Welcome to my New Mexico and Colorado inspired Kblossoms jewelry blog. I took 4 days off for some hiking, relaxation and rejuvenation at the Pagosa Hot Springs, Trimble Hot Springs, Great Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde National Parks. We flew into Albuquerque, NM and went to Sante Fe, Alamosa, Durango, and Mesa Verde for a total of 916 miles of driving. The second day we visited the thousand year old adobe homes of the Taos Pueblo Indians and learned about their tragic history of persecution by the Spaniards and US government. I was amazed by their beautiful rectangular adobe homes made of mud, water, and grass that have been preserved for thousands of years. The Tao Pueblos Indians lived off the river that flows through their town. They baked bread ate corn baking them in dome like ovens outside their homes made of adobe and plaster. The Tao pueblo is one of the many living Native American communities in NM which I find more fascinating than a museum because you can witness the grandeur of the architecture and speak to the locals about their traditions and way of life. We then drove to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and hiked to the top of the sand dunes seeing phenomenal views that look like a Star Wars movie. The desert sand dunes was a magical beautiful natural land form made by sand and wind. We then hiked in nearby cold river to Zapata waterfall with rock slot canyons and a magical view of tall trees. Our 2nd day didn't end there, we drove to Pagosa Hot Springs and soaked in 100 degree water that was so relaxing. On day 3 we walked around the City of Durango a quaint town. We then soaked in the hot pools and swam in the long heated pools of Trimble Hot Springs rejuvenating our skin and soul. On day 4 we visited all the cliffhouses in Mesa Verde National Park. We took a two hour ranger guided tour of the Longhouse Cliff Palace built in 1150 AD. The pueblo Indians lived here year round and burned fireplaces in the cold snowy winters. About 120 people lived here in 150 homes, 21 kivas. They raised turkey and dogs and farmed beans, corn, and squash to survive. They wove baskets, made jewelry and traded them with other Indians. No one knows why the Indians abandoned this place, maybe drought and fires making their farmlands inhospitable? They painted petroglyphs on the walls and had their own natural source of spring water on the back walls of the caves. What an amazing piece of architecture! The Cliffhouse Palace was pretty beautiful too, you can see it at a lookout point. I counted around 10 kivas there, a ceremonial circular place in the cliff palace. If I were a Pueblo Indian in my past life, I would be the community jewelry maker and trade my jewelry for corn and squash. On the last day we went to Los Poblanos Inn to sample all their handmade lavender products as they have a beautiful lavender farm. We enjoyed a delicious farm to table breakfast at El Campo restaurant there, I loved the country chic decor. We also explored Albuquerque a bit. All our handmade orange amber, turquoise bar and gold filled star moon jewelry were inspired by my trip to the Southwest. Check out my Kblossoms jewelry www.kblossoms.etsy.com