More pueblos, Los Alamos, and learning to love the bomb...

First a quiz for all of you out there reading this:
The National Park Service is governed by what department of United States Government?

A lot of driving today-

On my way out to Los Alamos through the Jemez mountain trail, known for its characteristic red clay, I stopped to visit what was advertised as the most visited national monument, the Bandelier Monument which is named after an anthropologist, Adolph Bandelier. The ruins are considered the ancestral home of the Cochiti Pueblo Indians. Originally inhabited around the 600s by people known as the Anasazi, a Navajo term for "ancient people" or "ancestors," the excavated and reconstructed ruins contain the the Tyuonyi village at the floor and several homes built in the cliffs. As it was threatening rain, I hiked about three miles exploring the main ruins as well as the cliff dwellings, many of which contained pictographs. Pretty nifty if you are into Indian ruins. Now, if they were Roman ruins, I would write volumes.

I then hopped back on the road and headed for Los Alamos. It looked a lot like the housing, layout, etc. of Oak Ridge National Lab. The Bradbury Science Museum was absolutely amazing, even for a non-science buff like me. I won't bore you with the nerdy details, but check out the website or go visit if you are ever in the area.

From Los Alamos, I hopped on this really rural road and headed towards Roswell, the UFO capital of the world. By really rural I mean it was 4 lanes of highway and I was the only car for miles. I did see some cows, some hay farmers, a bunch of rundown towns built in the 1940s, and the SantaFe railroad. I also saw how fast my rental car would go. Very fast. :)

I'm settled in for the evening. Tomorrow, I'm going spelunking in Carlsbad and hunting for UFOs.

Have you figured out the answer to the quiz yet? Post your thoughts, if you have any.