Santa Fe

The morning view from Mark's balcony

After a night of veggie burgers, grilled chicken, black snakes, and gourmet root beer floats, MG and I took a ride into Santa Fe.

We cut over to the scenic Turquoise Trail via NM 22.  Note to self: even if a road is depicted in the tourist map, do not assume it will be paved, especially in NM!  

The Turquoise Trail took us through the abandoned mining town-turned artist colony of Madrid, pronounced Maaaadrid.

I was a little confused by the photo park

Welcome to Santa Fe (Bites)!  Here is arguably the best green chile cheeseburger in the state, and one of the best burgers in the country.  I don't usually eat burgers, but I was happy to make an exception!

The State Capitol was... not very impressive...

San Miguel, the oldest church structure in the USA (ca. 1610)

As seen on "Unsolved Mysteries": The Miraculous Staircase of Loretto Chapel.  Built in the 1870s by a mysterious man using only crude tools, the stairs were originally built without any central support or metal nails.   

The markets outside the Loretto Chapel

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Cathedral Park

Indian Market in the historic plaza.  The artwork/jewelry must be registered, authenticated, and contain the maker's mark.  Turquoise is a girl's best friend ;o)

After the Indian Market, MG continued to help support the local jewelers!

How about a wreath of chiles?  Or a cow skull?

Canyon Road, a mile-long stretch of art galleries and "past prime" rich people

At the end of Canyon Road was a Tea House, where we met a friend of Monica's

All three of us ordered sweet ginger matcha lattes! Not sure what this says about us, but it was a nice way to cool off and relax at the end of the day.