Uncategorized – Page 5 – Staying Salty On The Road

Taos, New Mexico and The Santuario de Chimayo

Today we took the ”High Road” to Taos, NM. It was a quaint, small city nestled amongst the snow capped mountains. On the way we stopped at the Santuario de Chimayo. This lovely old Catholic Church is the destination of a yearly, 90 mile pilgrimage during lent for those who believe in the healing powers of the dirt within the grounds of the church. I wish I could have taken a picture of the altar. It was made of carved wood and painted in a primitive style. It moved me more than any of the ornate altars I’ve seen across Europe. The city of Taos was filled with fun shops to browse through. We took a different route home that took us over the Rio Grande River Gorge bridge that spans the over 600 foot gorge. It was impressive, as were all the BLM Campgrounds along the river. We had leftovers for dinner tonight and then off to bed early, as we have a 3:30 AM wake up time in order to crew for our friends at the ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FEISTA!

Sante Fe, day 5… the fabulous Santa Fe Farmers Market, hiking and a home cooked dinner, divine!

We had another full day yesterday, starting with Farmers Market. It was a feast for the eyes. The roasted chili peppers, pictured above, are a staple of the local cuisine. Next, we moved on to a 3 mile hike on the Dorothy Stewart Trailhead. It took us up to 8,100 feet in elevation and provided spectacular views of the layered mountains to the west. We ended the day with a delish dinner prepared by Jim’s brother-in-law of enchilada casserole, pork tamales, and Benito beans, with the added bonus of a yummy cake make by Jim’s sister. We went to bed happy and well satisfied!

We will be crewing for ”Time Flies” at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival this Monday and Wednesday. We are scheduled to fly in her on Tuesday morning! We are very excited about this opportunity. Stay tuned!

Bandelier National Monument

Imagine the wonder of the Ancestral Pueblo People when they discovered the lush Frijoles Canyon, teeming with wildlife, trees, a creek running through it, and the canyon wall made up of soft “tuff” easily carved out into shelters. What a spiritual, magical place to visit. You get a real feel for life here in the early 1200s. Walking through the base of the canyon you could just imagine the children playing in the forest. We did not climb the 140 feet collection of steps and ladders to reach the Alcove House because it had started raining and we were worried about slippery footing. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it!) I hope we will return some day!

Age is just a number!

September 27, my birthday eve! Ed and I hiked the Point Lookout trail right from our campsite yesterday. It is only about a 2 mile round trip hike, but it was at 8,000 foot elevation up the backside of the mesa pictured above. We are still adjusting to the altitude. Unfortunately, we could not linger and enjoy the panoRamic views. Without cell service we had not realized a big storm was brewing in the east. Thankfully, we made it back to the RV before the rain began.

Mesa Verde National Park

September 24 &25, Experiencing Mesa Verde both on our own and with a tour guide was an enriching experience. There are so many stereotypes about the Native American cultures and our very knowledgeable tour guide helped us better understand the Pueblo People. They saw the “green table” of land from afar and skillfully built the community we now know as Mesa Verde. They planted crops and built either pit homes or Adobe homes on top of the mesa. The iconic cliff dwellings were actually used for storage. The only people who lived there were those charged with protecting the valuable food stores. It was not the white man who drove the inhabitants to migrate elsewhere. Instead, by using all the trees for building dwellings and for firewood, eventually they destroyed the habitat of all the wildlife they hunted for food.

All aboard the Durango to Silverton Steam Train!

What a fabulous day we had riding this steam train along the Animas River. The scenery was spectacular and the feeling of nostalgia when hearing the chug-a chug-a and the train whistle never grown old. Add this to your bucket list if it is not already on it!

Good night, Colorado!

After a long day of traveling across eastern Colorado we finally reached the mountains. The sunset from our Harvest Host was beautiful. We spent the evening with other HH guests chatting and sharing our adventures. Tomorrow we reach Mesa Verde National Park!

Wolf Creek Pass

Harvest Host #6, Shiloh Vineyards of Wakeeney, Kansas. Maybe I should have named this blog ”Wine Tasting Across Anerica”😉

Missouri and riding the Katy Trail

Its always a pleasure to see an area through a native’s eyes. Luckily for us, it turned out that Kris and Neal (both born and raised in Missouri), could join us for a few days to ride the Katy Trail. It is a rails to trail passage that runs about 250 miles through Missouri, often following the Missouri River. Not to mention, they knew where to take us for some interesting and delicious wine tasting. This included a side trip to the charming town of Hermann. Hermann was founded by a group of ambitious German immigrants that chose to settle there because of its similarity to the Rhone River region.