Ah, Santa Fe

Santa Fe is a tourist town, there's no doubt about that. Just spend some time around the Plaza and you'll easily see that. And that is precisely what Donna and I did.

For Americans, Santa Fe is one of those towns that you need to visit at least once. It is a storied town, and its twisting, narrow streets are full of history. Everyone has heard of the Santa Fe Trail, that trade route that began in Independence, Missouri. Founded in the early 17th century, Santa Fe is the oldest state capitol in the U.S. Well before that time, the area was occupied by indigenous peoples who lived along the nearby Rio Grande. With the Sangre de Cristo mountains as a backdrop to the east, the setting is beautiful and the climate delightful.

We booked a room at Hotel Chimayo just half a block from the Plaza. The room was fine, absolutely nothing wrong with it. But were I to do this again, I would probably stay in a hotel somewhere away from the city center along Cerrillos Road and get a more modern and spacious room -- probably with breakfast included -- for about 60% or so of what we paid for the room at Chimayo. We could then drive to wherever we wanted to go, or even catch a bus. But we really wanted to park the car for a couple of days and enjoy the old city, so we stayed downtown.

Exterior of Hotel Chimayo

Lower courtyard of Hotel Chimayo at night. Our room was off the balcony above right.

If you've not been to Santa Fe, then the Plaza is the heartbeat of the city. The rich history of Santa Fe comes together at the Plaza, and the crowning glory, I guess, would have to be the Palace of the Governors.

Front veranda of Palace of the Governors, where Native Americans sell their jewelry and other products.

Front view of the Palace of the Governors, with Native American vendors

If you visit the Plaza area, basically you will find history, jewelry stores, clothing stores, eateries and bars. Sure, you can find other businesses here and there (there's a five and dime on the south side of the Plaza, for example), but the bulk of the businesses around the Plaza target the tourist. Prices are high. Donna and I don't need any of that stuff, so we really don't even spend any time looking at it.

One morning, we walked down to the Railyard Park, about a mile or so southwest of our hotel. There are a few shops there, along with a couple of eateries and a wonderful farmer's market. One afternoon, we took a tour from the Loretto Line Tours. This was money well spent, and I would argue that anyone visiting Santa Fe should probably take this tour as soon as they arrive in town, as it can help you decide all the other stops you might want to make during your visit. The bus tour lasted about 1½ hours, and started by taking us around the east and north sides of the Plaza. From there, we headed south, past the state capitol, then along Canyon Road where most of the art galleries are located. Our tour guide was passionate about his city, and he was very informative.

One thing we wanted to do while in Santa Fe was eat some authentic New Mexican cuisine. Now, to be honest, I've never really enjoyed New Mexican style Mexican food. I grew up eating Tex Mex, so that is what I'm accustomed to. I'm not saying that Tex Mex is better; I'm simply saying that is what I'm used to. As a rule, I have found the red and green chili sauces to be somewhat bitter, and a bit bland, as well. We heard numerous people talking about a small restaurant called The Shed, and since it was just around the corner from our hotel, we thought we would give it a try. The restaurant is located in an old sprawling building, with various side rooms serving as dining rooms. The service was very good, and the food was even better. Donna and I are still talking about how good it was. I had the Enchilada Plate, which consisted of two blue corn tortillas rolled with cheese and onion, covered with red chile, and served with pinto beans and posole. Posole is a Pueblo stew of Nixtamal corn (think hominy), lean pork, coarse red chile, garlic and oregano. It was delicious. I cleaned my plate and wanted more, but was too full to eat more.

My Enchilada Plate, with the posole at top. I really enjoyed the posole and would like to try more of it.

Donna ordered the Enchilada and Taco, which consisted of one rolled blue corn enchilada with cheddar cheese, onion, and red chile; one soft blue corn taco with ground beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion. She order both red and green chile with her dinner.

Donna's Enchilada (left) and soft taco (right)

I guess I've been eating in all the wrong New Mexican restaurants all these years. If it was all this good, I'd be one fat and happy boy.

