Santa Fe

 Song - Tumbling Tumbleweeds by Sons of the Pioneers

Wednesday - April 9

Gallup to Santa Fe

 Mr. B discovered a great cozy cafe in downtown Gallup for breakfast. Jerry’s Mexican Food & they served the most delicious Sopas. 

Everyone in the cafe was  Diné which means - Native American Navajo. At times there was a line out of the door so we were happy to get a booth and enjoy some great food. 

Heading East we crossed the Continental Divide in NM. There were plenty of Mesas along Hwy. 40 with snow topped mountains in the distance and black lava rock along the highway. 

We drove past Milan & Casa Blanca and if I had known they were that close to California, I would have visited long ago!

Checked into hotel Pinõn in Old Town Santa Fe and we finally have a normal size bathroom! Yay!

Walked over to Cafe Pasquel, a restaurant Mr. B found several blocks from our hotel. Small place but great, creative food and service. As we were seated we were served this amazing savory Asiago-Parmesan Seed Crisp. I’m going to try that one at home!  

Walking home we saw a guy parking a very, very old truck. He ended up being a very fastinating guy, dressed in cowboy leathers & hat. Looked like he just got off the set of an Old Western movie. 

Truth was his name is RJ Gibson and he is both an actor and a photographer, but not your regular photographer with a high end portrait camera but an old fashioned 1903 Graflex camera and he does a wet-plate process that dates back to the 1850’s!

Oh, BTW the truck is a spectacular-looking 1934 Dodge Humpback panel truck which he uses for travel, lodging, darkroom and advertising. It has a 1960’s Chevy Camero engine and a 1966 Ford Mustang rear axel. 

After our visit and Mr. B being offered a seat behind the driving wheel, we stopped at our hotel’s bistro/bar to have a glass of wine before bed. We saw a guy eating dinner with a red accordion at his table and I asked him if we missed his gig.  I told him that my dad had played accordion and he said when he finished eating he would be happy to play some more music for us. We had a blast with him. What an incredible guy. He was from Northern Mexico so Mr. B began speaking Spanish with him. They told story after story. He told us not to worry about what was happening in our country right now. The truth was that people like us and him that cared about other cultures and gave other people a hand would take care of this country and its people. And you know what?  I believe him and it’s the first time since the election that I have had a moment of peace……

Land of Enchantment

 New Mexico by Johnny Cash

Tuesday- April 8

Today we are heading North East to Gallup, NM. A dry 4+ hour drive with over an hour road construction delays.

Most homes in the Pueblo community, no mater how modest had Navajo kivas. They are round ceremonial buildings used for meetings and spiritual ceremonies.  We noticed these as we were doing a side trip to Window Rock and the Code Talkers statue. 

Window Rock was important in the creation story of the Navajo, who have an amazing history. Part of their more recent history that is also amazing is that when the Japanese were so good at breaking codes in World War II, the US got the idea of using the Navajo language, which was basically unknown outside of the tribe, as code and was considered a “dying language” for code in radio transmissions. It worked and the Navajos that enlisted, known as “The Code Talkers” saved many thousands of lives. 

 Arrived in Gallup at El Rancho located on Route 66 and settled in. We had a great dinner in the hotel bar where rumor had it that John Wayne rode his horse into the bar & ordered a drink for himself and one for the horse. This hotel was once frequented by many famous people and they have hundreds of photos on the walls, many that were autographed. 

We enjoyed good margaritas and wonderful Mexican food. I am so ready for bed tonight. We heard freight trains rolling through town in the distance all night long.