Santa Fe is a much larger city than Sedona! I expected a similar environment but surprised at how much bigger and busier it is.
- We toured the older part of the city, the Historic District. Here we found the beautiful Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi and the Loretto Chapel. In the chapel is the mysterious spiral staircase which the Loretto Sisters claimed was built by St.Joseph! The Plaza is surrounded by Spanish style buildings and reminded me of Jackson, WY. Lots of high-end shops. But along one side of the plaza is the Native American outdoor market where the Tribal Chiefs decide who gets to sell their handcrafts. Each seller must be a true Native American and prove they handcrafted their wares! We took a stroll down Canyon Road where all the funky artsy shops are. Left Santa Fe and headed for Texas! Thought for sure I would find my last two license plates: West Va and Hawaii, but not yet. The drive through Arizona to Santa Fe, NM had been depressing, as we drove through the Navajo Reservation. There are 350,000 Navajo and the reservation is 27,000 square miles. There is no electricity or running water! Rusty trailers, shacks, and decrepit trucks are the signs of habitation. Every so often a Casino pops up. Most are garage-like structures with 2-3 appealing ones. We stopped for the night in Shamrock, Texas and had dinner on Route 66 at Big Vern’s Steak House, A good chunk of I-40 is the old Route 66. Our dinner was average—-only restaurant around for miles, but as we were leaving, the owner thanked us for stopping by, and proceeded to show us around the restaurant murals depicting the history of Texas. Gracie, my Texas friend, had been to Boston and learned all about the Revolution, so she said we should learn Texas history. Pop’s Red Sox hat was the giveaway. She was lovely and even brought us into her office to show us a picture of Teddy Roosevelt with her grandfather and other Texas ranchers and Quanah Parker, the richest ever Chief who lived in the White House with Teddy! I was informed that Texas is the only state allowed to fly its state flag next to Old Glory and it still has the right to secede from the Union, all because we asked Texas to join the Union and gave into all her demands! Who knew??? Amazing what you learn when you travel!
