Santa Fe, New Mexico: Another beautiful day in Santa Fe. We jogged on the 3/4-mile trail that meanders around the RV park. I was really having a hard time jogging on the hilly trail this morning. I ended up walking.... guess going from sea level to 7000 feet in elevation needs a bit of adjustment? Or, I could be old.
The four photos below were snapped with my phone during my exercise. There are about 30 pieces of antique farm equipment on display at the campground. On my route today I saw a blue bird, several rabbits, many lizards and a few massive black beetles.
DT had two conference calls this morning, so we had a late start to our Daily Adventure, driving south on Highway 14 - the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway that travels between Albuquerque (dang it) and Santa Fe. We had driven the scenic byway previously in a motorhome. While the road itself is fine for a large RV, there is absolutely no where to pull-over or park. Today, we took the Honda and enjoyed a beautiful drive down to Madrid (pronounced MAH-drid), parked and walked up and down the one-street town.
There are several ghost town on the Turquoise Trail and just a few inhabited towns. Madrid is known as an "artist colony", but it seemed a bit beat-up to me. A few of the buildings seem to be one wind storm short of collapse. (This was a mining town and the houses were built by the company for the workers and the homes are now very, very old.) We stopped to a coffee shop for caffeine and a little nosh. They had croissants in the display case. Plain. Chocolate filled and - would you believe it - green chili filled. Of course, we chose the green chile version and split one for our breakfast. The croissant was really good. Loved it, in fact. New Mexicans will put green chilies in anything! The motto of the coffee shop is "Bad Coffee Sucks", but I am here to report my Caffe Americano was so weak, I used it to water a plant in a neighboring garden.
I snapped quite a few photos of Madrid, and will present them to you below with no comment... because, really, Madrid just wasn't my cup of weak coffee tea.
We didn't get back to Santa Fe until 2p and were starving by the time we were seated at a table in Cafe Pasquals, one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Fe. The restaurant features New Mexican cuisine, is famed for their breakfast and brunch menus and nearly every dish is organic and locally sourced. The interior is a crazy colorful eye-ball-over-stimulation!
I had one of the most popular items on the luncheon menu - the Blue Lady Enchilada: Jack Cheese on Two Corn Tortillas with Red and/or Green Chile, Chicken, Black Beans and Cilantro Rice.
Could. Not. Finish.A great meal and we had deja vu all over again. We were seated today at the same table as our 2002 visit (and the same place I sat when I visited with my girlfriend in 1997. Obviously, this is "my" table. On our 2002 visit, Dave and I chatted with a lovely couple from Arkansas seated at the next table (approximately 2-inches away from our table). Today we chatted with a lovely couple from Louisiana, cruising Historic Route 66 in a brand new Corvette. How fun!
Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa FeNext on the tourist agenda? A stop at Jackalope of course. I can't exactly describe this shop - or series of buildings and outdoor spaces that combine to create a massive emporium of all sorts of things you probably do not need, but buy anyway. Old, new and reproduction furniture, household items, clothing, garden features, a plant nursery, a Prairie Dog community, toys, art, architectural elements and probably anything else you could probably think of adding to a home.
On our way back to the RV park, we made one last stop - the Santa Fe Brewing Company. DT had a Happy Camper IPA, which he enjoyed on the upper deck of the brewery. I volunteered to be the designated driver.
You will not be surprised to learn, after our large late lunch, there is no dinner for us tonight.Pedometer: Nearly 13,000 steps. All of them at 7000 feet elevation.
Until my next update, I remain, your high correspondent.
RV PARK: Santa Fe Skies RV Park - Medium-sized park with Big-Rig-friendly sites. 30/50 amp, full-service gravel pull through and back-in sites. Club house, shop, laundry bathhouse. Free wifi, 3/4 walking/jogging path. We are paying $40 per night.