Maundy Thursday, April 1, 2010.

We slept in this morning and the wind actually howled from 4 AM on. It sounds bitter cold outside, but it's just 55, sunny with a southwest wind of 35mph with gusts up to 49mph at 11:30 AM. No wonder it was howling! I figured we were kind of stuck here today because I couldn't imagine driving a RV in this! We had to close the front slide because the wind might damage it. In all this wind we still have good satellite TV reception.
12:00- it's cloudy and 12:30 it's raining. We are on our way to Sante Fe. I stopped in Walgreens and on the way out we got stuck behind a car that stopped running. Jimmy had to get out and direct the 10 cars sitting behind us because we can't back up. Finally a policeman came to direct the traffic so we could leave.
Haven't seen any snow on the roadsides since we left Taos. The dark mountains we see have evergreen trees on them and snow just at the peaks. It is now all gorges and valleys with the sage colored brush which has pricklies on it and sand colored rocks. The way down is an 8% grade again and we had to use the exhaust brakes and downshift the transmission.
We stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge for the view. I had no idea the Rio Grande starts up here! It is 20 degrees colder than Taos was; we need winter coats. There is wind,rain and a little sleet pellets. Some people from Illinois were there to go rafting down the Rio Grande in this weather with wet suits! The road down this mountain follows the Rio Grande, curving when it does. The land is very rugged; gorgeous to view, but not much good for anything else. We were surprised to see several wineries and vegetables stands with organic crops on the side of the road. Of course, they don't open until May! All of the trees on the side of the mountain here are barren and there are huge metal screens erected to catch the falling rocks and boulders.
The next town is Velarde with flat roofs of metal or tiles. Since they only receive 14" of rainfall a year and this strong wind, it works. Espanola is next and it is a good sized town. They have unusual names for their establishments- "Eatza Pizza",Blake's Lot A Burger again, "Stop and Eat",and "Dandy's Burgers". We stopped at a couple of casinos on the way. There seemed to be one at every exit now. "Black Thunder Casino" promises to electrify your day! Their statue was a mix of an Indian with elk antlers that grew huge leaves, and he had a mane of buffalo hair down his back. Different! These are the first good roads since Kansas City! All of the overpasses are painted adobe colored with all sorts of Indian symbols. Kind of pretty instead of plain concrete. You can tell the casinos are bringing in revenue for the state roads!
3PM-we are in Sante Fe, New Mexico. It is still cold and windy, but the Sante Fe Skies RV park is a lot nicer with concrete pads to step down onto. We won't be able to sightsee much today, since it's so late; but the ride down the mountain was gorgeous! In town at the Plaza is the spot where Sante Fe began and the trail ended. This road in town is actually the original trail. It is still a high-desert town-7000ft above sea level- at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains reaching 12,000 feet. They say the air is thinner here and suggest drinking more water and to remain sedentary for a few days; but we have been gradually traveling up to this altitude, so I guess we won't even feel it. I know I had trouble with the altitude in Winter Park, Colorado. Hope I don't here.
3:30 went into town to find our way around for tomorrow and to eat dinner. Everything is built in the adobe style architecture- a blend of Spanish and Native American cultures. This pueblo revival style is made of faux-dobe to resemble the adobe bricks made of sand, clay, water and organic things like sticks and straw. They are supported by large logs, called vigas, which you can see sticking out of the sides. It looks really nice. I think Jimmy has fallen in love with the stlye. He feels the houses look better without the frills of porches, shutters and trims.
We ate at a restaurant called "Catamount Bar and Grill" I ordered a "buffalo burger" which is actually real buffalo meat, not beef. It was delicious; but a half pound of meat, so I have tomorrow's lunch too. Even their mild seasoning is hot; so Jimmy got a mild buffalo chicken sandwich with seasoned fries. We were both pleased. The waittress was really nice, a girl just into the community college. Her mannerisms reminded us of Caitlin and she seems just as determined to do well in college as Caitlin. We enjoyed talking to her. In the womens bathroom there was a sign-"Please hold handle down for 3 seconds for Sante Fe Plumbing"!!! Must be the altitude.
Tomorrow we will be at the Sante Fe History Museum when it opens, then to the Oldest House in the nation- built in 1612 and San Miguel Mission- the oldest church in the country built between 1600 and 1646.