Santa Fe and Turquoise TrailOct 8, 2010
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Kateri Tekakwitha
St Francis of Assisi
Colorful walkway
| After a hearty breakfast of biscuits and sausage gravy compliments of Elaine's brother and sister in law, we headed off to Santa Fe and the Turquoise Trail. We considered taking the new railway system between the two cities, but wanted to have more flexibility, so we drove. We took the interstate to Santa Fe and the Turquoise trail back. Santa Fe is the oldest capital in the united states. If you enjoy southwestern motif and art, this is the place for you! Buildings are made mainly of adobe and are colorfully painted in bright colors that reflects the culture of the Indian and Mexican heritage . Parking is very limited and we were lucky to find a spot close to the historic city square. Our first stop was the historic St Frances Cathedral, built around 1869 . There is some beautiful statuary around the outside that again reflects the Indian influence of the time period and includes one of St Francis of Assisi , the patron saint of animals and St Kateri Tekakwitha , an American Indian maiden named the Lily of the Mohawks. We then walked around the historic plaza with its native art vendors  . Paintings, drawings, jewelry, and clothing are available for a few to hundreds of dollars. Many of the items are made on nearby pueblos and Indian reservations. Though it was midweek, it was congested with tourists, many coming up from Albuquerque for the day, although you would expect it to be less crowded if not been for the balloon festival. The Turquoise Trail is a national scenic byway which follows highway 14. The trail has some beautiful vistas and small towns if you leave the main road. One town, Cerrillos, is small (dirt roads and no traffic lights) with a few highlights, one being their church  . A company was actually doing a movie off one of the dirt side streets which limited our access. We took a detour further down the byway and went up to Sandia Crest. The majority of the Albuquerque transmission towers are located on this high peak  . There are also ski lifts and a tram. The temperature dropped almost 20 degrees during the climb to the peak, the winds were really howling and the trees had begun to take on their fall glow . There were signs warning to watch out for bears but we didn't encounter any. On the drive up to the peak, we made a pit stop (Johnny-On The Spot-unisex port-a-potty ) at the Tinkertown museum (a short drive would provide a better location within the park). Some of the walls are made of bottles adding a whimsical atmosphere. The 2009 HGTV home was along the trail but it was in a gated community, making an up close look at it impossible. Along the way we passed through Madrid, a mecca for artists and craftspeople. The town was packed with tourists and shoppers. The town's heyday was in the 1800's, it slipped into obscurity in the early twentieth century and is back to flourishing now. Also along the way is a place of interest which reflects one of the local artists interpretation of art made in metal  . We had planned to have dinner at the Monte Carlo in Albuquerque this evening. The restaurant is listed in Guy Feiri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Unfortunately, they were having electrical problems and were closed. What a disappointment! We were all tired and hungry so we ended up at Applebee's for a quick meal which was OK but not what we had planned on. Once again we turned in early. We had reservations at the Balloon Fest's Gondola Club again for early the next morning. We needed to be there by 5:30 AM so we needed to leave early to beat the traffic. |
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