Creede, Colorado, was in our rearview mirror by 8 o’clock on Wednesday morning. A brief stop was made in Alamosa for a quick car wash to remove the dust and dried mud from the Creede roads. Another stop was made further east for gasoline, and after a 4-hour drive we arrived at Capulin National Monument.

Capulin Volcano National Monument is an extinct volcano in northeastern New Mexico about 25 miles southeast of Raton. It was established in 1916 as Capulin Mountain National Monument, its boundary changed in 1962, and it was renamed in 1987. The monument contains the cinder cone of Capulin Mountain. The volcano became active about 62,000 years ago and last erupted some 56,000 years ago. The symmetrical cinder cone reaches an elevation of 8,182 feet and rises more than 1,300 feet above the surrounding grass-covered plains; its base is surrounded by lava flows. The volcano’s rim is accessible by a spiral road, and there are hiking trails inside the rim.

From there we drove generally east to Shawnee, Oklahoma, where we overnighted. We were both tired and slept well.

On Thursday, we finished the drive home, arriving near noon. The car was unloaded, we unpacked, and I washed and semi “detailed” the car while Kay rearranged outside plants. All’s well, and we’re glad to be home.