We spent the majority of our time roaming the streets. We stopped in for beer at a few bars, but were disappointed at the beer selections. It seems that downtown Santa Fe really pushes local craft beers. Now, we usually enjoy craft beers, but since we are watching our weight, we just wanted a commercial light beer on tap, and we honestly could not find one at the 4 or 5 bars we visited. To each his own!

We were in Santa Fe 6 years ago, and I wrote about our visit in my blog at that time. If you'd like to see that entry, click the link below:

• Santa Fe, New Mexico (September, 2012)

Here are some other pictures of Santa Fe. Enjoy!

South side of the Plaza early in the morning before the tourists wake up.

Chile wreaths at the farmer's market

Some of the beautiful produce at the farmer's market.

The good time girl at the farmer's market with the distinctive water tower in the background.

The original party girl doing what she does best. This was taken on the veranda of our hotel. Note the peppers hanging in the background. We purchased a selfie stick prior to our trip, and we are still trying to get the hang of taking pictures with it. Old people just aren't that coordinated.

On the Road: Cripple Creek, CO, to Santa Fe, NM

After 4 nights in the gambling halls of Cripple Creek, it was good to get back on the road. We left Cripple Creek early last Monday morning for Santa Fe, New Mexico. We hadn't been in Santa Fe since September 2012, so we were anxious to return.

Herd of pronghorns just west of Cripple Creek.

We left Cripple Creek at dawn, retracing our route back to US 50 just west of Canon City. It took nearly an hour to reach US 50, which then took us west along the Arkansas River to Poncha Springs. This was, by far, the most beautiful part of the trip. There are a number of park areas along the highway, and we took advantage and pulled off into many of them to admire the river slicing its way through the mountains.

The old folks at an overlook along the Arkansas River.

Canyon driving along the river.

There were a number of passing lanes heading west, not so many heading east.

The Arkansas River rushing over rocks.

Looking east in the early morning light and shadows.

One of the things I do as we travel is evaluate routes to determine if I could pull an RV along them. Yes, we don't have an RV at the moment, but you never know what we may do next week. Anyway, this is a pretty good route to pull an RV. As you head east, there are a number of passing lanes available, and the park pullouts are all on the north side of the highway making for convenient stops. There aren't nearly as many passing lanes heading east; in fact, there may not be many -- if any. The road is fairly level as it follows the river, but it does twist and turn and roll over gentle swells.

We caught this bit of high country color somewhere along US 50.

There are also a number of RV parks located along this route. Some are rather uninviting, but others are quite attractive, and almost all are located along the river.

We stopped for coffee in Salida at the local McDonalds. We were impressed with the small town. There is quite a bit there for the traveler: restaurants, hotels, RV parks, etc. It's a nice stop along the way.

More high country color, this just north of Poncha Pass.

A bit farther, we turned south at Poncha Springs onto US 285. We immediately began climbing to the top of Poncha Pass, elevation 9,010 feet. We then descended, eventually arriving in the San Luis Valley. Rather than follow US 285 to Alamosa, we opted for the shorter Colorado 17. I was a bit disappointed by what we saw along this route. Much of the area has been divided into small tracts, and the area has a very depressed look, with mounds of junk, old cars, and other debris rusting away in yards and along the highway. I was not expecting this.

We stopped in Alamosa for gasoline and more coffee. Gas was high, and I paid $3.059 per gallon. We were impressed with Alamosa. It appears to be a very progressive town, and a very active one. As with Salida, it offers the traveler lots of options. As a side note, we crossed the Rio Grande as we entered town. The headwaters of this storied river lie west/northwest of town.

At Alamosa, we rejoined US 285 and headed south, crossing into New Mexico just south of Antonito, the eastern depot of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway. I'd like to ride that rascal one day.

As we continued south, San Antonio Mountain came into view. This mountain in northern New Mexico rises to 10,912 feet. It stands alone, so you can't miss it. It's a real landmark. From the north, it looks somewhat like a dome.

San Antonio Mountain along US 285.

Side of San Antonio Mountain showing some early fall color.

