Organ Pipe National Park

Organ Pipe National Park

About Me

I purchased "Sadie''s House On Wheels "in late 2007 and loved traveling in a motor home so much that I went on the road full time in late 2008. I started writing this blog to help me remember all the wonder places I have been and it allows me to share those places with my family and friends. Summer of 2013 I decided to hang up the keys for a while and moved back into my stick house. After nearly two years, I am on the road again.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Santa Fe, April 22

I decided to leave the Born Free at Sandia Casino and just do a day trip to Santa Fe, which meant getting an early start.  Santa Fe is about an hour drive from the casino and there isn't much between Sandia and Santa Fe...except wind and dust.  Sandia Casino was about ten miles south of where I would turn off to go to my next stop after Santa Fe, so a day trip made more since.

I had been to Santa Fe before with Joel, on a day trip (more like a 1/2 day trip)and there is a lot to see. There are so many shops and galleries it would take a month to see everything.  Sandi opted to take a tram ride to get a "feel" for the city, which was a good choice.  Our driver was from London, England of all places, but had been in the area for years and was very knowledgeable.  He drove through the main square and around some of the city highlights, but he also drove through Canyon Street, which I had not been to, where many of the upscale galleries and shops are.  That in of itself was worth the price of the tram.  I had heard about Canyon Street, but it was billed as a place where only the rich go to spend their money.  That may be true, but there was a lot to see and I'll go back and explore in depth sometime.

The Basilica

 Some of the art work in one of the squares


 No, this is not a sculpture but a colorful resident of Santa Fe.  I should have written down his name, but he is famous for being in over 84 movies...and working with with Spielberg on movie sets etc. and currently working on a Star Trek project.  I didn't realize it but Santa Fe has a huge movie industry and it is second only to the tourist economy.

The driver pointed out good places to eat...most really expensive and requiring a reservation, but I saw a cute little cafe on a corner and it didn't look too crowded.  Lunch was OK but the service a little scattered.  Later, Sandi read Pasquale's (sp) was one of the best restaurants in Santa Fe and a must see.  I'm not sure about that, but the food looked pretty.

I had read in Days End that Hyde Memorial State Park was a great place to camp when visiting Santa Fe and that there was also some a BLM campground l near it, so I decided to check it out.  The park is about eight miles out of town....eight windy miles with steep grades.  Although the RV sights with hook ups were open, the main loop for camping was closed and would not be opening until Mid-May. Good thing I hadn't planned on camping there! The BLM campground wasn't opened yet either.  Gotta remember it is still April.

So that was about it for the day.  Tomorrow I head for Chaco Culture National Historic Park, a place that is off the beaten path and has been on my "bucket list" for a long time.

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