On the road to Santa Fe
After enjoying ourselves at
Riverbend Hot Springs we have a nice lunch at
Happy Belly Deli, gas up and get back on the freeway headed north.
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| Hummm... maybe I should cut back on Nachos |
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New Mexico drivers can be unpredictable
with disastrous consequences |
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I-25 parallels the Rio Grande River for much of the way. It's odd to see bright green fields and orchards in the middle of a dry desert.
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| Farms along the Rio Grande |
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| Rio Grande River |
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The biggest change we notice since last being in this area a little over five years ago is the increase in casinos on Indian reservations. We have discovered they are good places to buy gas as it is usually cheaper than the stations in towns. We just hope the tribes themselves are benefiting from these casinos and not just the legal (or illegal) business partners they might be working with.
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| Hard Rock Casino |
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| Sandia Peak Casino |
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| Hollywood Casino |
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About mid afternoon we come into Santa Fe. The Sangra de Christo mountains behind the city still have snow on them.
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| Approaching Santa Fe city limits |
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Soon we are settled in the lovely 55+
Trailer Ranch RV Park. Since this is our first experience staying in an 55+ park, we aren't too sure about them. However, Joanie, the manager, jokingly assigns us to the "honeymoon suite" and gives us all kinds of handouts with information on how best to get around Santa Fe for free, the best restaurants and things to do. She makes us feel right at home with her warm welcome. It's not only a great place to stay but well located for getting around Santa Fe. We do decide to rent a car from
Enterprise and are delighted to be given a very reasonable weekend rate.
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| Just inside the park entrance |
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| The Office |
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| Our "honeymoon suite" with rented Camry |
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The next morning Kathy, an old friend of ours who works at Los Alamos Labs, meets us for breakfast and the Saturday morning Farmers' Market in the Santa Fe Railyard, which has been recently been redeveloped as a shopping area drawin a good crowd of both locals and tourists. The Farmers' Market is in a large building, especially during the colder parts of the year, but spills into the outside surrounding area during the warmer months. We buy New Mexico spices, salad greens, bread and Holy Chipolte goat cheese.
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| Santa Fe Railyard |
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| Trains waiting on the tracks |
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| Inside the covered Farmers' Market |
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We have a great time wandering around Santa Fe and catching up with Kathy. Who knows? We may even be all traveling together in New Zealand after she retires next year. It's on all of our bucket lists. Later we drive around Santa Fe and drink in all the sights on a beautiful spring day.
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| Classic Adobe home |
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| Spring blossoms against blue skies |
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| Ahhhh... Spring in Santa Fe |
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Since we've been to all the main galleries and museums around the plaza at the center of town on a previous trip, we decide to check out some of our favorite galleries on Canyon Road.
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| Spring on Canyon Road |
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| An owl for Holly |
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| My favorite Navajo rug gallery - except for the prices |
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The main stop we make is the
Wiford Gallery that has wonderful silent wind mobiles for gardens. We fell in love with them on our last visit and wanted to make sure they're still available. Yup - they are, but they haven't gotten any cheaper {sigh}.
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| Sign for gallery with rock garden chairs |
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| The main gallery with wind mobiles |
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| The garden |
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In one of the galleries, we find something we're not sure what it is.
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| What is this? A furry sculpture? |
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| OMG - it's a DOG! |
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Since these prices are beyond our budget, we decide to leave Canyon Road for something more affordable.
Hey, that dog looks like Minka! DId you buy a wind sculpture; we're still lusting.......
ReplyDeleteHope you had some fabulous eats there; we sure did!
LOL - never realized how much that dog resembles Minka. We had some really great meals in and around Santa Fe, but {sigh} are still lusting after those wind sculptures. Maybe one of these days.
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