New Mexico, part 2: Santa Fe and Albuquerque

The drive to Santa Fe was a bit touch and go – a big winter storm was moving through the region and we were in a white pickup truck in an almost white out snowstorm. Sean handled White Lightning like a pro and by the time we arrived, the sun was shining and Santa Fe was covered in a pretty layer of powder.

They really shouldn't let people like me have a mallet to ring a bell that's older than this country.

Full of artists, [wealthy] hippies, and Native American culture-lovers – Santa Fe is sort of the Monterey of the Southwest. It’s home to Canyon Road – the greatest concentration of art galleries per square mile – in the world.

Beautiful designs made with colored sand

The best part of Santa Fe is its size. The downtown/oldtown area included the incredible staircase in Loretto Chapel, an open-air market of American Indian jewelry and art, the bell of San Miguel (inside the oldest church in America), and plenty of interesting shops and restaurants.

The "Miraculous" Staircase in Loretto: Built with no central support

On a brisk morning, Sean and I explored one of the Dave Ball hiking trails. He tried to teach me how to read a hiking map, but I decided things would go a whole lot better if he just took care of leading the way. That and trail was icy – I wanted him to find all the slippery spots.

Almost all buildings in the area are adobe style and color, making them blend into the landscape.

 Several Indian art/culture museums are clustered “Museum Hill,” where. And only a few miles more was Bobcat Bite, home of the best green chili cheeseburger I’ve ever tasted.

San Miguel - adobe walls built in 1610

The oatmeal stout at 2^nd Street Brewery was delicious and I won the who can handle the spiciest chilies at the Horseman’s Haven Cafe. That sauce was HOT!

Our experience in Albuquerque was the result of being tired from a week of traveling [i.e. I was grumpy], some not so nice weather [i.e. hurricane-force winds], and it being the off season [i.e. a ghost town]. Also, don’t stay at the America’s Best Value Inn Downtown. Just…don’t.

Red chilies drying in Albuquerque's Old Town covered walkways

Old Town was cute, as in small, and it felt forced to go into yet another old church, another gift shop, another rattlesnake museum….wait, what? Yes, a rattlesnake museum. We went into the gift shop area and decided life would be ok without seeing 50 different varieties of poisonous snakes.

Unique building in Albuquerque. Do you see any people in this photo? Yeah, we didn't either...

The “Nob Hill” district (did they copy San Francisco?) of Albuquerque, just south of the University along Route 66 included a few trendy shops and restaurants, but wasn’t particularly intriguing when we visited Friday afternoon.

Old Town, Downtown, and Nob Hill districts all run along historic Route 66, or Central Ave. in Albuquerque

And we when walked around downtown Saturday morning, we found only a handful of businesses open – it was deserted! We did find a great little coffee shop – The Daily Grind - and the very popular [but I think perhaps overhyped] brunch spot – the Grove Market and Café.

Note my fantastic silver feather earrings I bought in Santa Fe. Also note our huge smiles.

In all, it was an adventure – meeting Sean’s friends, seeing new places, learning that I need to chill out when we don’t have exact directions. Thank God Sean makes me laugh.

Before flying out, we hung out at the airport’s viewing lot, where you can park your car and watch the planes take off and land. My stomach hurt and I didn’t want to say goodbye.