Fort Union

After leaving Capulin Volcano, I went back to Raton to find some food and continued southward on I-25 to Fort Union National Monument.  On the way, I stopped for gas and watched a fellow customer drive away from the pump with the nozzle still in his vehicle.  Fortunately, the hose was detachable from the pump, so there was no permanent damage.  I eventually reached Fort Union by way of New Mexico Highway 161.

Fort Union was active from 1851 to 1891, and during its lifetime was located in three places close to each other.  It was used to defend against both the Apache and the Confederacy, which included nearby Texas, and was a stop along the Santa Fe Trail.  The current ruins, made mostly of red adobe, are from the fort's third incarnation, but nearby earthworks are from its second phase.

After stopping in at the visitor's center, where I was told that there's no fee, I walked over to what was once the fort's hospital.  The white picket fence, yellow tape, and "keep off" signs are modern additions.

In this picture, the closer ruin was part of the laundresses' quarters, which were part of the perimeter of a corral.  The farther ruin may have been part of company quarters.

This was the military prison.

The ruins in the corner are from a bakery, which is part of the perimeter of another corral.  Similarly to the other corral above, the adjacent walls may have been part of another quarters for laundresses.  According to a sign, the walkway in the lower left was part of the Santa Fe trail.

This area was part of the mechanic's corral, and now includes these two old wagons.

These were part of the fort's storehouses.

This area, including fireplaces and chimneys, was the officers' quarters.

Near the officers' quarters are a flagpole and a cannon.  In the background are the prison, to the left and partially obscured by another structure, and the hospital, to the right.

Here's a closer shot of the cannon.  In the background are the hospital, in the center, and the visitor's center, to the right.

Pretty close to the visitor's center, and thus near the conclusion of my walk, are this covered wagon and some tents.  According to a sign, the wagon was pulled by mules.

For more on Fort Union, go to Legends Of America and City-Data.

Capulin Volcano

Capulin is the name of an extinct volcano in northeastern New Mexico, which is now a national monument, and of a small town about three miles to the south.  Because it's over 100 miles from Taos, just getting there was a pretty good ride.  I took U.S. Highway 64 east from Taos, which led through several mountain passes and the towns of Angel Fire, Eagle Nest and Cimarron.

In Cimarron, I stopped at a small roadside store to pick up some sunscreen, a snack, and a bottle of water, which I naturally intended to refill.  The cashier and one customer briefly talked about a place called Maloya, which sounds just like Maloja, the name of a town and adjacent pass in Switzerland through which I had traveled a year ago, so I told them about it.  After my purchase, I continued eastward on US-64, which at times joined up with I-25 and US-87.  The rest of the way to Capulin was relatively uneventful.  From the town, New Mexico 325 led northward toward the volcano.

I found a spot along NM-325 to take a shot of the volcano from a distance.  You can see a road spiraling up the side.

From the upper parking lot, I could see a group of hikers reaching the bottom of the volcano's crater.

I then began hiking the rim trail, going clockwise.  Looking toward the northwest, I could see this nearby mountain, which I believe is Robinson Peak.

Continuing on the rim trail, I could see the town of Folsom to the north, and what looks like another volcanic cone.

I eventually got around to the southeastern part of the rim, from which I could see Sierra Grande.  The road in front of it is both US-64 and US-87.

Along much of the rim trail, the view inward was obscured by trees, but I eventually found a place where I could again see the interior.  From this spot, I could see the trail from the upper parking lot down to the bottom.

From the southwestern part of the rim, I could see these natural walls of lava rock.

I completed my rim trail hike and then continued to the bottom of the crater, which included this display.

Here are some of the rocks at the bottom, along with some vegetation.

Having taken my last intended picture, I had one last chore - pulling myself back up to the parking lot.  But without too much further difficulty, I was soon back on the road again.  More about Capulin Volcano may be found at Encyclopædia Britannica, Desert USA and The American Southwest.

Hello From Taos

I spent yesterday flying and driving from Maryland to New Mexico.  After landing in Albuquerque, I got a rental car, and in honor of Bugs Bunny, took a left toyn somewhere between the airport and Interstate 25.  My only hassle was a traffic pileup on I-25 a few miles north of where it intersects I-40.  Same [bleep], different state.

Today, I'll be hitting the road to start my exploration of northern New Mexico and a maybe bit of southern Colorado.  Travel reports will be posted as time permits.

Links for 7/7

Today is the anniversary of the 7/7 terrorist attack in London.  As we look back, here's some of what's going on today:

From The New York Times, if Donald Trump (R-NY) wins the presidential election, is it possible that he will then not serve?

From The Washington Post, Trump has a "tense" meeting with GOP Senators.

From PoliZette, on the other hand, Trump's meeting with House GOP went well.

From Real Clear Politics, RNC chairman Reince Priebus says that his party will win "with or without" the anti-Trumpers.

From CBS News, an opinion that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is Trump's best VP choice.

From The Hill, Hillary Clinton (D-NY) was not put under oath during her recent interview with the FBI.

From Breitbart's Big Government, former Ambassador John Bolton says that he'd be in jail if he did what Hillary Clinton did, and Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) says that Hillary would be referred to the FBI for a perjury investigation.

From FrontpageMag, why Hillary "must go to jail".

From Politico, FBI Director James Comey testifies to the House.

From the Washington Examiner, "11 takeaways" from Comey's testimony.

From Business Insider, the Pentagon asks for money to fight ISIS drones.

From The Washington Times, the CDC asks for money to fight the Zika virus.

