Mother Nature Wins
We left Carefree with a light breeze and temps in the low 80's Friday, May 25th at 8:00 a.m., as we set out on our first summer adventure. We were heading north towards Flagstaff, with a final destination of Santa Fe, New Mexico. We watched the temps fall into the 60's and the breeze turn into high cold winds. Once in Flagstaff we decided to stop and stretch our legs at the new Marshalls where I found a new pair of teal hiking socks! A half hour later we were back on the road, heading north to Tuba City where the winds turned stronger and red! The red dust off the rocks was piled up along the curbs--the fine dust was everywhere. We had a quick lunch and hit the road thinking it had to be better in UT. Crossing the state line into UT we passed by and through Monument Valley--it was very eerie because of the wind and heavy blowing dirt. The wind made visibility almost impossible--we saw only the tops of some of the monuments. It was good that we had been here before and can go back another time; otherwise, it would have been a big disappointment--no photos. As we approached Mexican Hat the wind was still whipping--people were trying to raft the river but the water was really brown.
I did get lucky and was able to capture Mexican Hat Rock--the first picture in 375 miles! Finally, we reached our destination for the day, Bluff, UT and the Desert Rose Inn--the wind was still blowing with no relief in sight We were told that the winds would be up to 70 miles an hour on Saturday.
We were up early on Saturday with the sun shining and the winds calm. We headed to Natural Bridges National Monument but by the time we got there the winds were blowing 30 to 40 miles an hour.
We did the 9 mile drive, stopped at the pull-offs and tried to get the doors open, fighting the wind which was trying to keep us in the car! Since we took the time and put on the extra miles to see something that we have never seen we wanted to get some pictures but we surely did this in record time.
It was hurry up and get back on the road to Farmington, again thinking that crossing over into another state and going further east might bring us better weather. Before we got into New Mexico we had to cross into Colorado, drop back down into Arizona and then into New Mexico. Four states in about 20 minutes but to no avail--the wind was still blowing many, many miles an hour, and the wind was still full of dirt and dust--almost a brown-out in Aneth, UT. We stopped at the hotel in Farmington only long enough to cancel reservations. We kept driving with high hopes of the weather being somewhat better in ABQ.
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| These prayer flags were on the trail--pretty cool! |
Albuquerque was really a hoot--and we made discoveries that will bring us back!
Our first full day, May 28th, was our anniversary so we had to find some fun things to do! We started the day at the Rio Grande Nature Center and State Park--which offers excellent bird watching throughout the year, with up to 250 species.
Our first sighting was the roadrunner, which we learned nests about 5 feet above the ground in olive trees.
We saw many Wood Ducks,
several different species of hummingbirds ( did you know that the wing span of a hummingbird is 2.8 inches?)
and tried to spot the Swains Hawk nest but didn't find it. There is a trail system which runs along the river, which is where we went and saw many air balloons floating over the Rio Grande! There are also many, many miles of bike trails and a rescue center for birds--what a place to volunteer but too long a commute!
Next we were off to Starbucks where we found a sports section from The ABQ Journal and read that the Isotopes (the Dodgers' triple A team) were playing at 1:30, that they had won the day before and that Matt Kemp had been rehabbing and playing Centerfield for the team. It sounded like it would be fun--so off we went to get ready and to find Isotopes Park! The stadium was a great surprise--BEAUTIFUL, comfortable, clean and friendly! The weather was perfect and the Isotopes won again with a little help from Matt, a single, a double and a home run! We ended our day at Garduno's for Santa Fe Blue enchiladas for dinner.
Life is good!
It was time to leave ABQ for our most northerly and final destination, The Hotel St. Francis in Santa Fe!
This old historic hotel is located in the middle of downtown Santa Fe. It was time to park the car and walk, walk and walk after all the miles we put on trying to get out of the wind, dirt and dust!
In 1986, the old De Vargas Hotel was purchased, remodeled and reopened as the Hotel St. Francis. In 1922 the old De Vargas Hotel had been the place to stay but it burned to the ground, leaving only the chimney. In 1922 the De Vargas Hotel was rebuilt in a new location on Don Gaspar Avenue. The hotel was first class with its guests wearing top hats and full-length dresses. Guests were escorted to their rooms only after marriage licenses were shown, and house detectives made certain that all guests stayed in their own rooms. The hotel was "The Hotel" in the state capital and served as an unofficial meeting place for local politicians, but after World War II "The Hotel" seemed to lose its splendor. In 1947 the hotel was sold and then managed by a husband and wife but in the 1960s the politicians deserted the De Vargas, opting for more modern establishments. In 2008 Heritage Hotels and Resorts acquired the hotel and fully renovated it. The inspiration for the ambiance came from the patron saint of Santa Fe, St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was a wealthy nobleman raised in privilege, but chose to devote his life to following the teaching of Christ. In 1209 he founded the Franciscan Order--a simple existence. The Franciscan missionaries were significantly involved in the settlement of Santa Fe and New Mexico, bringing their religion, architectural, agriculture, artistic, and culinary traditions.
We had our daily routine down almost before we checked into a beautiful corner room on the top floor.
Starbucks was right around the corner for morning hot chocolate, lunch was never a problem after walking and discovering all morning, there was late afternoon gelato at a place we had found many visits ago (the best gelato anywhere) and we had our list of favorite dinner places. One night it was La Cantina at the La Casa Sena with live entertainment. We dined at this historic adobe while our waiters entertained us with the Best of Broadway and Jazz.
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Colors of the Southwest!
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On Friday, June 1, 2012, we headed south with our final destination being Carefree, Arizona. After a very disappointing start to this first Road Trip of the Summer we were both satisfied and rewarded with our new discoveries in ABQ and decided to stay one last night in Albuquerque to EXPLORE! And to have one last dish of Santa Fe Blue enchiladas at Garduno's--along with the Mariachis who sang for us on our anniversary, Cucurrucucu Paloma! A Mexican Folk Song about LOVE
We also decided to take the Turquoise Trail ( Hwy 14, a National scenic Byway) back to ABQ from Santa Fe.
We drove through Madrid, New Mexico. In the mid-1800's Madrid (pronounced MAD-rid) was a quiet coal-mining town with a strong sense of community, thanks to Oscar Huber, superintendent of the mines of Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal Company. In the 1920s he formed the Employees Club--miners were required to donate 50 cents to a dollar a month, with the monies going to community causes. The miners were also required to participate in town events. This resulted in holiday parades, athletic teams and social events, some of which are continued today. The most notable of these was Madrid's Christmas Light Celebration which began in the early 1920s, powered by the company's coal generators, 150,000 lights, and illuminated displays by artisans and laborers. But World War II brought an end to the Christmas lights and in the 1950s the mines were closed. Eventually, Madrid brought the Christmas Light Celebration back but with only 50,000 lights!
Today, Madrid "mines" the rich resources of hundreds of talented, independent artists, and hosts festivals, colorful parades and cultural events.
It was a fun road trip with lots of learning and discovering even though it wasn't the trip that was planned. The next trip to Albuquerque will be for The Balloon Festival!
(Copyright 2012)
Anxiety set in as we were circling the perimeter of the airport in rush hour traffic on the I-10 looking for the next airport exit to find our way back in for another chance to find terminal 4 parking lot and get to the security waiting area outside of the Southwest gates! Whew--we did made it in time to see Kayla walking out of the security area and into our company!
