Saturday morning we first headed to the farmers market in the rail yard district, and then went out to do some exploring. We drove up to the ski area where there was already lots of snow, and then went for a short hike. Then we went back for an amazing dinner at the Coyote Cafe.
Kelsey with her parents!
Sunday morning we met up with some friends of friends who live in Santa Fe for a breakfast of huevos rancheros and blue corn pancakes, and talked about some hiking and exploring ideas for the week. Rich, who grew up close to Santa Fe and has been back for a number of years, offered to give us a couple tours around. That afternoon we went to an area where several hundred petroglyphs lined a rock wall, and then went out to an old pueblo site where we pick up shards of painted pots from a few hundred years ago when the natives lived there.
Rich showing Kelsey's mom the petroglyphs
Headed out to look for pottery shards at the old pueblo
Monday was set aside to do some shopping, and late that evening our friends Tom and Peggy arrived from Colorado. Tuesday we were all set to meet up with Rich for another day of exploring, but first we had to take Kiska off to be boarded, since we had gotten caught with her in our car, and she was not supposed to be on the hotel property. We were very sad to make her spend thanksgiving away, but knew we would get back to exploring with her soon.
We drove out north and towards Abiquiu, making several stops along the way to see where the first Spanish churches were set up and the adobe houses of the native villages that were slowly melting back to the earth. We explored in some beautiful white, red and yellow rock canyons, and then went up to Ghost Ranch where Georgia O'Keefe lived and painted many of the hills surrounding it.
Nathan in the white rocks
Rock hunting
In the sunset on the red rock
Wednesday morning Kelsey, Debbie and Peggy went to the Santa Fe School of Cooking to take a tamale making class. We made four different kinds of tamales, pork, chicken, veggie and a pineapple dessert tamale with a peanut chili sauce. They were all so delicious, and the boys all benefited from our taking the class. Then we did some consignment shopping in the afternoon, (where Kelsey scored a pair of amazing Frye boots!!) and went to the jewelry market at the palace of the governors, where local native artisans sell their wares. That night we had a wonderful dinner at Cafe Pasquals, a really good local foodie place, kind of the Chez Panisse of New Mexico.
Thanksgiving day we set out early to hike in Bandelier National Monument, where there are cliff dwellings and adobe pueblo remnants. We hiked along the trail and got to climb into some of the dwellings that have been part of the community.
Ruins of the big community center of the village in Bandelier
Climbing into one of the dwellings, many of them were fairly spacious
The whole gang!
We then joined Rich and his wife at their house for a marvelous thanksgiving dinner, and beautiful sunset over Santa Fe, and a rock contest to end the night, where we each submitted the favorite rock that we had found over the week.
Sunset from their house
Story time, with a art piece made from a combination of several of our rocks
Friday morning we got up and headed out west on the highway for the first time since the beginning of our trip. We're going out through Arizona, then up north and back to Oregon. We probably won't be out too much longer, the nights are getting long and cold and while the weather is holding now we don't want to push it too much into December.
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