The Rio Grande Gorge and bridge were more impressive than I imagined. I was almost completely unprepared for this leg of the journey, so next destination was the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center to get more information.
The first large sign on the outer wall of the visitor center details how the Rio Grande starts from snow melt in the mountains and ends as it drains to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the third longest river in the U.S. after the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. It has been an important river for people including hunter/gatherers, Puebloans, Athabascans, and Hispanic settlers for over 10,000 years.
Inside the visitor center you can find artifacts of human settlement, natural life, geology, and a small gallery of photography.
The Rio Grande runs parallel to the road and you can access it in many spots for recreation activities like fishing and rafting. I’m not prepared for any deeper exploration on this journey so I decided to keep on driving for now. Scenic drives in this region are hard to beat so I’m not even mad about it.
