Sept 12, Monday We had a plan this morning: go back down to the Loretto Chapel area and take a tram tour around the town. There are no reservations required and the tours leave 3 times a day; we made the 10:00 tour! I did not get a picture of the tour bus, but found this one on the internet. The busses are 60 years old, have gone through 4 engines and give the drivers a few "hallelujah" moments when they behave. The tour covers an eight-mile loop in an open-air tram around this oldest capital city in the United States! It includes the most important historical areas in Santa Fe, including Canyon Road and its colorful art galleries, Santa Fe's Museum Hill area, the historic Santa Fe Plaza and the Palace of the Governors. We crossed our first hurdle when Pippa Joy was allowed on the tram! We were ushered to the front bench seat of the tram – right behind the driver. Our tour guide was talking as we got on the tram, and he never quit talking the whole 2 hours! He was knowledgeable about the history and sites of Santa Fe, and especially about the architectural details and styles. We drove on several famous highways: The Old Pecos Trail, The original Santa Fe Trail (from cowboy days Rawhide -- Wagon Train) and Route 66! As we drove through the neighborhoods that lined these routes, the drive pointed out many alleys between the homes that are not paved, and look basically like they did in the late 1800’s! All of the buildings we saw were stucco, or adobe brick covered in stucco. The building codes are very strict in the downtown historical area, and there was not a timber-sided (much less aluminum sided) or traditional brick structure anywhere. The tour was excellent, but it was really hard to get good pictures out the sides of the moving tram. We managed a few, but mostly just listened and absorbed the history of our surroundings. Afterwards we ate lunch in the car as we headed for a mountain-driving expedition that would take us beyond Santa Fe and reveal all the raw natural beauty of the area. We took the 70-mile back-road route to a small mountain village called Angel Fire – home of a thriving, popular ski resort. The drive getting there was though many small settlements and Angel Fire itself is home to only 1,048 people. As we came down out of the mountains, the whole village of Angel Fire was visible as if nestled down in a mountain nest. At this time of year there was no seasonal skiing activity or even a touristy-occupied, shopping-oriented, downtown district. But it was a beautiful little village that is at its peak during mountain winter sports months. From Angel Fire we drove a quick 25 miles into the town of Taos. Beginning in 1899 artists began to settle in Taos, and today it is a bona fide art colony with a high concentration of artist homes and studios. In the winter months people flock to the town to ski the world-class trails; in the summer/fall fly fishing, horseback riding, golfing, llama trekking, rafting and mountain biking keep the town occupied. At one point in the day we became a bit lost and had to stop and ask two cowboys on horses how to get back not the main road. We had not gone too far off the beaten path, and by very good chance we drove past this Church! That little side-trip up into the mountains around Santa Fe took a lot longer than we had planned, and we didn’t get back to the Silvermine until after 5:30, where we cooked hamburgers for supper. We had planned to go back into town to eat, but . . . .
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |