WARNING! The following contains lots of pictures of food-- yes, it all pretty much looks alike, but it is all different, and yes, we did do things besides eat--well kinda :)
We haven't taken a road trip for quite awhile, so this year we decided to drive to Santa Fe, one of our very favorite places. It was time to revisit locations of fond memories and eat at the restaurants we like so much.
Heading across the plains, this was at the first rest stop.
We didn't see any snakes, but I didn't go in search of them either.
We made it to Amarillo the first night, and since we had seen the sighs for hundreds of miles, and a friend said we should go here just for the experience, we had dinner at the Big Texan--home of the 'if you can eat their 72 ounce steak in one hour it's free.' Five guys from Australia were giving it a try--none of them succeeded.
Just outside Amarillo is the famous Cadillac Ranch, a public art sculpture created in 1974 . There are something like 10 cadillacs planted nose first into the ground. The public is invited to bring spray paint and add to the art. Of course we had to stop. Well, it had been raining all the previous day, so things were really muddy and the cars aren't right next to the road. I was all for viewing from the car, but my husband wanted to walk out for a closer look. I'm not a fan of mud, but didn't want to be a stick in it on the first day of vacation so I rolled up my pant legs a bit and did the" Julie shuffle" behind him. (the" Julie shuffle" is akin to "dragging your feet", but I've perfected it into an art form). About two thirds of the way there, Sweetie began this feet slipping, arms flailing action, and down he went! I wasn't quite sure how to respond, I'm sure my mouth was hanging open, but the "are you ok?" came first. He was, and we made it back to the car, where fortunately I had a garbage bag for soda cans, etc.. We dumped his clothes in that and proceed down the road.The iphone was ok, but the camera was crusted in sticky mud.That eventually got cleaned up and continues to work and clothes got washed. It was finally determined that the cause of the mud splat was that he was wearing those Sketcher tennis shoes with the rocking sole, so his feet weren't completely planted on the ground. I only laughed once, briefly, and never considered taking his picture!
We got to Santa Fe and had to make a stop at Jackalope.We've been going to Jackalope since it was one small room with a fireplace for heat--now it is huge! Still fun, but some of the charm is gone.
First dinner in New Mexico was at Tomasita's--it tasted SO good! I'm kind of a wimp, so I get my red chili on the side, but it really is the chili that sets New Mexican apart from your everyday Mexican food.
And the next morning we had breakfast at Tecolote Cafe. They offer a big variety, and not just the ordinary breakfast dishes--fried plantains, posole, great potatoes and a nice bakery basket.
We always go to Gallup to shop for "dead pawn" jewelry ( I found a couple of bracelets I love) and it just so happened that this was also the weekend for the monthly Crown Point Rug Auction. Crown Point is about 45 minutes from Gallup, and every month Navajo weavers come from all over to auction off their rugs. Before the auction starts you can buy Navajo tacos or shop for Native crafts from artisans who set up booths in the hallway.
Things have changed a bit, and it is now more of a "reserve" auction, which takes some of the thrill of the bidding and hopes of a great deal out of the equation. But it was still fun and although we didn't end up with the rug we liked best, we came away with a couple that we like.
The next day we checked out the flea market in Gallup. I bought some beads for the next jean jacket I want to embellish and a couple of beaded bracelets, but the highlight was the biggest tamale I've ever seen! Not only was it double sized, it was delicious! I'm not sure what made it so special, the chili had a slight bite, and it also had a bit of rice in the meat mixture. It was probably the masa itself and the fact that it was some old family recipe with some little twist. I also couldn't resist some Navajo fry bread that was yummy. I'm going to give making fry bread one last try. All of my attempts in the past have been lackluster but I really want to be able to make it well. Sweetie had some mutton stew--I watched--he said it was good.
Took a side trip through the Zuni pueblo on the way back to Albuquerque. Since it was a weekend, tours of the pueblo were being offered.
This is the view into one of the plazas where kachina dances are held. You can see the chairs on the roof across the way where observers sit.
The church was impressive. Especially the paintings along the walls depicting the Zuni kachinas. They were really detailed and beautiful. Our guide explained each one of them to us--I hope I can remember some of them.
Back in Albuquerque we had dinner at one of our top picks for New Mexican food,"Sadie's". It's more of a locals place and has, in my opinion, the best red chili! Oh, and another nice thing about New Mexican food is that sopapillas are served along side the meal as bread, unlike Mexican restaurants where they are a dessert offering.
There's more food to come, so stay tuned and I'll post the rest of our trip soon!
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