New Mexico Day 4

New Mexico Day 3

Today was our day we decided to bum around town. We took a hike to an over look of the city.  It was quite the fun trek to the top as you wound your way up a set of stairs that had a time line

of the city as you went. It is hard to imagine this high desert town 600 some years ago. As the day progressed, we wound our way down to the plaza. Busy shops, all over priced and Native artisans lined the streets. I found myself drawn to the silver work of a particular man. He and his family had sold on the Plaza for 3 or 4 generations. Needless to say, his great story made me feel like buying some of his wonderful work.  

For lunch, Nikolai had his 3 meal (in a row) that consisted of a burrito. He was thrilled at this idea! We did spend some time after lunch at a great geology shop called Dinosaurs and More. Yes, the science nerd in me getsecstatic when I see a shop with old fossils and older rocks. I was really excited to get a few things formy classroom. I think my best find was 300-million year old dino poo! My 8th graders are going to love that! Nik and I also took some time to quietly stroll through the halls of the Georgia O'Keefe Museum.  What an amazing woman.

Our night ended with another trip to Harry's Road House and then a relaxing dip in the outdoor hot tub. We couldn't have asked for a nicer way to end the day.

New Mexico Day 2

 

Day 2 of our adventure took us to 3 interesting places.  Before we went anywhere, we enjoyed a WONDERFUL breakfast at Casa Cuma of blueberry pancakes with a berry and almond syrup.  Yummmmm!  After that, we were were off north of Santa Fe to Los Alamos. 

Many of you may know Low Alamos as the home of the infamous Manhattan Project from the 1940s.   I was impressed with the Bradbury Science Museum, in the heart of down town.  Nik and I spent some time going through the museum.  We both tended to focus on the History section more than the current science sections.  Nik even found the picture of a father of professor of his in college who worked in Los Alamos in the 1940s in a book that cataloged all of the workers in the City.  It is hard to go into detail all of the history that took place in this city and its impact on today's society.  Bradbury himself seemed to struggle with his impact on the world with the creation of the atomic bomb, much like Alfred Nobel did with his invention of dynamite.

After a lunch stop at a Bagel shop we were off to Bandelier National Monument.  Nik and I climbed the high alcove, up 4 ladders and what seemed to be 200 feet of elevation gain to a huge high cliff dwelling that use to house 23 homes and a kiva.  I found it some what funny that the only warning they had for this climb was a sign that said (for what I can remember) "If you are afraid of heights, we do not recommend this."  When I got to the alcove and sat down for a moment to look out over the canyon, I realized how old this place was.  Now, I am not talking geologically old, I am talking human history old.  Simply amazing that I was sitting in the same spot that people did hundreds if not thousands of years ago.

Our last stop on our drive was the Valles Caldera National Preserve.  Even though the preserve itself was not open yet (due to snow).  We still enjoyed the trip up into the Jemez Mountains to look at this ancient volcano.  The geology teacher inside of me was fascinated with the size of the giant eruption that rocked this area millions of years ago.

When we made it back into town we decided to go out to eat where the locals go.  We had talked to some people who recommended this place called Harry's Roadhouse.  It took us a LONG to to figure out how to get there with the curvy roads and streets whose name change part way (don't even get me started on this one).  However, when we got there, it was worth the drive!     

New Mexico Day 1

This past week, Nikolai and I took an extended trip to Northern New Mexico.  I had only really driven through New Mexico over a decade ago, so I really had no idea what to expect.  We drove in late to Santa Fe, where we were spending 3 out of 4 of our nights.  The sky was black and the lights of the city were gleaming as we came into the valley of this high mountain town.  

I was immediately struck by  the beautiful curvy streets of this old town.  However, when I was driving at night, I was a little more annoyed than please at these aesthetics.  After an hour and a half of driving from the Airport in Albuquerque, we snuggled into our plush bed at Casa Cuma Bed and Breakfast, excited for the adventures of tomorrow.