More Santa Fe

 

Sunday 4/6.  We got up and watched a few of our shows.  After some YouTube we headed into Santa Fe.  We needed to make a pit stop at Walmart and get some dog food.  We’ve been giving the pups some glucosamine treats and it’s really helped with their movement, especially Duncan.  They actually make senior dog food in the same brand with the glucosamine in it.  Anyway, we are excited the dogs have a little pep in their step again.  

We also had lunch at the Plaza Cafe South.  We split a Frito Pie and Norteno Taco.  They were good, but spicy and the “pie” was more like a southwestern stew.  Our next stop was the Santa Fe Rail yards area.  We hit up a few shops and wandered through some makers markets.  It’s a cool little area, but we don’t have much room for trinkets.  We took a drive around the Santa Fe Plaza, but being a Sunday afternoon the area was packed.  We’re going back on Tuesday.  

On the drive home our check engine light came on but the truck was driving fine.  We went up to the closest O’Reilly’s, got the code and then cleared it.  It hasn’t come on since.  I also changed the air filters as it was the cheapest fix of the code issues.  The most expensive will be the bank 1 catalytic converter.  Fingers crossed it stays good for the trip.  

Monday 4/7.  The morning started out with regrouping.  Katy cleaned the rig from top to bottom and I did 4 loads of laundry.  The laundromat was also a DVD rental store and a coffee shop.  Cool concept, but the coffee shop should also have a liquor license.  It was nice to get everything done.  

After getting back to the camper we headed down to Bandelier National Monument to check it out.  It’s a beautiful drive out to the park and we renewed our America the Beautiful Pass.  Part of the park is closed for repairs to include the Alcove House which I really wanted to do.  Other areas were boarded off due to graffiti and vandalism.  Still boggles my mind why anyone would want to destroy 700+ year old cave dwellings.  

This monument I think tops Gila and Mesa Verde.  They are all spectacular in their own way, but this was a great self guided walking tour and most of it is visible from a ADA sidewalk.  We of course took the stairs and ladders to go up into the cliffs.  The long house portion is over 800’ long and the cliffs above are covered in petroglyphs.  So impressive!  I think I took about 100 pictures of the dwellings, petroglyphs and the surrounding rock walls.  It’s hard to capture a place like this in photos.  At the end of our hike we had some fried chili relleno.  It was good and it was spicy…I think that’s the theme of NM.  Northern New Mexico is pretty high on our list of favorite places.  

Back at the rig we had a pretty relaxed afternoon and evening.  

Tuesday 4/8.  Into Santa Fe we went and boy did we enjoy it.  Our first stop was Trader Joe’s as we will not see another one for who knows how long.  The bill reflected our apprehension of not seeing another for a while.  Our new 12v freezer works great by the way, I’m surprised we waited this long to get one.  

After groceries we headed to the plaza area.  We found a spot to park by the Basilica and then had lunch at The Shed.  The food and drinks were great, with plenty of local flavor.  It’s definitely worth a stop if you are downtown.  After lunch we walked all over the plaza checking out the shops and sites.  We also hit up a few historical places.  

We stopped into the Loretto Chapel to see the “Miraculous Staircase”.  This staircase is known for its unusual construction and has been the subject of legend and mystery. It consists of a helix-shaped spiral that rises 20 feet to the choir loft, making two full turns without the support of a central pole or newel. The staircase is built mostly out of wood and is held together by wooden pegs, with no nails or glue used.  The staircase has 33 steps, which is noted to be the age of Christ at the time of his death. According to the version of events passed down by the Sisters of Loretto, after they prayed for nine straight days to Saint Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters, a mysterious stranger appeared and offered to build the staircase. He worked alone using only a few simple hand tools and disappeared afterwards without collecting his pay or the Sisters learning his identity. (AI Answer)  It was also on Unsolved Mysteries back in the day.  

We also checked out the Basilica before leaving.  It is a beautiful structure and also worth checking out.  After our walking tour we drove over to Kakowa Chocolate House and had some drinking chocolates.  This was our first time having a chocolate flight and it was an interesting experience.  We also took some chocolates and brownies to go.  We kept the truck at the Chocolate House and walked over to check out the Capitol.  It’s more like an art gallery with a few auditoriums than a Capitol building.  We wandered around there for about a 1/2 hour checking out the art before driving back to Los Alamos.  All in all it was a great stay in the Santa Fe area.