Hubbard Museum of the American West

Thursday, 30 July 2015
Deer Crossing RV Park — San Patricio, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 84F (29C) / Lo 62F (17C)

We’ve been planning to visit the Hubbard Museum of the American West since arriving here.  But we were waiting to do it on a really hot or rainy day.  We had such days in recent weeks, however, we decided to delay our visit until after my new camera arrived.  That happened on Monday; the museum is closed Tuesday and Wednesday … bringing us to today!

You see, traveling overseas with DSLR equipment is getting to be more of a pain in the you know what than it used to be.  Not only is the weight of the camera and the lenses an issue while wandering around to see the sights, but it’s also a problem on airlines, which are paying closer attention than ever to the weight of carry-on bags.  We almost got into trouble on the way back from New Zealand when the flight out of Auckland had a carry-on restriction of 22 pounds (10 kg).  My equipment far exceeds that!  Crazy, I know ;-)  Mui got us through by hefting the bag like it was empty and the agent believed him without weighing the bag.  Had he asked us to put the bag on the scale, my goose would have been cooked to a crisp!

Anyway, with Mui’s encouragement, I recently started looking at alternatives to my Canon DSLR.  Don’t get me wrong, no camera can match what a DSLR can do, but considering my photos are mostly for publication in the blog, and I do little more than look at them on occasion in my online galleries, we figured I could find a reasonable alternative.  And I think I have.

Anne Stradling — a lifelong collector
Blaze — Trail … Alfred G Haigh (1920)

All this to say that the photos in this post were taken with the FujiFilm X-T10, a recent — like May 2015 recent — entrant into the mirrorless camera market.  Its newness not withstanding, there are already very happy users out there and I am leaning towards being one of them even though my “testing phase” still has a few weeks to go before I have to make a final decision — thanks to B&H’s 30-day return policy.

OK — so let’s move on to our morning at the museum and the pictures I took.

Fort Stanton: Marching on Roma … Almost

Saturday, 25 July 2015 (Part II)
Deer Crossing RV Park — San Patricio, New Mexico

After stumbling across and stopping to visit the Merchant Marines and Military Cemetery — popularly referred to as Fort Stanton Cemetery — Mui noted that we were just a few miles from Fort Stanton Historic Site.

We decided that since we were so close, we’d jiggle our plans even though we had left home unprepared for a lengthy outing.  For that you can read that I only had my small camera with me ;-)

Looking Across the parade ground from the porch of the enlisted barracks-turned-museum.

But there was a surprise in store for us when we arrived at the fort!

Fort Stanton: the Cemetery

Saturday, 25 July 2015 (Part I)
Deer Crossing RV Park — San Patricio, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 91F (33C) / Lo 64F (18C)

While chatting with Denise, she mentioned two roads that we could drive where after a short distance the views open up and become quite scenic.  “They’re gravel roads; not bad, but if you’d like to borrow our truck, you’re welcome to do so,” she told Mui.  We took her up on the suggestion to check out one — Devil’s Canyon Road — but did so in our own car.

We encounter several areas where recent rains have washed debris across the road, but this is the only spot that must be a regular ford as there is a marker alerting drivers to the depth of the water.  No fording was required today.

Our plan was to do some hiking while we were on our outing, but that part didn’t work out as the trail was a muddy mess after the recent rains.

Exploring the Vicinity Small Communities

Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Deer Crossing RV Park — San Patricio, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 88F (31C) / Lo 61F (16C)

If there is one thing we can count on here, it’s afternoon rain … sometimes falling gently; more often as downpours accompanied by boomers and lightning.  Either way, combine the wet stuff with quickly rising temps that feel hotter than what the thermometer is showing and you have conditions that don’t invite me to be out and about!

House Sparrow

I can deal with rain, but I’m a wimp when it comes to hot temps.  With that in mind, we decided to do just a ½-day outing today and check out some of the places our Google search uncovered in the immediate area.  Oddly, none of these sites were mentioned by the Visitor Center.  But that’s a good thing as it means fewer people exploring those places.  I like having such sites to myself ;-)

Out and About in Ruidoso Downs and Ruidoso

Sunday, 19 July 2015
Deer Crossing RV Park — San Patricio, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 90F (32C) / Lo 67F (17C)

After taking care of a few things at home, we set off this morning to pick the brains of the people who man the visitor center Mui spotted when he drove into Ruidoso a few days ago.

We didn’t make much headway before we made our first stop.

Spotting a cute little church right after we passed the sign for Glencoe, another small community along Hwy 70, we flipped a u-ey so I could take a quick shot of St Anne’s Chapel.  Dating back to the 1930’s, it is the founding Episcopal church in Lincoln County.

Services were just ending, and one of the congregants said I was welcome to enter the church and take photographs.  There were still too many people inside, so I thanked him and said I’d stop by another time.  As the only church in the area open 24 hours a day, I should be able to find a more suitable time to take pictures of the interior sometime before we leave.

Our Quiet Spot in Billy the Kid Country

Friday, 17 July 2015
Deer Crossing RV Park — San Patricio, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 89F (32C) / