LATEST TRICKS: The High Road to Taos

Santa Fe to Taos, New Mexico
Tuesday, October 26, 2010  (Happy Birthday Ted!)

Three months on the road requires some periodic "household maintenance" and we were definitely due. So, we started off the day doing laundry at the motel, hauling much of the contents of the van out onto the pavement, and repacking the whole kit-and-caboodle. Perhaps the staff found it a bit odd to see hot pink plastic bins, tote bags, shoes, cans of Diet Coke, fresh-washed clothes, and books strewn about their parking lot, but it all made sense to us.

Content with our reorganization, we took a stroll around the beautiful grounds of our motel, the El Rey Inn, before a cheerful check-out with Sylvia at the front desk.

Now it was time for fortification and the Tecolote Café was the perfect spot. We had a hearty and delicious southwestern lunch of Huevos Yucatecos with fresh-baked biscuits, blueberry muffins and flour tortillas.

The Café was celebrating 30 years in business and we can understand why they have been successful. The food was wonderful and everyone there was friendly, hospitable, and excited to hear about our journey. They shared several good recommendations for some of our upcoming destinations and wished us safe, happy travels.

Pleasantly stuffed, we set off on The High Road to Taos, a recognized scenic byway. As much as we enjoyed Santa Fe, it felt good to get back into nature. The views along The High Road were breathtaking.

One memorable stop along the way was El Santuario de Chimayo. Built between 1813 and 1816, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. El Santurario is known locally as "The American Lourdes" because of its reputation for miracles and healing. It felt like a "sacred space" because of its beauty, serenity and the reverence that it embodied. It was inspiring to visit this special place.

Arriving at Taos, we checked in to the El Pueblo Lodge and headed out to dinner. Finding most of our original picks closed on Tuesdays, we followed an old traveler's trick--look for the place with the most cars in the parking lot. That place was clearly the Guadalajara Grill North. Inside we found a cheerful, casual Mexican restaurant. We shared their Chicken Monterrey and Camarones Veracruz with sides of rice, beans, corn tortillas, guacamole and salsa fresca. What a feast! Ted tried the Mexican beer Carta Blanca and absolutely loved it. He said it reminded him of the refreshing light beer Medalla that he enjoyed so much in Puerto Rico. I think he'll be stocking up on Carta Blanca from the local grocery store!

  

After dinner, we returned to our cozy room at El Pueblo Lodge, lit a fire in the kiva-style fireplace, and relaxed with some American Indian flute music. Sublime. Ted said it was a perfect birthday.
-- Ted and Laura

LATEST TRICKS: Historic Santa Fe

Santa Fe, New Mexico
Monday, October 25, 2010

We took care of some personal business details in the morning before heading out for an unusual Monday brunch at Chicago Dog Express.  (Yes, we are still in Santa Fe).

This place gets awards year after year for the best Chicago-style hot dog and we have to agree.  The quarter pound Vienna Beef was cradled in an ultra-fresh hoagie roll with relish and mustard and then overflowed with crisp cucumber & tomato chucks tossed in a light, delicious oil and vinegar dressing.  This was a truly delicious meal-on-a-bun.

Moving on to the Old Santa Fe Trail, we visited Mission de San Miguel, Originally built in 1610, it is reported to be the oldest church in the United States.  The handcrafted religious folk art adorning the church was beautiful. 
 

Across the tiny street alongside the Mission was La Casa Viejas de Analco, initially built in 1200 AD, it is considered to be the oldest house in the USA.  This was a hidden gem with much to offer.  There was an interesting video as well as historical displays and some curious lore. 

