This morning we left the Walmart of Gallup and drive south and east to El Morro National Monument:

We hiked out to Inscription Rock, where travellers have been carving names and images since the 13th century:

Travellers came this way because of the rainwater catchment, which when filled to capacity by summer rainstorms holds 200,000 gallons:

Ancient petroglyphs:

E. Penn Long of the Rose-Baley Party, 1859:

Ramon Garcia Jurado, Mexican colonist, 1709:

Juan de Arechuleta and Diego Martin Barba. colonists in the Juan de Oñate expedition to settle New Mexico, 1636:

Juan de Oñate, 1604.  This inscription predates the landing at Plymouth Rock by over a decade:

On the shaded side of Inscription Rock, we encountered a bit of snow:

Governor Don Francisco Manuel de Silva Nieto, 1629:

Governor Eulate, 1620:

Behold!

In 1849, Army artists spent two days copying the inscriptions here, then left their own signature:

The kids completed their Junior Ranger workbooks and received their badges:

We continued east and north to overnight at the Walmart of Grants, New Mexico.  See the trip map for today’s drive and our current location.