Santa Fe...

Our original plan had been to travel east through the northern part of the country...Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas etc...but our trip to see Jack's brother took us south so we started heading east on I-40. We've traveled the western portion of I-40 before but didn't veer off to visit Santa Fe, NM. This time we're headed to Denver and it was a perfect opportunity to visit Santa Fe.

There are four RV Parks in the area and only two are in town. We stayed at Los Suenos de Santa Fe. It's an urban campground with a desert landscape. Our gravel pull-thru was long although close to our neighbors. Unfortunately is was severely sloped which made it difficult to level our RV. It also had the 50 amp connection on the door side of our fifth wheel...right near the door. I had to be careful not to trip on the power cord going in and out. Was it awful? No, but I'll try another of the parks if we come this way again.

As it happens one of my Facebook friends was staying at the same park. We were arriving Saturday and they were leaving the next day so we made plans to meet for breakfast Sunday morning. We had a good time meeting Bobbie and Kurt and they introduced us to a great breakfast place right at the entrance of the RV Park, Chris' Cafe. We liked it so much we went back for breakfast the next morning!

We only had two days to spend in Santa Fe but we saw as much as we could. The Plaza and surrounding Old Town was fun and it just so happened there was a Lowrider Show at the Plaza on Sunday...lots of people and very cool cars (photos below). We tried The Plaza Cafe, a landmark since 1905, for dinner. Jack said his enchilada dinner singed his insides! I opted for some milder quesadillas. We also tried The Pantry, another landmark Santa Fe eatery since 1948. The burgers were like you get off the grill in your back yard and the curly fries delicious.

We really enjoyed Santa Fe and wish we'd had more time to explore. It was definitely worth the trip!

Click photos to enlarge

Photos of the The Plaza 

Santa Fe is home to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and to the Loretto Chapel and its mysterious staircase...all beautiful.

 St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral

Loretto Chapel and Staircase

The Legend of the Staircase 

When the Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above and no room in the small chapel for a staircase. The Sisters of the Chapel prayed to Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of Carpenters, for a solution. On the ninth day of prayer a carpenter appeared looking for work. Months later, when the circular staircase was finished, the man disappeared with no pay or thanks. They searched for him and when they were unable to find him concluded he must have been St. Joseph himself, come in answer to their prayers.

The staircase is built in a double helix, using wooden pegs rather than nails, and has no visible means of support. The design was innovative for its time. It was originally built without a railing and was so steep it frightened the nuns who took to coming down on their hands and knees. The railing was added ten years later.

What ever the origin of the staircase, it is beautiful!

The Lowriders on the Plaza