Special Note: We are still woefully behind on posting our blog. In actuality, this is day 27 in our travels but here we are finally posting days 17 & 18. So hard to catch up when the internet access is sketchy and the days are so full of activities. All that to say, here is what we were doing two weeks ago...
Days 17-18
We were happy to leave Oklahoma in our rear view mirror after the threat of all those tornadoes. The landscape continued to change to more of a semi-desert environment. The picture below was the backdrop at one of the truck stops we stopped at for lunch. More and more cactus is popping up along the way. We stopped for two days at the Santa Rosa State Park, in New Mexico before moving on to Mesa Verde National Park.
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With all the wind that seems so prevalent in this part of the county, it was not a surprise to see so many windmills. What was surprise was to come back to our camper at the end of the day to find that a "dust devil" had blown through and tossed our outdoor chairs several feet from in front of the camper. To make it even worse, our rug was flat out missing. After searching, we found it about 1/4 of a mile away, in an open area. The campers that were there when the dust devil touched down said it blew in fast and furious and was then gone in a flash. Bizarro!
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The main feature of Santa Rosa State Park in New Mexico was the small dam and lake that graced the semi-desert area. This park stretched out forever. Lots and lots of brown, brown, brown. When we finally reached the dam, it was a delight to see the water!
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Richard would have loved to walk out on this dam but the fence just
behind him is actually a razor wire fence blocking the path. |
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This cutie pie was singing "good morning" in a tree just behind our camper . I was surprised to see how many birds there were in this semi-desert environment. I'm sure having this small dam and lake nearby helped attract them.
We found Santa Rosa to be a fairly small town that appeared to be suffering from the poor economy. Aesthetically, there was not much to enjoy beyond the state park. This was quite a contrast to our trip to Sante Fe, New Mexico, which we found to be a delightful, arty community that focused on the aesthetics. Much more enjoyable, to say the least.
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| Approaching Sante Fe from Santa Rosa... |
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| As we came into Santa Fe, I was quite taken with the logo for the local transit. I loved the way they used the roadrunner. |
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| Typical architecture in Santa Fe |
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| Picture me in hog heaven - finally getting to the Georgia O'Keefe Museum |
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| A beautiful blooming tree we discovered as we walked to the park. |
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| All along our walk, we passed outdoor sculptures and lots and lots of art galleries. |
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| What fun to discover these fish swimming across this area. |
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| This artwork is on the wall of the Tourist Center. Quite the arty community! |
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| The Plaza in downtown Santa Fe - where we met up with my cousin Debby Fusselle Theodore and her husband Paul. |
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Paul, Debby, Richard and I enjoyed strolling through the streets,
eating a great southwestern meal and visiting the Loretto Chapel to study the spiral staircase.
What fun to reconnect with family that has moved so far from Florida!
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| This stairway was installed by an unknown carpenter. His handiwork is amazing as it has no evident support. |
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| The artistic lawn ornaments in this area are fascinating and truly take advantage of being in such a breezy area. |
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| As we headed to our vehicle to head back to Santa Rosa, I found this wall mural in this alleyway. What fun! |
Heading back to Santa Rosa, we turned our minds to the next day's venture. On to Mesa Verde National Park!
That staircase was really amazing. Is Richard figuring out how to build one into your house?
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