Rain, Rain, Go Away, Santa Fe..

Day 7, 8, 9. Sat-Mon., September, 9-11, 2023

We stayed at the Big Texan RV Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. I thought they would be super-friendly Texans, but that was not the case; it was just not what we expected. This park was one of those parks with a laundry list of rules that, from the looks of it, most didn’t follow. We didn’t know it when we made the reservation, but this campground is affiliated with the Big Texan Ranch Steakhouse. The RV park has direct shuttles to the steakhouse every hour till 9 p.m. We did not partake and eat at the steakhouse known for its “Free 72-ounce steak”, that is, if you can eat it all, plus a potato, salad, and beverage. When, and not often, that I eat a steak, it is usually a petite filet of around 4-5 ounces, and I typically save a few pieces for Quigley. Justin eats 6-8 ounces at most, and we prefer grass-fed and grass-finished. The most petite steak on the menu at the Big Texan is a double 5-ounce filet (meaning 10 ounces); I know it’s Texas, and everything is bigger in Texas, but that doesn’t mean better. So I cooked Dinner. Quigley hated the RV park and seemed scared. It turns out there was a drunken debacle with several naked people yelling and screaming while we stayed in our RV. It was a noisy park with the sound of trains, drunks, and vehicles.

As we were hooking up to leave, we met a couple of Wizards and their adorable dog (who, like Quigley, was also not a fan of this RV park). These wizards are the owners of the Luxe Fifth Wheel parked across from us; there are not too many out there, so it’s nice to spot one in the wild. I’m talking Luxe’s, and I suppose wizards, too. Jeff and Terri Lacasse bought their Luxe RV a little over a year ago, shortly after Jeff retired as a Massachusetts Firefighter. He went to an RV mechanic school in Texas, and now he and his wife travel the country in their Luxe as certified RV Wizards (Mobile RV repair service). Jeff is a Luxe-certified repair service. So, if you are on the road and need a repair, call Jeff and Terri, the RV Wizards, and see where they are at 1-888-789-9737.

We were heading to one of our favorite places in the country, Santa Fe, New Mexico. I-40 through Texas was flat, dry, and brown, with wind turbines dotting the horizon as far as the eye could see and temperatures in the upper 90’s. The roads in many places were full of bumps and potholes.

We crossed the border into New Mexico and stopped at Russell Car Museum and gas station; we needed to stretch our legs, get a bite to eat, and fill up with fuel. This part of I-40 runs parallel to the old Route 66 we had taken Route 66 on previous trips. Russells is a gas station, grocery store, diner, and car museum on old Route 66. In addition to cars, Russells had a collection of antique cash registers, jukeboxes, Coca-Cola memorabilia, and Texaco oil tankers—one pulled by horses, the other by an old Ford.

(For Maria who loves Star Wars)

As we progressed into New Mexico, the flat, dry land turned into rolling hills dotted with sagebrush and bluepoint junipers; sunflower bushes lined the roads. Beautiful red and tan buttes were off in the distance. Straight ahead, Marshmallow clouds floated amongst a bright baby-blue sky; however, to either side, the sky was an angry-looking dark charcoal. It was clear storms were coming at us from both sides, but we continued down I-40 up the center of nasty weather. I imagine this is a tiny bit of what it was like for the Israelites when Moses parted the Red Sea, not knowing when the sea would un-part. We were hoping the storms wouldn’t close in on us, and they didn’t—only a few rain trickles as we turned off I-40 towards Santa Fe. This part of New Mexico is beyond beautiful; there are little to no buildings, and you can barely see those that are there; they are painted or use clay that blends with the earth.

We arrive at Santa Fe Skies RV Park, one of our favorite places, and we will stay for five nights. We have stayed at Santa Fe Skies several times; it’s clean, beautiful, and only a short drive to Santa Fe. The park has a few upgrades, some eclectic art sculptures, by one of the owners, and the park is now fully gated. Our excellent campsite looks up to the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. Weather permitting, we can watch the sunrise from our campsite and the sunset from the other side of the RV park. It turns out the weather will not be the best for our time in Santa Fe. We had plans for fishing and hiking, but daily thunderstorms with slightly heavy winds, and flash flooding of rivers will prevent that. Perhaps God is telling us to rest.

Sunday: We woke to a warm and intensely sunny morning; we had coffee out on the campsite patio and watched the bees and hummingbirds flutter amongst one of two sunflower bushes; the mountains in the distance were highlighted with long lingering sun rays as if God was shooting them out of his fingertips. In the distance, roosters were competing for the longest and loudest crow; when they would quiet, you could hear the whiny of horses. We took a walk along open trails (around a mile) around the RV park; the constant breeze made the 87 degrees feel bearable, and if it weren’t for the intense sun, it would be comfortable. After lunch, we sat outside listening to music and admiring the peace and beauty that is New Mexico. We met Grant, a neighbor traveling with his wife, Betty, from Alberta, Canada (a place on our bucket list). An evening rain shower brought slightly cooler temperatures and a stronger breeze. A live band played old country western music at the clubhouse.

Monday: Overcast and rainy day with thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Today, we took a drive into downtown Santa Fe, where we had lunch at one of our favorite Restaurants La Casa Sena. It seems to be a tradition; every time we visit Santa Fe, we start with lunch in the beautiful, peaceful courtyard of La Casa Sena. I had a delicious local herbed trout with a lemon, white wine reduction, and sauteed calabacitias (a squash dish). Justin had the Green Chile Cheeseburger–he wanted authentic New Mexico flavors, but it wasn’t quite spicy enough for him.

Outdoor Courtyard (La Casa Sena Restaurant)

We spent the afternoon perusing the art galleries, looking at bronze sculptures, pottery, and turquoise jewelry. We met a shop owner who is famous for designing jewelry for the models in the Cowboys and Indian Magazine. His work is stunning but also very heavy to wear regularly. I was looking for a vintage pendant made of turquoise from the number 8 mine in Nevada. I wanted to match the vintage cuff Justin bought me the last time we were in Santa Fe. However, they only mined a small amount of Number 8 Turquoise; finding a matching pendant would be like finding a needle in a haystack (without a metal detector).

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi was closed on Mondays, but it is a beautiful church we like to visit when in Santa Fe. We sat in the park next to the Church and admired her beauty while, noticing the storms on the horizon. We walked through a few more shops and decided to brave the rain and head back to the truck.

When in the truck, Justin asked me if I wanted to stop at the Kakawa Chocolate shop. Maybe the dumbest question he has ever asked me in the 33 years we have known each other because he knows dark chocolate is one of my greatest weaknesses. So we braved the rain storm and went to the chocolate shop, where I picked out an assorted box of dark chocolates, and Justin, who is not much of a candy or chocolate eater, picked out a couple of different kinds of dark chocolate with red and green NM chiles. Now, NM chiles are one of Justin’s favorite things. Justin could put NM Chile sauce red, green, or Christmas on everything he eats. We even got a Chile de Arbol that is covered in 85% dark chocolate. But the sage goat cheese dark chocolate truffle is my favorite (so far). I like the chocolates from this shop because they are not too sweet. As I write this, the box of chocolates sits on the counter, taunting me, but I limit myself to one a day (or six–just kidding).

We stopped at a little market in town for some fresh produce; I got mixed greens and locally grown pea shoots to make a healthy beet, goat cheese, and pistachio salad with fig balsamic dressing for Dinner.