Santa Fe
We woke to clear skies and 23º. We walked to breakfast at a wonderful little local cafe — Tia Sophia’s — and wandered around the city center in the chill. I can see why Santa Fe is popular with artists — the light is amazing. The clear, thin air, and the bright sun. The city is decorated in colors of earth and sky. I love the light and took lots of pictures.
We wandered through several galleries but resisted buying anything. And of course we went to Loretto Chapel to see the unsupported spiral stair. Then back to the hotel for a nap.
Lunch in town, then out to Museum Hill to the folk art museum. I love this place — all the little figures, most of which are arranged in dioramas.
And back to the hotel for another nap. Already worn out with southwestern food, we went to a Thai restaurant for supper.
We enjoyed Santa Fe — how can one not? — but we were still exhausted from the trip. The day off the road was wonderful.
Eastern New Mexico
We woke to snow. There were several inches of wet snow on the car with more coming down. I checked road conditions. Everything looked OK, so we set off east on I-25 North to Las Vegas (NM). We left the snow as soon as we got out of town. The roads were clear and dry, with temperatures in the upper 20s.
Our first supercharger was in Las Vegas at a Comfort Inn. Usually these are near fast food or Starbucks, but this one is at a motel that is by itself on the edge of town. We sat in the lobby and drank their coffee.
Then we set off southeast on state route 104. This is a lightly-traveled two-lane through empty country. Leaving Las Vegas was a sign: Next gas 73 miles. We didn’t need gas, but still… The weather closed in, with clouds resting on the ground and light snow flurries. I began to wonder if we were nuts to set off in bad weather on a road that on the map was lightly drawn.
On the map, this road looks like it crosses some mountains, but when we got to the wiggly part we just dropped our winding way off a plateau.
Soon the clouds lifted and we could see patches of blue to the east. We had lunch in Tucumcari and headed east on the interstate to Amarillo.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Travels with Kate 