Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway

One day we decided to take the 84-mile loop around part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  Heading north from Eagle Nest, our first stop was the ghost town of Elizabethtown.  This was a booming gold rush town in the 1860s.  There is a museum, but we didn’t go in.

I thought the church was very picturesque – too bad they added those modern doors.

When we looked inside, we thought they probably rented it out for weddings.

Whoa!  Looks like a dangerous place for cattle.

When I spotted the wagon wheels and the painted window, I had to take this for my father.

And on the road out, I stopped to take rusty stuff for my sister.   In the background is Wheeler Peak, the highest point in New Mexico at 13,161 feet.

Continuing on the loop, we turned west and drove over a scenic pass, then had a bird’s-eye view of Red River on our way down.

Red River is a winter ski resort/summer tourist town with some very cute architecture.

 

Now here’s an old car I can appreciate!

Heading south, we passed through Taos, but only stopped to eat at McDonalds.  We’ve been there several times so we decided to skip it this time.  But a little further south, we took a side trip on a dirt road to the rim of the canyon overlooking the Rio Grande.

Surprisingly, our trip back east on US 64 was the worst leg, due to road repaving.  Our last stop was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park.  The impressive monument was originally built as one family’s memorial to a young son killed in Vietnam.

 

 There is a UH-1 helicopter on display.  Almost 7000 of these helicopters – better known as Hueys – saw service in Vietnam.

The museum was excellent and a fitting tribute to our troops who fought and died in that conflict.  There were some interesting pictures, including this one of American POWs being released.

Our esteemed senator John McCain from Arizona is the first man on the right in the picture.