Part 1: Trip data
Destination: El Malpais National Conservation Area and Monument & El Morro National Monument
Traveled with: Mom and Dad
Traveled from: Tucson
Maps: Arizona and New Mexico Gazetteer, GPS, Maps my Dad printed from internet
During Fall Break I went to El Morro National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Aztec Ruins, and Hubble Trading Post. I also went to one place that wasn't part of the National Park system, Four Corners Tribal Park Monument.
I became a Junior Ranger at all of the National Park places. That is SIX Junior Rangers badges.
The first park I got a Junior Ranger badge at was El Morro which means in Spanish a butte or rock. At El Morro, you take a trail called, Inscription Trail.
On the trail there is a pool. We saw cliff swallows nests which are made of mud.
There are tons of inscriptions and petroglyphs. Inscriptions are carvings in rocks that are done by the Spanish and English explorers. Petroglyphs are carvings done by Ancient Indians. Graffiti is modern day inscriptions and is illegal.
The first English inscription was inscribed by a man named Lt. JHSimpson who copied down all the inscriptions by hand. He was an amazing artist, because his drawings were as good as any photograph today. At the time the inscriptions where in Spanish. The funny thing is his inscription read:
Lt. JHSimpson, USA u RH.Kern Artist
visited and copied these insciptions,
September 18th 1849.
So, the first English inscription has a miss spelled word.
To bad he didn't have a spell checker.
At El Morro it was interesting to see the inscriptions.
El Malpais is a lava flow. There are five layers of flow. The layers are McCartys Crater, Bandera Crater, Cerro Hoya, El Calderon, Twin Craters.
We drove through "The Narrows." It is where the lava just stops right next to the cliffs. There is only enough room for a two lane road, between the flow and cliffs.
We stopped at La Ventana Arch.
It was really cool. They made a big deal out of the me becoming a Junior Ranger.
Both rangers came outside and one swore me in. It was AWESOME!!!
That's all for now.
Stay tuned for Chaco Canyon!!!
