… to Santa Fe …

… in August!

We had extra timeshare points, and always wanted to visit Santa Fe - and figured two weeks would give us some exploration time. No research - we decided to wing it. We arrived on Saturday, realizing we must be at a higher altitude when we began gasping for breath in the airport.  We checked in at the Villas de Santa Fe, gathered some brochures and supplies, then rode the hotel shuttle to the Plaza, which turned out to be just a few blocks away. We started our New Mexico adventure with tortilla soup, guacamole, and the local green chili. Fortified, we worked our way around the Plaza shops, totally overwhelmed by the variety and amount of turquoise and silver for sale. We decided to decide later what to do for the rest of our stay.

On Sunday, we waded through a small mountain of brochures of area attractions. We chose four must-dos: a hot-air balloon ride, a jewelry class, an aerial tram ride to Sandia Peak (with dinner at sunset), and a photo tour. And then we spent the afternoon at the Tesuque Flea Market, wandering through the half-empty grounds of southwestern jewelry, rugs, baskets and pottery - with Tibetan and African stands scattered throughout. No photos allowed! Which became a theme when we took a short ride through the small Tesuque Pueblo. No photos allowed! and there were some decaying adobes begging for a picture...

We later learned that if you can find the Pueblo headquarters, most pueblos will sell you a photo permit for $5-10. Next time! Back at the hotel we ordered in a pizza from Upper Crust.

Monday was our day to travel the Turquoise Trail, Route 14, which passes through the area where the local greenish Cerrillos turquoise was mined. Our first stop was the information office of the Bureau of Land Management, where we met Bill, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Frank's cousin, Bill Poling. Bill was a veritable fountain of local knowledge; for every location we asked about, he had four or five additional suggestions. As we finally disengaged, he gave us his phone number and encouraged us to call him personally if we had any further questions. Armed with a whole new stack of brochures, we began the Trail in earnest. In Cerrillos, we stopped at the quaint Casa Grande Trading Post, Petting Zoo and Mining Museum. Part rock and gem shop, part collection of strange objects, it was thoroughly engrossing. We did not pet the animals, which were clean and very well cared for.

 

The next stop was Madrid (MAH-drid), which is known for a different kind of treasure: gold. Hungry, we initially stopped at the "Great Madrid Gift Emporium and Maggie's Diner," which appeared in the movie Wild Hogs, only to learn from the very emphatic old lady behind the counter that it is NOT a diner, but a store! Selling only Wild Hogs souvenirs. We settled for a lunch of gigantic burgers at the Mine Shaft Tavern, a historic landmark to boot. Plus, a chili pepper arch!

   

We passed Golden and then San Antonito almost without noticing, and took Route 536 up to Sandia Crest. Here was one of the highlights of our day: Tinkertown, “What one man accomplished while the rest of us were watching TV.” The buildings are made mostly from 14,000+ bottles retrieved from the roadside; the family became a recycling drop-off when their need for bottles exceeded the number discarded each day. The area is filled with large dioramas of an old western town, a circus – and whatever else the owner devised. My mom and dad would have loved it!

       

  

Back on the road, we encountered a group of 6 or 7 deer partway up the mountain, and they posed obligingly, seemingly fearless.

   

10,678 feet up at Sandia Crest, the view was breathtaking. 

  

We drove back to Santa Fe on Route 41, and saw a spectacular sunset on our way.