Santa Fe

     While visiting #2 daughter in Denver, we took a little trip south to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is about a 6-7 hour drive from Denver, and very beautiful. You can see forever, there are cattle and horse ranches and plenty of miles of wide blue sky and pastures.  I expected to see tall cactus and sand in New Mexico, but it is red dirt and small scrubby bushes, not a cactus to be seen, except the one planted at the rest stop in the landscaping!! All along the trip you could see mountains in the background.

                                Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico

 We saw antelope grazing in areas like this, but did not stop to take pictures.Why were we in such a hurry???

  Here is the lonely cactus bush thing at the base of the pine tree at the rest stop. Oh, my, we are such tourists! 

Santa Fe weather was beautiful. We were there for the July 4th weekend, and although it got to 91 in the day time, if you stepped into the shade, it was cool. There is NO humidity (unlike Kansas!) and it cooled down to low 60's toward evening, and was that cool in the mornings.

Being the rabid shoppers we are we headed to the historical downtown Santa Fe, which happens to be on Route 66!

This is Santa Fe's plaza, with a city park to the left, and stores around all 4 streets of the square. This was the end of the Santa Fe trail that started in Independence, Missouri. The church at the end of the street is the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.(see related post)

     The park in the center of the Plaza
                                                                                     

Below is the La Fonda Hotel in historic downtown. A hotel of some kind has been on this corner for almost 400 years. La Fonda has been here since 1922.

Inside the lobby of the La Fonda Hotel.

The Palace of the Governors faces the historic plaza and American Indians sell jewelry under the overhang.

 

City ordinances require that buildings in the historical district of Santa Fe, reflect the adobe style. By an ordinance passed in 1958, new and rebuilt buildings, especially those in  historic districts, must exhibit a Spanish Territorial or Pueblo style of architecture, with flat roofs and other features that model  traditional adobe construction.

 

     Above is a parking garage in historic Santa Fe. Can you tell? 

Lots of turquoise colored trim on buildings.

Our hotel lobby below.