30 June 2023 Friday - Santa Fe to Los Alamos/White Rock New Mexico (50 miles)
Rosa and Gary arrived Albuquerque from Madrid Spain late last evening and stay overnight with their son there then drove to Santa Fe this morning. It was great to see them again and their son with his two daughters and three dogs! They are going to Angel Fire for the Fourth. I drove the short drive to White Rock and did a walkabout around town with visit to Bandelier Visitor Center and local library and Smiths grocery.
29 June 2023 Thursday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Last day visit to Santa Fe with visits to Whole Foods and Trader Joes and local libraries looking for books at the Friends of Library bookshops. A very large deer crossed the road in the neighborhood as I departed the house early morning!
28 June 2023 Wednesday - Santa Fe New Mexico
This is now the third Wednesday of my stay when we have no water all day due to installation of new water pipes in the neighborhood. So drove downtown for walkabout and to visit REI for new rechargeable battery for my Petzl headlamp which I purchased about five years ago. Another very warm and windy day so time to start my journey north.
27 June 2023 Tuesday - Santa Fe New Mexico
The originally scheduled hike destination was changed due to the heat but I was not on the email list to get the message, which was fine, since we all meet in the local parking lot to car pool. Instead of Burn Trail on the way to the Ski Area, we hiked the Holy Ghost trail along the creek in the Santa Fe National Forest near Pecos. Seven mile hike with close to 1000 foot elevation gain, a bit of a workout for us seventeen hikers and a few creek crossings and some rain sprinkles. Returned to find the housecleaner Lucy just finishing so visited the local library to print a few items (fifteen cents per page).
26 June 2023 Monday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Morning walkabout of the neighborhood then visit to the newest mall. After too many years of using the same wallet which is now falling apart, I found a similar one at JC Penneys. I attempted to find a new camera case (mine has broken zipper) at several stores but none to be found since no one has a camera anymore!
25 June 2023 Sunday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Early morning visit to stock up at Whole Foods, this place seems to always be packed with folks so had hoped to beat the crowds. This store opens at 7am whereas most other stores open at 8am.
24 June 2023 Saturday - Santa Fe New Mexico
All day Familysearch zoom class
23 June 2023 Friday - Santa Fe New Mexico
My friend Nancy drove up from Albuquerque and we hiked the trails of the ski area at 10000', much cooler at 60+ degrees rather than the almost 90 degrees in Santa Fe at 7000'.
22 June 2023 Thursday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Morning walkabout of the neighborhood then much needed pedicure with Christine, now have happy feet! Met Liz another Juneau friend who has moved to Santa Fe and we had lunch at Saveur Bistro.
21 June 2023 Wednesday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Happy Solstice!
Morning visit to the dentist for
cleaning and consultation, all looks well since my last extraction three months
ago. They have turned off the water again for installation of new pipes in the
community so returned home for something to eat then visited the sleepy town of
Lamy, location of Amtrak station for the Southwest Chief. There is also a 1920’s
Pullman train car (the Hamilton) that has been restored to its original
grandeur as an Airbnb. The folks were busy cleaning it for the next guest but
invited me in for a looksee, quite impressive! A coyote crossed the road in front of me as I was returning home.
20 June 2023 Tuesday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Hiked the East Fork Trail of the Jemez River. We met at the local
community center and ten of us carpooled in two cars for the seventy mile drive
to Los Alamos. It was great to listen to the stories of two of the passengers
who had worked at Los Alamos and also to learn about both the Cerro Grande fire
of 2000 and the Las Conchas fire of 2011. The book Inferno by Committee tells
the story of America’s worst prescribed fire disaster, the Cerro Grande Fire of 2000, which burned 250 homes in
Los Alamos. The fire started with a National Park Service prescribed fire that
went out of control and ended up burning 42,000 acres of the Santa Fe National
Forest. The Las Conchas fire of 2011 started when a gust of wind blew a
severely rotted aspen tree into a power line. The days are getting warmer so it
was much cooler at 8500’ with heaps of wildflowers and green mountains.
19 June 2023 Monday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Morning visit to Honda dealer for oil change and checkup for next bit of my
journey. I have driven over 5000 miles since I left Florida in April two months
ago.
The area in which I am staying is about ten miles south of Santa Fe and rules ensure that there are no bright lights in order to view the skies. The summer Milky Way is quite visible now.
Morning drive to Santa Fe Ski Mountain at 10350', the southernmost major ski resort of the Rocky Mountains and one of the oldest and highest in the nation. Everything is closed at the top but heaps of cars in carpark on this sunny Sunday Fathers Day for hikers on the many trails. I had not done this drive during my past visits because those stays were during late fall with new snow on the mountains and not wanting to drive these snowy roads in my van. Returned via Canyon Road, a street dedicated to the country's finest art.
