Kokopeli country

January 25th: The weather continues fine and warm. We are now, and for the next few days, in the country of the famous Kokopeli and Historic Route 66. We see Kokopeli just about everywhere we go, and bump into Route 66 every day. One of these days we are going to do a trip where we journey along all of it that we can find. "Road Trip America" has a great description in it which we keep reading. Next year maybe? Leaving Kingman, we head along I40 to Albuquerque. During the day we pass through a snowy Flagstaff (resisting the signs to Grand Canyon), cross the Painted Desert and the Continental Divide, head out of Arizona into New Mexico. The photo is one of the many spectacular cliffs we pass as we approach Albuquerque. We cross the Rio Grande! Forgot it started in New Mexico before angling below Texas, providing the border with Mexico. Safe camping that night in a KOA in downtown Albuquerque - the laundry gets done! Gypsy stills waits patiently to be washed.

January 26th: Another beautiful morning - blue sky and temperature in the 50's F. The forecast for Santa Fe has changed from snowy and cold to sunny and cold. Alright!

North on the I25 to Santa Fe where we spend a great day touring the old town, marveling at how everything, with the exception of the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, is adobe-style, warm brown, old wooden doors and wrought iron fixtures and railings - from the Palace of the Governors to the most recent parking garages. Lots of history to learn about - this is the oldest capital city in the US, tracing its history back to the Spanish in the 16th century. Our first stop is the Basilica, which is undergoing extensive external renovation (typical for us - when we went to Paris, Notre Dame was covered in scaffolding! - we're used to it). Inside we find a church with history stretching back several centuries. The stained glass windows are beautiful with the sunlight streaming through them, and surprisingly gentle in their stories - not a sword in sight. A side chapel has been totally rebuilt but with the altar, Virgin Mary and beams from the original church embedded in the new structure. Beautiful handpainted friezes run around the walls, the columns and doorways. A friendly docent takes us under his wing and proudly explains the history of his church.
Outside in the brilliant and cool sunlight, we explore the old Plaza, visiting several stores, buying a beautiful blanket and some angels (of course - to add to the Christmas collection), and wandering along, viewing the beautiful jewelry laid out by native Indians in the portico of the Palace of the Governors. Silver and turquoise are everywhere. There are many galleries showing many varieties of local art. Fish enjoys looking through one of the wrought iron gates at a sculpture garden, Pat enjoys a sit in the sun with a friendly cat. Although many of the museums are closed, since it is Monday, the one we really want to visit is not - the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.

In it's restaurant, we have a very agreeable lunch and then move on to the museum. We really enjoy the exhibit - it is about the photography which impacted her life. There are a number of her paintings, from earliest days before she married Stieglitz and moved to New Mexico, and after, particularly after he passes away. Did not realize that her husband was the photographer who had taken such great photos of her. She is a very striking woman, both in early and later years.

The last two photos are of the entry to the O'Keeffe Museum and one of the other museums just a block away. We love the effect all around of sun-warmed brown walls, the very human scale of the less than two storey buildings and the tracery of bare branched trees in the bright winter sun.The weather is great for us, but we gather the locals would love some rain and/or snow - too much sun!

Time to head out of town and continue on our journey. Our next target is the Carlsbad Caverns, which are south of Santa Fe, but this is some distance away, so first order is to find a campsite for the night. The forecasts for northern New Mexico are all unanimous - it is going to be a very cold night. So we need a campsite with electricity. After our experience in Nevada and getting the heater fixed, we also invested in one of those new

ceramic cube heaters, as well as Pat's new beautiful blanket. South and east we land in Santa Rosa. Another historic Route 66 town - if anyone saw 'Grapes of Wrath', there is a scene of a train crossing a bridge over a river - that's Santa Rosa! Their other claim to fame is an incredible Blue Hole - an 80 foot deep brilliant blue pool, naturally formed by land subsidence, and famed far and wide for diving. No, we're not planning to dive! Anywhere that's not Hawaii is insanity, especially at this time of the year.

January 27th: Well, overnight the temperature dropped to 20deg F. We were warm enough, with new heater, newly fixed propane heater and new blanket, but the water system froze - no water this morning! Oh well, heading south for Carlsbad Caverns and warmer air is the fix. For you RV owners, the water system seems to be ok.

It's close to midnight, so the blog for Carlsbad (which was spectacular!) will have to wait. Great photos to come!