At Ojo Caliente, traffic began getting a bit congested along this 2 lane highway. There are a number of small villages/pueblos along the route, and speed limits are often greatly reduced. But some people don't reduce their speed, so things get a bit aggressive along several stretches. US 285 then merges with US 84, and the highway is then 4 lane for the remainder of the way into Santa Fe. But the entire distance is built up, so the going is rather slow, especially through Espanola.

All in all, it is not a bad drive, and one I would be willing to traverse in an RV. Needless to say, we were delighted to arrive at our hotel in Santa Fe and get out of the car for a couple of days.

Cripple Creek, September 2018

As Donna and I drove into Cripple Creek, we were greeted by the local welcome committee, as shown below.

Burros are quite common in many areas of the West. Miners used the sturdy animals, and many were left to fend for themselves. We've seen wild burros over much of the West.

We enjoy Cripple Creek and all that it offers. It is a unique town, especially for flatlanders like Miss Donna and me.

Looking east along Carr Avenue. The main street of the town, Bennett, lies one block to the south (right in this picture).

This is Bennett Street, the main road through town. The blue awnings along the left (north) side of the street belong to Bronco Billy's Casino, where we always stay and play.

As always, we stayed at Bronco Billy's. The casino recently changed ownership. Anytime this happens, changes usually occur. At casinos, this usually means tighter machines and fewer comps. I hope this doesn't happen at Bronco Billy's. One change that is coming -- and it should be a good one -- is a new hotel. We really don't like the current lodging options at the casino, so for us, there is no where to go but up. We just hope they don't tighten the pay tables on the machines. And the service at Bronco Billy's is great. The friendliest, most helpful people you can find work there. It really is pleasant to play there.

This is Johnny Nolan's Casino, just east of Bronco Billy's. Interesting building, but there are not any games there that interest us.

Looking west along Bennett Street.

We took a walk around town one morning, just to stretch our legs and to get out and see some of the town away from the main road. As we were walking the sidewalk leading up a hill to the north, we saw what appeared to be a small puppy turn the corner and start trotting towards us. Since it was morning, there were long shadows caused by the buildings, and we couldn't see well. As the critter approached, I realized that it wasn't a puppy; in fact, it looked like a fox. Sure enough, just before he reached us, he turned off the sidewalk into a vacant lot, then stopped and took a long, hard look at us. His picture is below.

We encountered this curious little fox on a walk around town. The sun was behind him, so the picture is somewhat light. We had a staring contest for a couple of minutes until he headed down the slope towards the business district.  Guess he was going to try his luck at one of the casinos.

This is the old Hotel St. Nicholas. There are some good views from the hotel.

There was a little color on the slopes on the west side of town, but it was not yet vibrant.

Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum on Bennett St.

Miss Donna prowling the streets of Cripple Creek. It was a bit nippy early in the morning, as you can surmise from her jacket, but I found it very, very comfortable -- probably about 55 degrees or so.

Donna snapped this photo of some derelict bum sitting on the steps outside St. Peter Catholic Church. The police came along shortly and threw his worthless hide in the slammer for loitering.

The original party girl doing 3 of her favorite things: gambling in a casino, occupying a seat at a bar, and texting her daughter on her phone. This was taken in the Double Eagle, our second favorite casino in Cripple Creek.

If you would like to see more of Cripple Creek, you can check out previous entries on the small mountain town at the links below.

• Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, October 2017
• Cripple Creek, Second Time Around, September 2017
• Bronco Billy's, May 2017
• Cripple Creek, Colorado, May 2017

Back to Cripple Creek

Donna and I just returned from a week long trip to Cripple Creek, Colorado, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. We were hoping to enjoy some high country cool air, but the temps were above average during our stay. Still, we had an enjoyable time.

Miss Donna and I looking north on I-25, with Raton Pass in the background.

Looking north towards Colorado from Raton Pass.

We left early last Wednesday morning. By our route (see map below), the distance to Cripple Creek from our home is just over 700 miles. If I were a bit younger, I would probably make that drive in a long day, but I'm not any younger, so it takes me 2 days to get there.

