Santa Fe

30 Oct, 2017; Santa Fe, NM


Santa Fe is . . . . historic


Founded in 1610 as a Spanish colony, Santa Fe is the oldest capital city (over 400 years old!).  The downtown is a twist of small streets with glimpses of very old architecture.  


Don't think this is particularly old - but I do like the pueblo style that's everywhere!

Also, a fabulous center for the arts  . . . 


Santa Fe boasts over 250 art galleries and is the 3rd largest art market in the US.  And don't even get me started on the restaurants!!


Sazon Restaurant - yummm!  (4-star restaurant)

Sazon exterior


And, it's hard to beat the climate


At 7,000 feet elevation, the summers are not extremely hot, winters are chilly but average 3-4" of snow per month in the winter.  Most importantly, Santa Fe can boast over 320 days of sunshine each year!!!


Colour me impressed!


I like the art, the sun, the history, the architecture, the mountain and desert views; I can tolerate the cactus.  I'm even impressed by the selection of license plates!  


Pueblo architecture with natural landscaping (I love the aspen)

and the sunsets are great!




Old town Santa Fe - Art galleries and artists en plein aire

21 Oct, 2017; Santa Fe, NM


Sunny, crisp fall day


Perfect day for brunch (huevos rancheros with blue-corn tortillas and beans), followed by a stroll thru an art gallery district.  Even though we spent over 2 hours there, we saw less than a quarter of the shops.  Some of the buildings (or parts of them) date back to the mid-1600's with the additions dating to the mid-1800's.




Today, there were artists doing en plein aire demonstrations - many of them had completed work in the gallleries for sale.  I love seeing the artist's process of working.  I did find myself checking out their en plein aire painting gear and feeling myself getting motivated to do some painting myself!









A special treat!


A parade of school bands!  From pretty good high-school and junior high bands to the elementary school band playing 'Mary had a little lamb' on plastic recorders, it was great fun.




One gallery with antique and modern Native American was particularly interesting.  Along with the competitively priced contemporary native art, they had an impressive collection of antique pottery, art, and clothing - all of which could have been museum pieces (great if you have a spare $35k - 150K!)


High Trail to Taos

20 Oct, 2017;Santa Fe, NM


A beautiful fall day for a drive in the mountains


The high road to Taos winds thru the mountains and many small, tiny pueblos.  Galleries, crafts, and examples of really old architecture highlight the early history of the area.











A general store in a small village.





A gem of a mountain lake gave the dogs a needed break


Along the way, we saw a sign for Lake Santa Cruz.  We stopped there to let the dogs have a brief run.  It was marvelous.







Ghost Ranch - Georgia O'Keeffe

15 Oct, 2017; Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM

I can't believe I'm seeing the exact places O'Keeffe painted!!!


Ghost Ranch is over 21,000 acres of history.  It all began a couple million years ago . . . OK, I'm not going back that far but you should know that it's one of the top 10 worldwide sites for dinosaur fossils (maybe that's where O'Keeffe got the idea to use those cow skulls).  There is a museum on site that covers the geology and paleontology. 




In 1776, the King of Spain awarded the Piedra Lumbra Land Grant, including the Ghost Ranch area, to Captain Pedro Martin Serrano.  Over time the land was divided among heirs, bits and pieces sold off.  The deed to Ghost Ranch was lost in a poker game!!

Meditation Garden

Ghost House Meditation Garden
The Archuleta's owned the ranch next; they built the Ghost House, and ran an infamous cattle rustling operation throughout the southwest.  


Ghost House


Then, the ranch was acquired by Carole Stanley (actually she got it in a divorce settlement) and developed as a dude ranch "Rancho de los Brujos".  About the same time that O'Keeffe first visited and rented a small cottage, the ranch changed hands again.  Not sure how 'los Brujos' which means 'the witches' got translated as 'Ghost', but there you have it.


O'Keeffe's cottage

O'Keeffe came every summer to paint and eventually purchased a small house and 7.5 acres from the new owners of the dude ranch.  She gave her iconic skull sketch to the owner, Arthur Pack, to use for promotional materials.

Today, the Presbyterian Church owns the property and runs it as an education and retreat center.


The O'Keeffe Landscape Tour


There is no public access to the O'Keefe house - but you can sign up for either a bus tour or horseback tour that goes by the house while touring the iconic landscape that she painted for over 50 years.  Along the route, we pass almost a dozen locations that give the exact perspective one finds in specific O'Keeffe paintings - what a thrill!!



I know this from the painting!!!!

Chimney rocks and the purple hills!!!!

Cerro Pedernales butte in the distance.  This was O'Keeffe's favorite mountain.  She said that she dreamed that God told her if she painted it enough, she could have it.  I think it appears in more than 28 paintings.  Her ashes are spread on the top of the butte.






I picked the horseback tour of course!

Pro tip:  Never again tell them that you have riding experience.  I got Zorro - who bites and can't stand any horse behind him.  So, I had to bring up the rear where I couldn't hear anything, ate dust for 90 minutes and had to suffer Zorro turning his head and sniffing my boot (as though he was considering biting me) every time I asked him to do anything.  OTH, he was a gaited horse and had a lovely fast walk, and a floaty trot.





