El Malpais National Monument, Grants, NM

​The El Morro campsite only has nine spaces, and I feel like I got the best one, #8, is great, in the shade with plenty of space, in a beautiful setting. I see a bit of El Morro Cliff from my space. This is high desert with juniper bushes, and some Ponderosa Pine. The time change is now an hour ahead.

After a leisurely morning,  I headed down to El Malpais National Monument, about 17 miles further east. Unfortunately the visitor center was closed. It was after nine, so I’m not sure what’s going on, but I decided to stop at the Banderas volcano and ice caves, which is actually part of this monument, however privately owned. I purchased a senior ticket which led me to the Banderas volcano, a 1.5 mile trail that steadily went straight up hill. I’m proud that Jo Jo managed to do the whole trail on his own, though we stopped several times, since by the time we got up there, it was 8020 feet elevation. Yikes! I’m glad I’ve had a few days to acclimate slowly, every 1000 feet, because coming here straight from my home would have caused me to purchase and use an oxygen tank. No kidding, a slow introduction to elevation changes is the thing to do. In the past I have done it in a quicker pace and it’s not a fun feeling at all. A large group of young men, 20 , easily passed me, along the trail. I asked what the group was, and they mentioned firefighters, from Oregon, who are here, in New Mexico, to help control the fires in the area. I suddenly felt very safe, in case I needed a rescue myself.

I also did the smaller trail to the ice caves with a challenging staircase that took you down into a former lava tube. The cave base is actually a solid ice pond, 20 feet deep. The ice never melts and is continuously supplied by precipitation. It was moss green, and about 30 degrees cooler than the above temperatures. We noticed a visiting kitty that was licking the ice. I met a couple who said they were there 65 years ago as children. They are now 77, with canes! They were able to get down to the ice pond, and witness what they experienced so long ago. They mentioned the curtain of ice that has since receded, and the depth of the pond is actually deeper than what they recall. They mentioned the residents who would come down here to chip the ice away to fill whatever coolers, that there were the norm in 1957. As always, it’s fascinating to meet other travelers who have stories like this to share. It certainly gave me the motivation to continue these adventures!















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