Santa Fe

Cathedral of St Francis of Assisi

We started off today wanting to take our dogs to Banfield Pet Hospital in Albuquerque,  but found them all closed until Friday.  We changed plans and instead drove to Santa Fe, about 40 miles north. At 75 mph it doesn't take long to get there, and the wide open scenery is gorgeous; the sun passing thru the clouds which creating shadows on the hills, which had snow on their peaks, and on the arroyos deep and long. You can literally see for miles in all directions. Getting into town you drive along the original  Old Pecos Trail. 

In town we drove around looking for a parking spot, which are at a premium. As soon as a car starts to leave a spot another is right behind to fill it. Cost: one dollar per half hour.. We went into Winding River, the largest seller of Indian artcraft; jewelry, pottery, clothing, paintings, statuary, all of which was beautiful. Nancy looked at a ring, but we were shocked when the price tag showed $4800. The clerk told us not to worry; everything in the store was half-priced. We just happened to have a spare $2400 -- NOT! One young woman thought it was a good deal as she purchased a small pottery bowl for $1800. Remember, that's half-price!

We stopped into a native American Indian art gallery but it had artwork from indigenous people's from Australia,  Canada, Greenland, Japan,and the US, all of it speaking to the mining of uranium and nuclear testing on these people's lands without their knowledge or consent. It was very informative but also depressing. 

We walked around town and we love the architecture there, but it is clearly for a different breed of person, the RICH! We had lunch at the Inn of the Anasazi. Nancy had a bowl of tortilla soup and I had chicken enchiladas. We both drank water. The price: $52! Everyone in the Inn were dressed to show off; we were slumming in jeans.  We drove around the town and decided to return home. Again, the scenery was just as beautiful on our trip home.

Tomorrow  is Thanksgiving,  and we will try to get into Albuquerque, but we expect everything to be closed as tight as a turkey's . . . well, you know! And if you're  reading this, we wish you a happy gobblers day!