I arrived safely in Santa Fe, New Mexico this evening. I had one of the best rides of the whole trip today. Probably because yesterday was so boring going across Texas and today crossing into New Mexico, the landscape changed into the classical American Desert Mountain country. Also I decided to get off the interstate and head off down a road that was going to detour me to Las Vegas, New Mexico (this is another Las Vegas that isn’t as famous as the big that everybody knows.) I decided to go to this town because I thought it would be funny to get a picture of me and Bonnie in the other Las Vegas – also after I have seen the big one, if anybody asks me if I have been to Las Vegas, I can say, “Which one?” ;) Anyway, what I wasn’t exactly expecting was how amazing the country was and how open the roads were. Man did Bonnie and I have some fun for about 100mi. After you check out the pictures, you can imagine what we did. Whaaaaa.... Whaaaaaa.... Whaaaaaaaaaaa. We certainly had a ball and that story will be told another day ;)
Las Vegas, New Mexico was pretty cool. I didn’t really have time to check it out fully, as I was racing time to get to Santa Fe before the sun set and it started to get really cold – as I am in the desert on a clear night and at 7000ft. But I did have time for one quick beer to celebrate the earlier ride. After sharing one with a local, he tells me the old Sheriff of this town killed Jessy James, way back in the cowboy and Indian days. I’ll have to look that one up. But definitely by looking at the architecture and some of the old houses in the town, you could see this place easily dated back a couple of hundred years and was full of stories.
If you eat Mexican in Australia, you have probably eaten at a restaurant called Santa Fe – right?Well I’m here now in the real place and it is flash.It looks like it is the local cool town for the rich. There are a heap of really expensive shops and restaurants everywhere.But the cool thing is architecture. Nearly all of the building are made of clay and have round corners with wooden rafters coming out at the roofs. In fact, now I completely understand why some of the Santa Fe restaurants I have eaten look the way they do.If you have a look at the photo of the hotel I am staying in, you will get a very good idea. But I am about to go and walk the streets and have myself a real authentic New Mexico Tortilla and will get some more snaps.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jamesc71/28OnTheRoadToSantaFeNewMexico
I plan on getting up at sunrise tomorrow and taking some early morning photo’s.. as I think this place will be extraordinary to photograph in the right light.
As I got off to a bit of a late start this morning, I didn’t cover as many miles as I was hoping – I think I did 280 miles today. So I am a little behind plan. Tomorrow I would like to get to the Grand Canyon for sunset and just looking at the map, its 490miles – shit that’s a big day! Tonight I have to find out whether I can stay right on the ridge or if I have to stay in Flagstaff which is a bit south. The good news is that the weather is just beautiful out here at the moment and they are forecasting good weather again tomorrow –but they are forecasting freezing here tonight, so it’s going to be bloody cold until a couple of hours after sunrise.
Anyway, everybody keep your fingers crossed for good weather for the next 4-5 days. As I really want to get around to the North rim of the Grand Canyon and into Zion National Park – which is meant to be one of the most spectacular places in the US. But it snows there big time and its coming real soon.
James.
