Day 9: Santa Fe, NM

WEDNESDAY. By 10 AM the car was repaired. Confident we would not overheat in the desert with our new thermostat and water pump, we loaded the car with spring water, stopped at Whole Foods on the way out of Albuquerque for sushi and seaweed salad, and headed north on 25. An hour later we were in Santa Fe.

The following is snipped from the 2006 Santa Fe Visitor's Guide.

In ancient times, Native Americans hunted, fished, and lived in villages where Santa Fe (Spanish for "Holy Faith") now stands. They had sophisticated trading networks and were an artistic people, creating pottery, textiles, jewelry, and ceremonial costumes. The Spanish established Santa Fe as a city in 1610 and ruled for more than 200 years. Officials protected their colony by keeping most foreigners out. Those who lived in Santa Fe kept their Old World traditions alive and depended on their values of family and faith.

In 1821 Spanish rule ended and the Santa Fe Trail opened. European merchants and American adventurers poured in. With the railroads came tourists and artists. Large ranches were established and cowboys brought the culture of the West.

Today all these cultures survive and their traditions flourish, giving Santa Fe a look and an atmosphere that is all its own.

We spent a few hours driving around Santa Fe getting our bearings, visiting the home of a friend in the northwest hills (he wasn't there), and taking a brief walking tour in town. I was a bit winded for the first hour (Santa Fe's altitude is 7,000 feet), but after lunch I felt supercharged. It must have been the seaweed salad.


There is so much to see and we barely scratched the surface. Even Murphy enjoyed our walk around the Guadalupe/Railyard District. Though the air was very warm (high 90s), the dry wind kept us comfortable. Just before we left, we enjoyed deliciously cooling gelatos.




On our way home I decided to check out Lake Cochiti and Cochiti Pueblo. About 20 miles from the Interstate, the lake was pretty much deserted when we arrived. Murphy had a refreshing swim that wore him out and I took some photos of the lake and the dam. The drive back to the Interstate was interesting and eventful. The road took us through a few little pueblos, a small but intense dust storm, and beautiful terrain. We even felt a few drops of desperately-needed desert rain.



Comfortably tired, we're enjoying a quiet evening after this most enjoyable day. Santa Fe deserves more exploration and time, so we'll try to get back there next week and spend more time. Tomorrow we have a dog park date in the morning and more explorations of Albuquerque, the Rio Grande Nature Center, Sandia Peak Tramway, and more!