Santa Fe, New Mexico

A quick trip that peaked my interest to return

Traveling throughout the United States over the years, Santa Fe was one of the places I had always wanted to see but never had time to visit. Unfortunately, this trip was unsuccessful because of an illness picked up in New Orleans, the high altitude, and possibly even COVID-19. The photos below are from my day and a half after the other four were spent in bed just to be sure whatever it was ran its course.

I hoped to accidentally bump into writer Julia Cameron since her Artist’s Way book started all this. Sign up for the complete Artist's Way course-in person, not zoom-if you need a kick in the creative pants.

Remembering her descriptions of the neighborhoods on the city's outskirts, I decided to take a look from a car to protect the world from whatever I had when we arrived.

As you can see below, the landscape is beautiful. As usual, I spent several hours that day in the car house hunting as if I might live there, one of my favorite things to do. The house I searched for was in a gated community, and I could not reach the house without contacting a realtor and wasting their time. So I kept going until exhaustion set in, and I returned to the hotel to sleep for the next three days.

When I felt normal again, I spent a few hours walking in downtown Santa Fe, drooling over jewelry and cowboy boots behind a Covid mask. I want another pair of boots, and while the ones below are interesting, I found the best ever in Back At The Ranch. One day, I will win the lottery and buy these.

Canned oxygen. Do you know what that is? I didn’t until we arrived here, but it’s a lifesaver with elevation sickness. In places like Denver and Santa Fe at high altitudes, I’ll never go without having a can of this in my purse.

If you’re in Santa Fe and need a suitcase, stop by Travel Bug. Don’t be surprised. It’s an interesting bookstore with coffee, beer on tap, travel items, and, of course, books. The owner was terrific, as were all the people I met in Santa Fe.

The downtown streets are colorful, and the store owners are polite and happy to see customers. They didn’t seem to mind the tourists, something that you don’t find in so many other towns that are popular tourist destinations.

The downtown area was a lot more green than I expected. On a prior trip to Albuquerque, everything except the University of New Mexico was the color of a paper grocery bag. I expected Santa Fe to be the same, but as you can see, it isn’t.

The structure of the airport reminded me of Key West, only Adobe style. Once we got inside, I found it was half the size of Key West. With no air conditioning. And lots of people.

What did I miss because I was sick? Well, here’s a list:

Canyon Road and the Railroad Arts District

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

The Palace of the Governors and the History Museum

The Loretto Chapel’s interior and spiral staircase

Ten Thousand Waves, a spa treatment and a massage

A day trip to Taos, New Mexico

The Museum of International Folk Art and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

Taking in a sunset at The Cross of the Martyrs

…and a trip to the Four Seasons resort.

My canned oxygen even suggested we go hiking the Atalaya Mountain trail the next time.

So Julia, next trip out, can we please have coffee somewhere? I promise I won’t be fangirl obnoxious.