Sante Fe

We're in Santa Fe, NM, on the Pecos River (river??) quite different from the scenery we have seen so far.


We spent our extra day in Amarillo riding in Palo Dura Canyon. It was really interesting, both from history and the geology. It is the second largest canyon next to the Grand Canyon.

We headed west on I-40, and saw another wind farm.. These Texans aren't putting all their eggs in the oil basket!! Even though the wind was brisk, these huge blades turn very slowly. From one angle they looked like giant white storks, with their beaks dipping slowly toward the ground. To think the Dutch were using windmills over 400 years ago...


We got onto old 66 in Tucamcari NM.. This was such a sad 50's ghost town, with block after block of abandoned motels and diners. Everything had moved up to the intersections on I-40. We decided we were going to have a snack at a period correct diner on Route 66, and we finally found one, Rubee's with all kinds of "Bee's". We headed to Las Vegas, New Mexico on what might be an pre-1937 route of 66, now highway 104. We also got a warning to gas up, with no gas stations for over 100 miles....


We met a group of geology students and professors from the U of Texas mapping a formation on the side of the road.. I talked to the professor and he pointed out some dinosaur tracks in the huge wall. It was not what I expected, but he said, " In a few years that evidence will be gone. Erosion is a powerful force." He also asked me not to say anything to the students. He wanted them to discover it and try to figure it out. All in all this land was barren and poor. The little town of Trujillo was just a couple of worn out houses.



We arrived in Las Vegas, filled up our tanks, and there were signs for the Sante Fe Trail and "pre-1937" Route 66. Forget he interstate. Where do these roads go?













We headed south, weaving between the Pecos River and I-25. At one point we could see pueblo ruins so we went toward them and arrived at the Pecos National Park. This is also the site of the Civil War "Battle of Glorieta" March 26-28, 1862 which is considered "The Gettysburg of the West".. at least by the people around Glorieta. It seems us easterners don't give the battles west of the Mississippi enough credit... at least according to the people around Glorieta.....

Santa Fe is a new landscape. Wow.. The downtown seems to be designed using the same logic used in Boston...


Last night we went to a small pizzaria called "TheUpper Crust".. and there was a guitarist in the corner playing Renaissance and Baroque music . He played a couple of Spanish Pavanes for us...

Harris and Jeannine