On the last third of the drive, a series of scattered "hills" appeared. They are actually mountains because their elevations are 6000 to 8000 feet above sea level. They are part of over 100 ancient volcanic vents located in the northeast corner of New Mexico between Clayton and Raton. Volcanoes in the middle of a tectonic plate are very unusual. Apparently, in this area the earth's crust spread and thinned, and a magma hot spot was periodically able to push to the surface. This process began about six million years ago. Three series of volcanoes formed in this area. Erosion has cased most of the older two series to be reduced to ridges and hillocks. The last series started two million years ago and only ended 40,000 years ago.
One of these newer volcanoes, Capulin, was designated a national monument by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Its age is believed to be 60,000 years. The volcano consists of a cinder cone and about 25 square miles of lava beds. As a national monument, the volcano is protected and maintained by rangers of the National Park Service. In 1925, a road was carved in the cinders along the side of cone, so I was able to drive to the edge of the cone. The inside of the cone is not much to look at, other than to evaluate the forces that created the volcano. Here are some pictures:
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| Capulin Mountain at Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico |
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| Road to Cone Top, Capulin Volcano |
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| Capulin Volcano Inner Cone |
The National Park System was established by Congress during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. The legislation provided for the establishment of national parks and national monuments. A new national park required specific Congressional action. A new national monument could be established by presidential order and did not require Congressional approval (though, of course, annual appropriations require Congressional approval). This distinction has been of major importance because there are many more national monuments than national parks, and generally the protection afforded can be more quickly obtained. For example, The Grand Canyon was declared a national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, and didn't become a national park until 1919. The Wikipedia entry says this:
"U.S President Theordore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon in 1903. An avid outdoorsman and staunch conservationist, he established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve on November 28, 1906. Livestock grazing was reduced, but predators such as mountain lions, eagles, and wolves were eradicated. Roosevelt added adjacent national forest lands and redesignated the preserve a U.S. National Monument on January 11, 1908. Opponents such as land and mining claim holders blocked efforts to reclassify the monument as a U.S. National Park for 11 years. Grand Canyon National Park was finally established as the 17th U.S. National Park by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919.[17]
Tomorrow, January 7th, should be an interesting drive. Snow will be falling, though most of the way it will be light, at one to three inches. However, I have to cross the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with North La Veta Pass at 9413 feet above sea level. I have to cross it to get to Durango, Colorado by tomorrow night. I won't know if I can get across the pass until I get in the area. If I can't I'll retreat and stay in Walsenburg or Pueblo.
Day 4 mileage: 330
Cumulative mileage: 1,460
