I woke up very early so I could drive to the top of the mountain and take a panoramic view during sunrise. When I got to the mountain top turnoff, the entrance gate was locked. Disappointed, I turned around and left the park. I traveled east to Durango, CO. I had planned to stop and take pictures of the Railroad Station, however, I changed my mind because it was very cold and rush hour traffic was horrendous. I filled up the car with gas and headed south toward New Mexico.

9. Aztec Ruins National Monument

This was my second visit to Aztec Ruins NM and I spent a fair amount of time exploring and seeing just about everything the site had to offer. I returned because they had run out of NPS brochures and I wanted to get one for my collection. I had planned to pop in, grab a brochure and leave but I lingered and walked the self-guided tour again.

The streets of northwest New Mexico was crowded with white trucks and utility vehicles. At every intersection over half the vehicles would be white trucks. All the trucks have fiberglass or metal poles with small triangular or square flags. Along the street there were dozens of white trucks parked in lots. Some of the trucks belong to utility companies but the rest of the trucks appear to be part of a large oil exploration project. There must be a frenzy to explore for oil in this part of the country.