Santa Fe 2017
Back on the road again, finally. We are in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the month of August. The RV park, Santa Fe Skies, is wonderful. We have a beautiful site with a pretty little patio and a cute tree full of birds. It is the perfect place for coffee in the morning and wine in the evening. The park has unique little sculptures all around the sites ( appropriate because Santa Fe is an art community, after all). There is a 0.75 mile walking trail around the outside fence that is just perfect for walking Jax. The sites are well spaced, not crowded up, and the views are nice with stunning sunsets and sunrises over the mountains in the distance. The temperatures are heavenly, 70s and 80s during the days and 50s and 60s at night.
High Road to Taos
Having heard about the interesting things to do on the High Road to Taos, we headed out for a day trip. Our first stop was Nambe Falls and Lake in the Sangre de Cristo Mts. To see the Falls, you have a choice of two trails. One goes to the bottom of the Falls, but you have to get wet crossing the river in a few places. We weren't prepared for that, so we chose the second trail that climbs a quarter of a mile to a scenic overlook. It was a nice hike, a little scary near the top where the trail got narrow and steep (no handrails ), but it was a beautiful view when we got there.
El Santuario De Chimayo
El Santuario de Chimayo was our next stop. This small shrine is known for its healing earth. It is considered to be the Lourdes of America, attracting over 300,000 thousand pilgrims a year. It is one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage centers in the U.S. Before the Spanish conquest of territory, the Pueblo Indians inhabited this area and believed that healing spirits were to be found in the earth at this site. People still believe it today. The walls of the rooms in the chapel are covered with expressions of thanks for the cures. There are discarded canes, crutches, braces, and wheelchairs, as well as pictures. In one small room is a small pit of holy dirt that is said to have curative powers.
From Chimayo we drove to a small town along the ridge of the mountains called Truchas. It is a small artist colony that is popular, especially during the Artist Tour that is held twice a year. On the way to our next stop we found the Ortegas Weaving Workshop and Gallery. Finally, we found our lunch spot. I had read about this place, The Sugar Nymphs Café, in some brochures. It is in the town of Pensacos. They serve the BEST hamburger ever. But no fries. You get either soup or salad with it. The salad was fresh and yummy, too.
Five and a half hours after we left the RV we finally arrived in Taos. It was already 2:15 and we were tired. I think we planned too much for one day. We only got to tour about half of the Taos arts district before we gave out and headed back. The way back was much shorter. We drove the Low Road this time. It follows the Rio Grande River and was a pretty drive, too. But no stops. We will have to go back to Taos to see the rest of it, as well as the Taos Pueblo and the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.
Large crowd for evening music at the Plaza.
Another day, another adventure.
We slept in this morning because Jax was still at the "doggy jail" and I didn't need to walk him. After a leisurely breakfast, we loaded up supplies, picked up Jax, and headed back up to the mt house. I made a peach pie and we all visited for awhile, trying to figure out what we wanted to do. Richard suggested lunch at an Asian restaurant that we had never been to before. It was called Jinja and it was wonderful! After lunch we decided on a short trip down part of Canyon Road. We returned to the mt house, ate pie, and everyone took naps. Later, we took a short hike up the hill to see the view. When we returned from the walk we opened some wine and made supper. Richard had fixed a brisket and we had brought some fantastic sweet corn from the Farmer's Market. It was veritable feast!!! After a little more visiting (and a little more wine) Pops and Kay and I went back down the mt to the RV. Another special day in Santa Fe!
