SANTA FE AND AREA

We were off to Santa Fe on Saturday morning. 7/26. We headed East on I-8 for a smooth drive to La Posada Hotel located in Winslow, AZ.

The drive went well though the country side East of Yuma was flat and dry with little variety. The landscape improved once we were North of Phoenix. As we climbed toward Flagstaff, at an elevation of 7000+ feet the ponderosa forest took hold and the temperatures dropped. We got to Winslow in the middle of the afternoon, and after checking in, went for a walk to the “Corner of Winslow, AZ” and beyond.

We met up with our friends, Janeane and Pat, about 1800 and enjoyed a refreshing drink in the shade of the Hotel before going to dinner. The dinner was delicious as usual and we enjoyed catching up with news from our friends.

Sunday we headed to Santa Fe. This drive was shorter and through some

beautiful country. Getting to the Hotel, a Hampton Inn, was a bit of a trial as the off-ramp was supposedly closed. Thanks to my GPS, I was able to navigate to the Hotel in a large circle which would have been more cumbersome without the aid of the GPS! We were based here for the remainder of the week. In the evening we went to the Plaza area of Santa Fe, and dined at the Guadalupe Pink Adobe. We all thought that the dinner was excellent. 

(Sorry no Pictures as I was doing a lot of the driving. :-))

MONDAY – BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT

This was a new National Monument for us to visit. It is located near Los Alamos, and is a gorge with a number of archaeology findings. We visited Frijoles Canyon with it's Tyonyi Pueblo, cliff dwellings and large Kiva. On our return to the V. C. we saw some deer, and the destruction from major flooding of Frijoles Creek a couple of years ago. 

North Side of Canyon

Canyon Monolith

Road into Canyon in the Distance

Tyonyi Pueblo

 

Ladder to Cliff Dwelling

Cliff Dwelling with Petroglyphs above

Deer along Nature Trail

Prairie Dog

It is a small world. While there I recalled the name of a couple who had been Campground Hosts at the North Rim. I asked a Bandolier Bookstore employee if she knew them. Well, low and behold George and Shirley were hosting at the Campground as we spoke. So off we went to see them and say hello. They enjoy the cooler climate of Bandelier than the heat of Phoenix in the summer time. They also take in the Opera once or twice during the summer. It was great touching bases with them once again.