Pecos National Historical Park

I set out from Santa Fe last Monday morning(3/14/11) to fish the Pecos River. I had been dissuaded from my original plan of Villanueva State Park by the guy at High Desert Angler, so I was headed somewhere upstream from the town. It was cold and overcast. So I decided to kill a little time and visit the ruins at Pecos National Historic Park. I had given some thought to fishing there. There are three beats,no more than three persons per beat per day. The cost is twenty dollars plus your three dollar admission to the park. I had decided against it, mostly because I hate to pay to fish,but also because that helpful fellow at High Desert Angler didn't seem to think it was particularly good bet either. When I arrived at the park, at the counter I was immediately asked if I was a fisherman. It must be my Orvis hat, I thought. Then I explained my decision not to fish, and was only there to visit the park . After I paid I turned around to see several fishermen milling about waiting for instructions from another NPS employee. This reaffirmed my decision- I surely was not going to pay to fish with other people. Anyway,I watched the little movie, walked the walk,took a bunch of pictures and went on my way after about an hour. Very little is excavated here,except for the church complex. There are a couple of reconstructed kivas to climb down in to - which is a nice touch as well.It's a beautiful setting: the wide river and creek valleys, the high pine clad mesas,with the snowcapped peaks in the distance.The church ruins aren't as impressive as the Salinas Pueblos, but then again this one's not out in the middle of nowhere. This was enjoyable side trip, so if you're in the area, by all means check it out.