verde in Colorado. Who knew that there were over 40 volcanoes that erupted near Grants? You'll know something is strange if you drive in the area because there is black lava rock everywhere. Even our campground was littered with it. Upon arriving in Grants, we began to consider seeing some of sights, but needed to know the best option that would allow us to get to Cortez. One option included a privately owned caldera and ice cave, but the local friendly employee at the Grants, NM campground had some great advice. Rather than pay lots of money to see the ice cave and caldera, there is a little known National Monument called El Morro that is fairly close with an amazing hike. If you are interested, you can look El Morro up on the internet. In a nutshell, it is a rock feature that includes a pool of water that provided an oasis for Native Americans, Spanish explorers, and others for many centuries. There is an excellent 2 hour hike that ranks in the top 20 hikes I have done with beautiful views of the rock canyons, surrounding plains, and ancient pueblo dwellings. If you are ever in the area, it is definitely worth stopping to see.The picture below simply doesn't capture the beauty.