Wednesday June 23, 2021
Yes today was "moving day". Our plan was to leave Chama this morning and set up again in Santa Fe this afternoon and that's how it turned out. But as I tend to do, I "stuff" more things in along the way. We were basically retracing part of our steps on the initial drive in to Chama but due to the trains schedule (when they ran or didn't run) we had to pass through Santa Fe initially and come back to it today.
Gratefully, the run down hill to Santa Fe was easier towing and the landscape was even more beautiful (and stark) in appearance heading that direction (south). Passing through Espanola I bought gas and groceries at the same Wal-Mart Supercenter again (parked next to an Airstream and there were several RV's shopping there - it must be an oasis for us campers). There were two chapels in the area we visited but we got down to Santa Fe about 230pm in the afternoon. My research had led me to choose the Trailer Ranch RV Park on Cerrillos Road (every store/grocery/hotel/gas/retail location I could ever need is on Cerrillos Road. Somewhere.). And it was a great choice.
We were assigned #6 which was across from the comfort station and near the office. Since Santa Fe is basically in the desert, the sites are all gravel and the park buildings are done in the adobe style to meet local zoning laws.
That's us above just to the right of the blue sign with the white Yukon.
Here was our site (pull-through):
The afternoon was for laundry and relaxing in the shade then planning our two days of sight-seeing in Santa Fe mostly around the Plaza area which is the center of town. Santa Fe was founded three years after the English came to Jamestown, Virginia (1610) so it has centuries of continuous history and is famous for its art galleries and shopping opportunities.
I had spent an afternoon around the Santa Fe Plaza four decades ago on a Boy Scout trip to Philmont Scout Ranch and thought DW would like it. And I even remembered the restaurant's name we ate lunch at for its blue corn tortillas (it was still there 41 years later). As a kid in Ohio and Alabama, I had been fascinated by some of the western stories like the Pony Express, the Santa Fe Trail, Lewis and Clark, and building the Transcontinental Railroad (not a shocker, that one).
So the next two days would be relaxed touring around Santa Fe.
Bama Ed