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We stopped for the night in Raton, New Mexico, at the Microtel just off I-25. We walked next door to the Arby's for a sandwich upon our arrival, then returned to our room and collapsed -- at least, I did. Miss Donna still had plenty of energy. As my brother said about her recently, she seems to be "forever young." I, on the other hand, am forever old, and have been for the past 40 or 50 years, so I needed my beauty sleep. My college chums always made fun of me in my younger days. When they would get in to my car, the radio would be tuned to a local AM station, usually the farm report or something like that. Guess I was born too late.

After a waffle and yogurt in the hotel breakfast room the next morning, we hit the road north. It is just a few miles to Raton Pass from Raton, and I like starting the day that way. After climbing to the top of Raton Pass at 7,834 feet, you feel that you are truly in the high country after crossing the high plains of the Texas panhandle and eastern New Mexico. The old Santa Fe Trail snaked its way through this pass on its journey from the U.S. to what was then Spain and later Mexico.

The interesting town of Trinidad, Colorado, lies just north of the pass. One of these days, I'd like to spend a night or two there and explore the sights. We've only made pit stops there, but what we have seen of the town is very attractive.

The drive from Trinidad to Pueblo is easy. We have never encountered a lot of traffic along this section of the interstate, but we do exit on the south side of Pueblo onto Highway 45, which loops around the western edge of Pueblo. We normally stop at the Walmart gas station to fill up, then make a pit stop at the McDonalds just north of there for coffee and snacks. However, we have now had 3 bad experiences at that McDonalds, so we will pass it by in the future and hit the one on U.S. 50 or farther on in Canon City.

And speaking of Canon City, what a lovely place that is. We drove through the downtown area on this trip, and it was very interesting. Of course, it is home to the Royal Gorge, and that certainly has lots to offer the adventurer. This little town on the Arkansas River is another place that we may stop in for a little play time some day.

Now, if you are familiar with this part of Colorado, you might wonder why we go through Canon City to get to Cripple Creek rather than staying on the interstate and going through Colorado Springs. For one thing, I don't want to drive through Colorado Springs. That is a busy, busy place. And I don't care for the highway leading into Cripple Creek from that direction. It comes around on the back side of Pikes Peak, and I just don't care for that ledge driving, especially when you are on the down side of the ledge and there are no guard rails. And to be honest, the distance is virtually the same, so I prefer the route less traveled as well as the one that is less hectic and less terrifying.

After leaving US 50 to the west of Canon City, we travel for the most part on county roads, and the scenery is quite good. The early part of the route goes through some rugged country, then there is a more open section in the middle. On the final approach to Cripple Creek, the road twists and turns as it climbs to the 9,494 elevation where the city lies cradled. We were disappointed that we did not see more color, but as I said earlier, temps have been above average for the area.

We spent a total of 4 nights in Cripple Creek, and I'll write about our time there in the next entry. For now, here are some pictures of the countryside on our drive from Canon City to Cripple Creek.

Somewhere along County Road 11 between Canon City and Cripple Creek.

Looking west from a pullout along CR 11. Note the speed limit. It takes a long time to get anywhere in the high country.

We didn't see much color on our trip to Cripple Creek, but we saw some when we left. I'll show that in another entry.

Mt. Pisgah has an elevation of 10,410 feet, and lies on the western edge of Cripple Creek.

A Wet Week

As I reported in my last entry, we've had rain. It has continued raining at least a bit every day since that entry. In fact, right now our gauge has nearly 2 inches of rain as a result of rains that started about noon yesterday. Altogether, I think we've had about 3.5 to 4 inches of rain at our house since Monday. Other parts of the Concho Valley have had more, while some areas have had less. My biggest hope is that some of the rain has flowed into OH Ivie Reservoir east of here. At last count, it was down to about 14% capacity.

Another blessing resulting from the rain has been the cooling temps we've enjoyed all week. I don't think we've had anything higher than 83 or so, while many days have topped out in the upper 70s. As I write this at 2:00 PM on a Saturday, the temp is 71. I like that!

The rain has disrupted my walking schedule, but I don't mind taking a few days off. Tomorrow should start clearing, though, so I'll hit the streets then and put in a few miles.