Just as delightful was the adjoining coffee, tea and bake shop, Tiendita del Barrio, and its proprietor, Evelyn Roybal.  The cozy adobe setting embraced us and we had a wonderful conversation with Evelyn, who is also the Historic Properties Director for both the House and the Mission.  Her prior experience with radiology marketing paralleled Laura's story exactly. It was if they were kindred spirits, separated at birth but still living parallel lives.  What an amazing connection!  Evelyn has done a marvelous job of curating and restoring the old house and adding the lovely little shop to the reception and lobby area.  And we must say, her baking is spectacular.  We tasted one of her Bizcochito (the official State Cookie of New Mexico) and ended up buying all that she had left; they were exceptional!  We wish Evelyn all the best in her new role!   

The area around the Oldest Church and House is known as Barrio de Analco.  It is the oldest part of Santa Fe and its spiritual center.  We strolled along the narrow streets and peeked into the exotic courtyards of the Inn of the Five Graces. 

After peering in the windows of  The Pink Adobe Restaurant, we stopped into the adjoining Dragon Room Lounge to escape the blustery cold weather.  Behind the massive carved wooden doors we found a romantic hideaway filled with lanterns, cushioned banquets, and a glowing kiva fireplace at one end.  We took the table right in front of the fireplace and enjoyed some hearty beverages (thanks Monica!) while writing postcards and reminiscing about our time in Santa Fe. 

We were hesitant to leave the oasis of the Dragon Room, but we wanted to do a bit more exploring before dinner.  Our first stop was the Stan Natchez Art Studio.  We were warmly welcomed by Viento Natchez whose father's work was exhibited throughout the Dragon Room Lounge and gallery.  Viento was preparing pieces for the upcoming Day of the Dead celebration, which he invited us to experience the next time we were in Santa Fe.  We look forward to taking him up on that offer! 

For dinner, we headed to La Choza, a restaurant we had spotted earlier in the day.  The adobe building looked cozy and reviews said that the food was delicious.  It certainly was!  We tried a combination platter of Carne Adovado, Tamale with Green Chili Sauce, and Chicken Taquito, all served with pinto beans, posole, and sopapilla.  Oh my!  This was true southwestern home cooking and the flavors, while spicy, were terrific.  Galen, our server, was attentive and personable, and the host at the front desk was a hoot!  Sort of a cross between Gene Wilder and Frank Zappa.  He certainly made sure that we came and left with a smile. 

After dinner, we returned to the El Rey Inn for a soak in the sublime outdoor hot tub and then prepared for tomorrow's trip to Taos.
-- Ted and Laura

LATEST TRICKS: Art Immersion in Santa Fe

Santa Fe, New Mexico
Sunday, October 24, 2010

We took some time this morning to get our blog back on track and then headed to the Sunday New Mexico Artisans Market.  There was an interesting variety of handcrafted goods ranging from paintings to soap to blown glass.

There were two artists that we met whose art, as well as their personalities, captivated us: Paul FourHorns Tenoso, a Lakota stoneknapper, and Cathy Veblen, an imaginative potter, both of Anthro Pottery Studio and Gallery in Corrales, New Mexico.  Paul is an excellent teacher and craftsman; he shared a wealth of information about the traditional methods and tools for creating arrow, knife and spear points from stone.

Cathy shared her own experiences of traveling the country and introduced us to her friend Carol, a Santa Fe resident from Portland, Oregon and self-proclaimed foodie. We all had a delightful conversation and left with many ideas and recommendations.

One of those recommendations was the Tune-Up Café.  Since it was just down the street and it was about that time, we headed there for lunch. This place was a cheerful, casual delight.  They’re particularly well known for their El Salvadoran pupusas and with good reason: Yum!

Afterward, we drove to the famed Canyon Road and strolled among the many beautiful art galleries.

 

   

As the sun set over the mountains, we stopped by El Farol on Canyon Road for drinks and a dinner of Spanish Tapas accompanied by the gentle acoustic sounds and mellow vocals of Macha Mendez, Latin Soul.  It was a romantic and delicious way to greet the evening!

Stuffed and serenaded, we returned to our motel for a luxurious soak in the outdoor hot tub.  It is tucked away in a private Spanish courtyard complete with a kiva fireplace.  What more could you ask for?
-- Ted and Laura