Everyone else up ahead listening to the talk and trying their best to not fall off their horses while taking pictures


O'Keeffe's house with 360 degrees of incredible views!  She had extra windows put in the house so she could paint from anywhere inside.  This made the house awfully warm in the summer.  She used to climb a ladder outside to the roof to sleep in the summer (even into her 90's).  The ladder is still there - but Zorro wouldn't stand still long enough to take a picture (he knew what he was supposed to do, dammit, and it wasn't to stand still while everyone else walked on!!)




Another famous spot.  O'Keeffe mis-identified the dead tree in the center as a Cedar (actually, it was a juniper) but here it still stands, 80 years after she painted it against the purplish mounds in the background.  Juniper is very resistant to rot.




Movies have been made here


While I came here only for the O'Keeffe connection, others come for the dinosaur fossils, others for the retreat center, and still others for the movie history.  Among the movies that filmed here, was City Slickers.  The cabin and corral near the entrance to Ghost Ranch are the only remains of the filming here.



I've arrived in Geogia O'Keefe Country!

12 Oct, 2017; Echo Amphitheatre CG, Abiquiu, NM


Who knew it would be so beautiful?!


I knew I wanted a campground near Ghost Ranch so I could spend a couple of days touring around the place Georgia O'Keefe painted.  I found a couple campground signs on the road atlas - not even big enough for names.  So, I figured one of them should be OK.  

As I got close, the mountain terrain gave way to some impressive red rock fins  - very pretty!  And then I saw a sign for Echo Amphitheatre day use and campground.  I drove in and found a huge rock amphitheatre - very impressive.  The small campground (10 spots, about 1/2 pull-thru) was almost empty.  Normally, the sign says $10/night ($5 with the geezer pass), but it must be after the season because there were no pay envelopes and the iron ranger was all taped up.  Well, free is a very good price.





My only neighbors are some young people doing a documentary on thru-hikers on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) which is over 3,000 miles long.  They've been following several hikers doing the trek this year.


We live in a beautiful country!




I walked up into the amphitheatre and yes, it does echo quite nicely.  The sun was wrong for good pictures but I got a few.  




I'll probably stay for the weekend and do day trips into Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu.


Durango, Colorado

11 Oct, 2017; Durango, Co

First snow of the season!!


Well, it was pretty wimpy for snow - just like frozen mist.  As I drove into Durango and while I was setting up, there was a blowing snow.  I had to dig out the duffel with all my winter clothes (I know I have gloves somewhere!).  

My view on the Animas River


The propane furnace ran almost all night - I was a bit worried about running out as I had an empty tank.  

Yes, those are RR tracks - but these are special!

The famous Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge RR


Originally opened in 1882 to transport gold and silver ore through the San Juan Mountains, this 50 mile section is now used to transport tourists through the beautiful mountains.








After the cold snap, the sun comes out again


Temps in the 60's and the sun bring out the fall colors in the campground.




Touring historic downtown Durango


Well, it's mostly restaurants, art galleries, and gift shops - but you can still see some of the old architecture.










Barkley Park

I was going to take a break on one of the sidewalk benches, but this one was already taken!




Public Transit provides door-to-door convenience.


I wasn't looking forward to parking downtown - so I was happy to hear that there is a well-developed system of trolleys I could use.  The driver was very friendly and remembered where I wanted off and let me know when we were there.




One the ride back, we passed my favorite BBQ joint!!  And Durango has TWO (it's a small SW chain).  They have really good meat, and novel sauces (Cherry Chipotle, Pineapple Jalapeno, etc) - I saw them when I drove in and have been eating BBQ almost every day.




A surprise neighbor when I got back home!


My next door neighbors have completely tricked out a 2003 Palomino TT in a Lucille Ball theme!  Carrie is a Lucille Ball impersonator (and husband plays along).  Way cool down to the smallest detail.


 



Mesa Verde, its not just archaelogy

4-9 Oct, 2017; Mesa Verde NP, AZ

Look closely and I can see how early people made a living here


At first, the environment looks kind of barren.  Early people grew squash, corn and beans and supplemented their diet from the local plants and animals.  I hadn't realized that wild turkey were here - but early people built stockades and kept turkey. 
 

I've seen wild turkey in Mesa Verde, the Needles and the Manti-La Sal mountains



Mountain sheep, deer, rabbits, birds and other small game.  Now, a wild horse herd also calls the mesa lands their home (I didn't see any - but plenty of horse poop!).  Regular poop and 'stallion piles' were all over Weatherill Mesa.

On one short hike (1 mile - knife edge trail), a booklet identified over 30 native plants used by native people. 





Yucca pods - edible and sweet (judging by the bees)




 

Mule deer came into the campground to browse several mornings while I was there.






The Navajo have a prayer about "Walking in beauty" - I can see why


The fall colours have been spectacular!  








Since the records began in 1902, over 70% of the Mesa Verde National Park has been affected by natural fires that occur.  Dry Lightening in the summer heat ignites dry vegetation and is devastating.  Grasses, cactus, shrubs, and Gambel Oak come back fast - the junipers, firs, and pinyons can take a 100 years to come back.