From CNN, according to the CDC, the United States has the highest car crash death rate among high-income countries.

From The Telegraph, the Australian state of New South Wales bans greyhound racing, and Switzerland bans the burqa.

From the New York Post, Bill Cosby claims that he was denied his right to confront his accuser.

From AsiaNews, Muslims in Bangla Desh try to force Christians and Hindu merchants to observe Islamic rules.

From Arutz Sheva, an ISIS hit list includes synagogues in the United States.

From ZNews, a man from the UAE is charged with attempted murder against a U.S. judge who previously put him in jail.

From Wired, a fungus that kills mosquitoes.

From The New Reddit Journal Of Science, a planet with three suns.

And from the Daily Mail, a British teenage boy arrives at his high school prom in a helicopter.

Looks Like Hillary Skates

FBI Director James Comey announced today that his agency will not recommend indicting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her handling of emails.  Even so, he said that she and her aides were "extremely careless".  He also said there is "evidence of potential violations", but that "no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case".

I admit to being unaware of the meaning of the term "potential violation".  How does a potential violation differ from an actual one?  And why isn't being "extremely careless" a violation unto itself?  Aren't there offenses such as animal cruelty and traffic violations that can arise from carelessness or negligence rather than intent?  It seems that once again, for a Clinton, "bureaucratic SNAFU" is an acceptable defense.

Read more at The Verge, Breitbart, the Los Angeles Times, Fox News and ABC News.

UPDATE:  Mere minutes after putting up this post, I find something at National Review by Andrew McCarthy (who admits being a longtime friend of Director Comey) who makes my point in the second paragraph above better than I do.  Read it here.

Juno Enters Jovian Orbit

Either late last night or early today, depending on your earthbound time zone, the NASA spacecraft Juno went into orbit around Jupiter, after a five-year voyage from Earth.  The craft's main engine was fired for 35 minutes to make the necessary reduction in velocity.  Juno has become the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter since Galileo, which did so from 1995 to 2003.  The orbit will take Juno as close as 2,600 miles from Jupiter's cloud tops.  (Would that distance be called its "perijovion"?)

In Roman mythology, Juno was the wife of Jupiter.  They were the respective equivalents of the Greek deities Hera and Zeus.  There is also an asteroid named Juno.

Read more at CNN, USA Today, NBC News, BBC News and NASA's press release.

Happy Fourth Of July

Two hundred and forty years ago today, a group of representatives of the people of thirteen British colonies in North America officially told Great Britain, her king, and the world that they would no longer be British.  To that end, they proclaimed the Declaration of Independence, written mainly by a sometimes debt-ridden farmer from Virginia.

Today, some people see parallels with the recent Brexit, in which the very same Great Britain (a.k.a. United Kingdom) voted to leave the European Union.  For example, in a video carried by Frontpage Mag, Bill Whittle points out the lessons learned from the Brexit vote, and in National Review, Rich Lowry shows how the "Amexit" (as he calls it) and the Brexit "are connected by a belief in self-government", while also pointing out the differences between the two events.

Today, may all who read this have a safe and happy Independence Day, and if you have the chance, read the original document.

Elie Wiesel 1928-2016

Elie Wiesel, who survived the Holocaust and became an author, journalist, and activist, has passed away at 87, in his home in New York City.  He had received the Nobel Peace Prize, along with many other notable awards.

Eliezer Wiesel was born in Sighet, Romania, in the region of Transylvania.  In 1940, although both countries were allied to Germany during World War II, the area was transferred from Romania to Hungary.  Four years later, Hungary started to deport Jews to Nazi concentration camps.  Wiesel's family was taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he and his father were separated from his mother and three sisters.  Wiesel and his father were later marched to Buchenwald.  Wiesel and two of his sisters survived.

After the war, Wiesel taught Hebrew, learned French, and started to write.  In 1955, he moved to Washington, DC and became an American citizen.  He married Marion Erster Rose, herself also a Holocaust survivor, with whom he would have one son, named Elisha.  As a political activist, he spoke out on behalf of Soviet and Ethiopian Jews, victims of South African apartheid, Bosnian victims of genocide, the Miskito Indians of Nicaragua, and the Kurds, among others.  He is survived by his wife, his son, a stepdaughter, and two grandchildren.

Read more at Haaretz, Reuters, BBC News, Russia Today and The Jerusalem Post.

Terrorists Take Hostages At Restaurant In Dhaka

In Dhaka, Bangla Desh, a reported "eight or nine" gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery, a restaurant located in a diplomatic quarter of the city.  At least 20 people, including foreigners, have been taken hostages.  After police responded, two policemen were killed during an exchange of gunfire with the attackers.  ISIS has claimed responsibility.

Read more at the Dhaka Tribune, The Guardian, CBC News, The Hindu and Sky News.

UPDATE:  The reports now indicated 20 hostages and 6 of the terrorists have been killed.

Lynch To Recuse Herself?

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, facing some controversy resulting from her recent meeting with former President Bill Clinton, is under pressure to recuse herself from the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's emails, as reported by The Hill.  Will she do so?  According to the Daily Mail, she will, but Breitbart (citing a Bloomberg Politics reporter) says she won't.  The New York Times reports that she will announce her decision some time today.  Calls for her recusal have come from such people as Carl Bernstein (from The Washington Free Beacon), whose investigation into Watergate helped bring down President Richard Nixon over 40 years ago, and Corey Lewandowski (from The Washington Times), the recently-released campaign manager for Donald Trump.