Some Rain, Some Deer, and a Memory

It was late when I rolled out of bed yesterday morning, at least for me. I am usually up before the sun. No, that isn't true. I'm ALWAYS up before the sun. But yesterday, I opened my eyes at 6:52 AM and I saw light coming through the window. What got into me?

I quickly rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, and threw on my walking clothes. Just a few houses down, I spotted 2 bucks and a few does working the brush behind some neighbors' houses.

The bucks are centered in the picture, but if you look carefully, you can see a doe behind the orange flowers as well.

I got my 5+ miles in and returned home. After my shower, I did some work on the computer, then it was time for lunch. I wrote an item about a week ago concerning the places we ate on our recent trip. I enjoy eating out, especially tasty, exotic food. But my favorite place to eat is home. Donna is a truly good cook, and she recently made some kafta (Lebanese beef kababs) and all the trimmings. Boy, was it good. I really made a pig of myself. Thanks for fattening me up, Donna. She must be getting me ready for the slaughter.

Last night, we spent quite a while on our back patio. The skies had been overcast much of the day, but we could tell a storm was moving in from the south. Sure enough, a nice and easy rain began to fall. We set our plants in the yard to catch some of that precious nitrogen rich rain, and we collected some rain water as well. We were able to water everything and even store some of the water. This morning, I checked our gauge and was pleased to see just over half an inch. That is good for us. As I write this, it is still overcast, and I am hopeful we will get some more rain.

Look at these beautiful clouds in the northeast above our club house. They are reflecting the setting sun.

These are the clouds moving in from the south that brought the moisture. Thanks!

Just a hair over half an inch.

This morning, I set out on my morning walk. I love walking. Usually, I spend the time sorting through my thoughts, making plans for the future and perhaps reliving past adventures. This morning, my thoughts were about my father. He died exactly 10 years ago this morning, and I still miss him. I followed around after him as a child; as an adult, I followed in his footsteps and became an educator, as he was. But I never measured up to him. Thanks for being such a great role model, Dad.

I hope everyone has had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day. Donna and I had lunch at one of our favorite local places, Rosas. As is our custom, afterwards we drove out to the lake. Despite the overcast conditions, there were quite a few people along the shores and numerous boats on the water. People seemed to be enjoying the fishing on this unusually cool day. Tomorrow, they will have to return to work or the classroom, but Donna and I won't. We're retired, you know.

Transition Time

We've finally made it to September, the transition month. Since June, the weather around here has been rather predictable -- hot and dry. The temps have hovered daily near the century mark, and we've had at least a month of days in excess of 100 degrees. In that same time, we've had very little rain.

I snapped this photo of some healthy looking ocotillo early one morning at our club house.

But with the arrival of September, things start to change a bit. The first half of the month will remain hot and dry for the most part, but by the end of the month, autumn will begin to tease us. Thus begins my favorite time of the year. The kids are back in school, temperatures begin to gradually fall, a few rains will move in, and autumn colors will begin to appear, peaking in late November or early September.

One of our neighbors certainly does like yellow flowering plants.

I love how vibrant and rich this purple sage is.

It looks like we are starting the month off with a good weather forecast. On Labor Day, temps will drop about 10 degrees, and we have a 30% or 40% chance of rain in the Concho Valley much of next week.

This neighbor has a nice mix of colors in her yard.

This is my favorite time of year to travel, as well, and I really miss having an RV during the fall months. I miss camping in one of our state parks as the mornings and evenings begin to cool. It's a great time to hike, build a camp fire, and watch the wildlife. Maybe I can talk Donna into buying me another RV.

Deer spotted on a recent drive through Spring Creek Park

Although the days are still summer warm, Donna and I have both felt just a bit of difference in the early mornings during our walks. There is a freshness there these days that has been missing since May or June. I look forward to it cooling more so that we can return to taking walks in San Angelo State Park. Because of the heat, we tend to walk in our neighborhood early; in fact, we are usually finished with our walks before the park even opens its gates. But once the morning temps drop another 10 or 15 degrees, we may postpone our morning walks until 8:00 AM so that we can enjoy the peacefulness of the state park. It's nice out there, and only 2 miles or so from our house.

Notice the rich color of this sage in front of one of the restrooms at the state park.