Better Late Than Never

[BD]

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all you mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers out there.  Not very son-like to be off on a grand tour for Mother’s Day.  Will have to make it up when we get back, (now “planned” for this coming Friday).

Fish Jumping Out Of Sand??

Good Thing It Wasn't Freezing Out

Today was a test run to see how difficult it will be to re-acclimate to civilization… so it was off to  Santa Fe, (B on the map).  If you haven’t been there, SF is the cultural center of New Mexico, (of of the world if you believe those who live in SF).  It is a sizeable city complete with an opera, numerous museums, art galleries, traffic and what appear to be a lot of homeless people.  (Probably starving artists.)  It even has a commuter rail line which appears to abruptly end in the middle of empty desert about 10 miles south of city center.

Our first task was to try and find a parking spot for the 20 foot long Funmobile in “old town” with its narrow streets and tight turns.  While I had assumed that Sunday morning would be fairly light traffic in that area, I was dreadfully wrong.  The streets were full of people in their Sunday best absorbing every available parking space and purposefully walking toward the beautiful old Spanish Catholic Church, probably for Mother’s Day Mass.  (Duh – I forgot about that.)

After some circling we finally got parked a ways from the central plaza and walked to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum.  Many of her paintings on display were inspired by the red rock country where she lived just a short ways from the Echo Amphitheater where we had camped 2 nights back.  Val bought only a few post cards so I was let off easy.

Of course we had to return to the car by way of the central plaza with its local Indian artist selling their wares… and OH! look at that great pottery shop.  Though I may complain, I am actually a HUGE fan if southwest pottery,  not to buy, just to look at.  VD is also a huge fan, but without the inhibitions.

So… as we were paying up, BLINK, the power went out in the whole downtown area.  I took it as an omen that white men (or their women) should not buy and remove Native American art from is natural habitat.  Needless to say, I didn’t even bother to offer up that premise and the clerk happily wrote down our credit card number for future completion of the transaction, (only once I hope).

Then off to lunch at some fine bistro.  Oops, no lunch ‘cause no juice.  Most of the remaining high end galleries and shops apparently also closed their doors, probably because of the difficulty of making financial transactions or for security reasons.  So the bad omen turned into a good omen as we found our way back to the car and off to the next campground…..

Fine Arts Museum E
nroute To Campground

….Which is Orillia Verde Recreation Area, (C on the map), a white water rafting mecca in the Rio Grande River Gorge.  Most Bureau of Land Management Recreation areas have the same admonitions posted at the entrances of their camping facilities, No Off Road Vehicles, Quiet Hours 10 pm to 8 am, Max 6 people per site, yadda, yadda.  This one added “No Public Nudity” which gives you a hint of the kind of people who white water raft.

I was observing carefully… and saw none.

Good Night From Orilla Verde.

Brad & Val