Date: Apr 8, 2009 5:54 PM
Beatlick Travel Report: Santa Fe
After two weeks to distress in Albuquerque and another two weeks in Las Placitas, NM, reflections on our sojourn from November to April leaves me with many thoughts. One should come through the experience with a great truth, a lesson learned, and so should I. Our whole concept of urban camping as I call it can only be achieved with the blessing of a great wealth of friends. WalMart can only take you so far on the road.
Currently we are in Santa Fe. Just got here actually. We spent two weeks house sitting in Placitas. The home was spectacular, yet remote, high in the mountains and near lots of open land where we hiked frequently. Las Placitas has a whole culture built around the wild horses that range the open lands in that area.
The whole time we were there in Cienega Canyon wind was our constant companion whistling like a tea kettle or roaring through like a freight train. It was ominous sounding and wild, keeping me on a constant alert for trouble or ill will.
Any day that was not too blustery we walked the open ranges and for the first time Joe and I encountered the wild horses of Las Placitas. I guess my experience was enhanced by the fact I had just finished reading “Centennia” by Michenor. So I was enthralled when I saw five wild horses on a hike. Two were completely white, one a bit smaller, and I assumed I was looking at a mother and her offspring. The other three horses were brown and two had white faces. The wind whipped around us all. They looked straight at us, not moving. I kept my distance out of respect but became overwhelmed by what I had just seen.
These miracles are so rare. I felt like I was transported back in time by some incredible privilege. It was a privilege really just to be in this place. We were house sitting out in one of the new neighborhoods just chogged full of incredible mansions. We walked up and down all those hills and never heard a child laugh, and only on a rare occasion did we even hear a dog. These homes are compounds, secure, exclusive and insular.
So I am grateful for the friends who enable us to have these experiences. We left Placitas to hook up with another of Joe’s friends from NMSU. Their house is even bigger and fancier than the one we left in Placitas.
We took the train from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. It’s a brand new passenger service made possible by the foresight of Gov. Bill Richardson. There were plenty of naysayers but they have all been proven wrong. The train is packed every day and the ride was spectacular.
We have had a great day walking around Santa Fe. The best deal in town for dining with ultimate atmosphere on a budget was Del Charro on the corner of Alameda and Don Gasper. The bartender Ron Rehorn was as great as that female bartender at the Stock Exchange back in Bisbee, AZ. We’ll be here till the end of the week so I’ll have another report before we leave. I’m looking for signs of the economic recession here but honestly I have to admit it’s not as apparent here in the galleries as in Las Cruces for example where numerous art galleries have closed. I didn’t see that many “everything on sale” signs here as well. So I guess the truly privileged aren’t feeling the crunch as much as Joe Sixpack.
Happy Trails, Beatlick Pamela
