Today we are in Santa Fe, New Mexico after a three day 1,500 mile trip across seven states. We enjoyed a “Highway 20 Ride” in Georgia, traveled through “Sweet Home Alabama,” and drove across the “Big River” in Mississippi. We didn’t get a chance to go “Walking in Memphis” Tennessee and we missed “Little Rock” Arkansas, but we did notice that the wind comes sweeping down the plain in “Oklahoma!” In Texas we got to “Amarillo by Morning” and then finally arrived in that God forsaken country they call “New Mexico.”
Actually, I like New Mexico and it doesn’t seem God forsaken at all. Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the U.S. and is known for its iconic Pueblo Revival architecture. It sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Founded in 1610, it is home to the Palace of the Governors, the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States. Today we walked around and enjoyed the crisp, clear sunshine and the fact that we weren’t driving miles and miles in Vanna. Our hotel is right by the historic Santa Fe Plaza, so we took some pictures:
And of course, we had to visit the obligatory church in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi which is right off the Plaza.
As an aside: When I was a kid, my Aunt Elsie and Uncle Glen always talked about their business in Clines Corners, New Mexico. Of course I had never been to New Mexico, so the idea of it seemed pretty exotic to me. Clines Corners has been around since 1934, and was established by a guy aptly named Roy Cline, who built a gas station and rest stop there. My aunt and uncle probably purchased it in the 60’s. If you look it up on the internet, you learn that Clines Corners is a “legendary New Mexico travel stop and souvenir mecca located about 60 miles east of Albuquerque at the junction of I-40 and US-285.” Basically, it’s a small blip on the map in the middle of nowhere. We drove by there several years ago, and at that time there was a cafe, post office, gift shop, gas station and R.V. Park. They sold the expected chocolate pecan fudge. Yesterday when we drove by it the post office had closed, and the cafe was replaced by a Subway. Judging by the looks of it now, I’m sure people who read the blurb online and decide to visit are sorely disappointed. Luckily, the RV park is still there and seems quite populated. Why, I don’t know. Luckily, they still have fudge, according to the flashy sign.
Tomorrow we are headed to Monument Valley, which is in both Arizona and Utah. We will be camping on the Utah side in a little town called Goulding.
A. Roam of My Own: Travels With Annie 
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