There was more to see at St. Vrain State Park than reflections. Of course bird watching is always rich with all that water around. At first I thought this might be an otter or muskrat. What do you think?

As we walked a little further it went underwater. When it appeared again we were looking at a cormorant. It had been looking underwater for something to eat. You could have fooled me at first glance.

We also saw pelicans.

As we walked around Bald Eagle Pond, we thought we might be looking at eagles.

But nearby there was a nest platform. When I checked it out with my zoom lens I realized it was an osprey nest.

On the far side of the park, we saw some old abandoned ranch buildings.

It was a great place to spend a few days.

An Historic Plaza

We have driven through--or maybe it is past--Las Vegas, New Mexico, numerous times as we traveled to and from Arizona or Texas. This was our first time to stop. We wanted to avoid crowded RV parks in the Albuquerque area because this week is the annual Balloon Festival. We enjoyed looking around the historic plaza. It surrounds a great green area with large shade trees.

There are several statues of recent vintage, possibly a part of the plaza revival. The first honors farm workers.

This is Our Lady of Sorrows, patroness of the city's Roman Catholic Church.

Titled "Cry of the Ages," this one depicts a Native American. A man resting in the plaza told us there was originally a long spear in his hand but it has since been stolen.

Las Vegas was established in 1835 under a Mexican land grant. It flourished as a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. In 1846 during the Mexican-American War, General Stephen Kearney delivered an address in the plaza, proclaiming New Mexico was now a part of the United States. This monument includes part of his address. It says, in part, that in America all people, rich and poor, are treated equally under the law and all people, protestant or catholic, are welcome to practice their religion in this country. Hopefully, you can click on the photo to enlarge it and read some of what he said.

Some of the old buildings on the plaza are beautifully restored, at least on the outside. We only went in one store, which had really quality gifts and clothing for sale.

Historic Route 66 passed through this area, as we could see by this sign.

This was once the main fire department. We enjoyed the old fire truck outside, as well.

The town was an interesting diversion as we travel south.