17 June 2023 Saturday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Morning walkabout downtown Santa Fe where there was a vintage car show at the Plaza. Then to the Railroad Market and REI where I saw my friend Monica.
16 June 2023 Friday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Morning walkabout of the neighborhood and car and house cleaning. Afternoon visit to the local farmers market at La Tienda. It has been very windy the past few days, maybe because of tornadoes in western Texas. There is now a red flag warning meaning very warm dry conditions and high winds, a potential for fires.
15 June 2023 Thursday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Morning research at the family history center then visit to Whole Foods.
14 June 2023 Wednesday - Santa Fe New Mexico
They are installing new pipes in the neighborhood so the water is off all day...decided to drive to Albuquerque and meet a friend for mexican lunch. I met Nancy in 1988 while travelling in New Zealand and that is how I then met Rosa for whom I am housesitting. Rosa and Nancy and I and a few other women travelled in Peru (Rosa's home) in 1993 during the era of Shining Path and cholera!
I drove the Turquiose Trail (route 14) from Santa Fe to ABQ via the small towns of Cerrillos, Madrid, Golden, former mining towns.
13 June 2023 Tuesday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Morning aerobics class with Naomi at the community center, days are getting warmer.
12 June 2023 Monday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Morning yoga with Carol at the Senior Center and then to look for a much needed car wash. Water restrictions do not allow car washing at your home from May through September. The first one at which I stopped had you get out of car and they did everything for you, which is not good for me cos car is full of stuff...so continued on and found another that just let you drive through but not a good wash, oh well. In Florida you find a car wash on every block but here there are only a few in the entire city of Santa Fe.
11 June 2023 Sunday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Hiked with friend Monica (fellow hiker and IT coworker from Juneau) who just moved to Santa Fe from Anchorage. We went up to top of Sun Mountain, 750' elevation gain to 7950', beautiful views of the city and surrounding mountains and heaps of spring flowers.
10 June 2023 Saturday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Farmers Market at the Railyard downtown Santa Fe then home for zoom genealogy class with the folks in Florida. We are now studying a new book called Research Like a Pro with DNA, reviewing a chapter each month. The authors (mother daughter team) are working with us through the research.
9 June 2023 Friday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Morning yoga with Maureen at the Senior Center then a free lunch (donation $1.50) of herb pork roast, rice pilaf, green beans and fruit.
8 June 2023 Thursday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Productive morning working with folks at the Family History Center at the LDS church.
7 June 2023 Wednesday - Santa Fe New Mexico (191 miles)
6 June 2023 Tuesday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Joined the Tuesday hike group (14 of us) for four mile hike 500' elevation gain on Dale Ball Trail System at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains...still adjusting to the elevation!
5 June 2023 Monday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Spent morning reviewing paperwork, found that one hotel had double charged me and another had overcharged me! Such beautiful skies here. Found that the senior center has several classes as does the community center, such as yoga, similar to that offered when I was last here in 2009 and 2011.
4 June 2023 Sunday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Gorgeous full moon overnight and morning setting behind mountains. Drive to stock up at Trader Joes and Sprouts and Market Street (currently owned by Albertsons) then much needed haircut at Great Clips. Afternoon dark skies with rain.
3 June 2023 Saturday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Early morning flight for Gary then I spent time catching up with wash and grocery shopping (the local market is very expensive so only got the basics) and exploring the neighborhood.
2 June 2023 Friday - Santa Fe New Mexico
Housesitting for friends in Santa Fe for the next month. Gary and I had a meal at Harry's Roadhouse, delicious turkey meatloaf with mashed taters and broccoli.
1 June 2023 Thursday - Taos to Santa Fe New Mexico (100 miles)
Drove the High Road from Taos to Santa Fe with many stops to visit churches and enjoy the scenery and remote mountain villages. First stop Ranchos de Taos and visit to San Francisco de Asis Church. Beautiful drive through Carson National Forest to Penasco, a small farming community, and visit to Sugar Nymphs Bistro, closed this early in the day. Then to San Jose de Gracia church in Las Trampas, then to Truchas built on a mesa and site of filming of Milagro Beanfield War. Visit to Santuario de Chimayo, the most visited church in New Mexico. Stop at Whole Foods for deli lunch then walkabout downtown Santa Fe where it hailed midday!!! Toured the capitol (Roundhouse), oldest capital city in USA, with several works of art decorating the walls.
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