Day 5

I am writing round about day 5, and have some catching up to do.  I left off while we were in Taos, New Mexico.  We stayed at the historic Taos Inn, which was originally the home of Dr. Thomas Martin.  Dr. Martin was the only doctor for miles around, and for nearly 40 years.  Upon his death, his widow and his former patients converted his home and the surrounding adobe homes into the hotel and restaurant.  It was a great little place, somewhat rustic, but strikingly reminiscent of life in the old southwest.

We spent the day being tourists, roaming through the multitude of art galleries and shops.  Nearly every shop or gallery had a trinket of one sort or another depicting a skeleton engaged in various activities.  I came across it so often I finally asked a shop clerk what was the significance.  It turns out the skeleton derives from the celebration of the dead, and combines the traditions of ancient Aztecs, pueblo peoples, and Indians.  Every year on November 1^st and 2^nd, they celebrate by dancing on the graves of their departed friends and relatives.  It is a time for visiting and conversing with loved ones who have passed away.  Rather than crying and carrying on, the lives of the dead are celebrated. 

 We left Taos and headed north to Ghost Ranch, in the middle of nowhere New Mexico.  The land here is colorful and exceedingly quiet.  It is nestled in a small area surrounded by cliffs and mountains.  There is electricity; however, there are no settlements nearby, thus no lights.  We were able to enjoy virtually the same night sky that the ancient Greeks saw, and it was exceptional.  There are thousands more stars in the sky that Easterners can only see if they visit a planetarium.  We all stayed up late with our eyes fixed upward, completely overtaken by the natural beauty of the heaven above.  Our bus driver, Kathy, is native to this area, she sat off to the side watching us and quietly laughed at our naivety.  We wondered aloud if the people who lived here appreciated what they have, and likened it to our lack of appreciation of the beaches.  Kathy offered no comment.  She just laughed.

Our next stop is our current destination, Durango, Colorado.  This is a beautiful western town surrounded by mountains.  We are staying at the historic Slater Hotel, built in 1887 and decorated with period furnishings, wallpaper and curtains throughout.  The history of the hotel suggests that the hotel houses the largest collection of American Victorian era walnut furniture in the nation.

It is time for me to get ready for a trip to Mesa Verde.  While I am looking forward to the experience of the cliff houses, I am also reluctant to leave the comfort of my room at the Slater Hotel.  I have so few stolen moments, I want to luxuriate for as long as possible the quiet and solitude in this beautiful room.  mmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmm.

I have been too busy!! Sorry for my delay

March 11, 2012 Day Two of our Southwestern Trip.  I missed Day One because we stayed busy and by the time I settled into the hotel room, I was exhausted.  We stayed at the St. Frances Hotel, which was built in 1880.  The foyer was beautiful and welcoming, and the room was very cozy. 

While we were in Santa Fe, a few of us went to the New Mexico History Museum.  I learned of the long and violent past of this area, beginning thousands of years ago when various native people lived here, and built adobe villages.   Later when the Spanish arrived, they named the villages pueblo, which is the Spanish word for village. 

The Spanish were greedy and took the land, violently evicting or enslaving the original inhabitants.  There were mainly Apaches, Navahos, Utes and Comanches.  The Spanish wanted to Christianize the native peoples, and installed missions all over the area. 

My favorite story from the history of this area, is the great Indian uprising in 1680.  Many Indian nations came together, even nations who were not allies.  Po’pay was a medicine man who organized the plot to occur on August 10, 1680.  He handed out small string tied knots and gave instructions to untie a knot a day, when they untie the last knot, all were to simultaneously attack the Spanish.  An army of 2500 Indians sacked the Spanish in Santa Fe, and drove them out.   

I also learned that there was a Jewish migration from Germany in the mid 1800s.  They were generally merchants, and thrived here. 

It snowed our first night, and the next day we wandered around the old section of Santa Fe in about a blanket of fresh snow.  By noon it was all gone, but it was a such a treat while it lasted.

On the way to Santa Fe, we stopped at Eaves Movie Ranch, which is where my camera batteries died.   Being a tourist without a camera is like missing a limb, I can’t wait to find a store open that sells batteries!  Luckily everyone is going to share their pictures, and I won’t miss too many photo ops.

Eaves Movie Ranch is run by a guy who looks like colonel Custer.  He lives at the set and gives tours.  The set was originally built in 1962 for the television show Empire, which I have no memory of.  The first film shot there was the Cheyenne Social Club, in 1969.  Since then 40 films have used the set.  Actors of note are Jimmy Stuart, Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Johnny Cash and Kevin Costner.  Definitely a cool place to go, and I recommend you take a look at the website: http://www.eavesmovieranch.com/site.html. 

We are on the bus right now heading to Chimayo and then Taos.  The landscape is treeless, grey and interspersed with shrubs.  Here and there we see adobe or pueblo style houses, ranches, and stores that blend in with the scenery.  Everything matches.  

Eve of 2012 Southwest Trip

I'm at work, but my mind is on everything I have left to do to go on this trip.  Leaving my house at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning.  My bag is packed, but I'm still having a shoe dilemma.  I bought a pair of walking shoes.  Megan says they are hideous, and they look like old-lady shoes.  I told her the models on the display were young and beautiful.  That doesn't quite change the fact that Megan might be right.  So what, I don't care, I am in fact an old-lady.  They are basic black shoes, they're Sketchers.  I think they are just fine.  Then I realized they will look really stupid with my light jeans.  Oh why didn't I buy the grey ones that had personality? 

I'm also having a coat dilemma: which one should I bring?  The warm wool duster (very cool and perfect for western roaming), or the leather one (not as cool and too big for me)?????   I guess I am leaning towards the wool coat.  It's just that it is very warm and it is bulky, and I just don't know what weather to expect.  The leather jacket is easier to carry around.  Oh boy.

Other than the shoes and the coat, I am packed and ready to go.  Finally starting to get excited too.  There is drama at the office, and I'm glad I will be away while things settle.  This drama is also scary, but I'll have to save that story for another time.

Just need to make it through this day, and get into vacation mode!  Happy Friday!