Benalillo, AZ

Just saw Pat and Rick off on their trip to the Grand Canyon via Holbrook and Flagstaff.  We spent yesterday with them visiting Santa Fe – there is a train that runs from a station just down the road to downtown Santa Fe for $7 return – a real bargain. And a real bonus there was a free shuttle that linked the train station to the plaza and several other tourist spots.   We had a beautiful day and wandered through the downtown core visiting the plaza and the beautiful churches.  There was a volunteer in the cathedral who gave us a great overview of the history of the church, which was also the history of Santa Fe since a church has stood on this spot for almost 500 years.   The museums were all free after 5 so we visited the New Mexico History Museum and the Governor’s Palace which was occupied by governors of New Mexico from 1610 to 1910 with only one exception – the 19 years of the Pueblo Indian Uprising when the Indians turned it into a pueblo.  We took Pat and Rick to the State Capital to see the art – which was as awesome as we remembered it.  We were once again impressed with the public art and the architecture of Sante Fe – one of the most beautiful cities on the continent.  

Corinne and Pat with St. Francis Dancing on Water

We had supper in Tamasito’s at the train station (recommended by two different locals we met on the train) and had good, substantial Mexican meals – Pat and Corinne especially enjoyed the margaritas.   

Providing superfluous assistance before departure

Since our last blog we have visited the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park, and spent 3 nights in Canyon de Chelly National Monument,  which we enjoyed immensely.  Camping is free in the National Monument (until May when the Navajo Council is taking over the campground and charging a fee)with great access to the visitor center and the two rim drives.   This canyon is unique among the canyons we have visited so far, since there are Navajo farms on the canyon floor and the whole canyon and the hogans, sheds and farm fields give it a very different feel.  Since it is home to some Navajo families access is restricted to one trail or going with a Navajo guide.   We visited most of the outlooks on the bike and walked the 3 mile trail down to White House, one of the pueblo ruins.  We saw the places where the Spanish clashed with the Navajo’s .  The canyon was apparently empty when the Navajos arrived 600 years ago and they adopted it as the center of their homeland and would retreat there when invaded (by Apache’s, Spanish, Mexicans and finally the Americas under Kit Carson).  

White House Trail, Canyon de Chelly NM

We met an Fredrick T. Henry,  artist in residence in the visitors center who told us that Amsel Adams took a picture of his mother holding his baby brother in 1942.  The picture was published in a book about Adams and the family found the picture in the book in 1992 (not having been aware of its existence).  So the family took a picture of their 80 year old mother in the same spot, holding the book open to that page.   The artist had made some pendants using an engraving of the mother holding the baby and we got one for Corinne to remember the moment.