Enchanted

Even though it rained all morning as we made our drive from Colorado into New Mexico, it didn't diminish the Land of Enchantment. The colors of the cliffs and mesas we passed were extraordinary even through the grey skies and dreary weather.

We have multiple destinations and missions provided by Jan and Alan Brake, giving us the flavor of the southwest. Our first stop was Los Alamos. We kept seeing signs for the town and drove up through some gorgeous landscape and mesas and all of a sudden when we reached the top, it appeared. It was if it was hidden from view and as we watched the film at our first assignment, the Bradbury Science Museum, it made perfect sense. This community was created with scientists for the purpose of winning the race to build the atomic bomb so it truly was meant to be hidden! The museum was really informative. It provided the history of the Manhatten Project but also had exhibits on research and defense since then.



Our second destination was Gabriel's for lunch - excellent authentic Mexican food. We shared a plate of fajitas.



We ventured on to our next destination, Santa Fe. Along the way, we noticed that the state of New Mexico decorates their overpasses, bridges, and retaining walls like works of art, but homes and buildings are designed to blend into their surroundings as if they are to go unnoticed. The city of Santa Fe has no tall buildings. Even it's Capitol is only a few floors with no dome. The rain cleared for awhile so we parked and wandered the old Plaza area, visited some missions and cathedrals, and made our way along Canyon Road rich with galleries, particularly outdoor art. It is truly like no other city I have visited.









LOVE all the hanging chili peppers you see throughout!

As we moved on toward our final destination, Albuquerque (and I finally learned how to spell that!), the rain came back. I invoked my exception to camping and we found a hotel room. My enchantment continued at the cheap cost of hotels and gas in Albuquerque! This is the least expensive city we've visited! We took time to do some driving exploration and found the Old Town. At the Art Museum, they have bronze figures depicting the early settlers similar to what we saw in Omaha - our trip has come full circle. We also drove through the downtown area and neon lit Nob Hill along Route 66. Tomorrow morning I hope the rain has cleared so we can complete our final missions here.




Stats:

323 miles
Breakfast $4.08
Lunch $20
Dinner $7.98
Gas $62.65
Parking and chapel donation $8
Hotel $43.08


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