Sante Fe and Amarillo

Today, Drew drove from Albuquerque to Amarillo. We were interested in seeing Santa Fe, so we made the relatively short drive north. We were hoping to go to the Farmers Market because we just read in Saveur that it was rated one the 30 Best Farmers Markets in the World. Unfortunately, we missed the morning market by 30 minutes and we didn't have time to wait for the afternoon market that started at 3:00. Sad face.

At least the drive through the center of town gave us a general feel for what it looks like. All of the buildings are built of adobe in the Pueblo style except for a few of the oldest and earliest structures. None of the low one- and two-story structures were much taller than the surrounding trees. Rustic wooden ceiling beams that protruded from tan, chocolate, salmon, ochre, cream, and white stucco were occasionally hung with bunches of dried red chili peppers. Low walls extended outward from the exterior structural walls to surround gardens of juniper, yucca, blooming cacti, agave, sage brush, and feathery bunch grasses. We got close to the Governors Palace, saw the cathedral and Downtown Plaza, and drove along shady Alameda. It was difficult to maneuver our big rig through the narrow, curvy streets, and we found nowhere to park it, so we had to say goodbye to one of the cutest cities we've seen on our trip so far. I think we all would like to visit again someday.

Not much more to photograph or write about until we arrived in Amarillo where we were treated with a specular lightning storm at around sunset.