My husband and I spent most of October traveling—mostly some weekend trips to southeast Oklahoma, but the last week of the month we went to Santa Fe, and northern New Mexico. We’ve been there before but this time we met the Texas cousins and as usual we had a fantastic time. We ate way too much Mexican food. We shopped and did our tourist thing. We rented a fabulous Airbnb outside of Santa Fe. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/40455203?c=.pi80.pkYm9va2luZy92Ml9taWdyYXRpb24vcmVzZXJ2YXRpb25fZ3Vlc3RfcmVtaW5kZXI%3D&euid=f82b6adc-bdcf-3e7f-b8c1-344338ad6349&source_impression_id=p3_1731251352_P3WllL2teWAfwhwc. But first we had to get there.

We chose I-40 west on the way out with winds whipping us around. Huge trucks and all the wind did not make for fun travels. We spent the first night in Amarillo and then the next day we drove into Santa Fe. We took the northern route home, and it was much more pleasant. The uneventful Oklahoma panhandle had little traffic, and the winds were no more. If we travel that way again, we’ll take the northern route.

Downtown Santa Fe has more shopping than you could ever see. But we tried. We toured old churches. The Loretto Chapel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretto_Chapel is still used for weddings and would make a beautiful event. But it is known for its spiral staircase that is made without a central post, glue or nails, only wooden pegs. The builder is unknown and disappeared after the staircase was built without being paid.

On Halloween day we traveled to wineries north of Santa Fe. We ate a late lunch at Rancho de Chimayo https://www.ranchodechimayo.com/ then trekked north to wine country. We stopped at two wineries and ran into a werewolf having a beer on the patio. It was Halloween. He said he didn’t work there, just lived nearby and let us take his picture. It was a beautiful sunny day on the pergola with grapevines hanging overhead.

Though chilly, the weather was wonderful, and we sat out by the fire pit in the evenings sometimes. Santa Fe is much larger than I remember from times past or I’m confusing it with Taos. But it is beautiful, the people are friendly, and the food is fabulous. Parking downtown can be a challenge.
The drive home was uneventful and the next day it began to snow in the mountains. It was raining at home, but in the high desert the precipitation was frozen. We were lucky to leave when we did, or we might have been stuck where we were until the snowplows got to us but that is Another Story for another Time. Thank you, Santa Fe, for a beautiful week.

What are you reading/writing/creating this week?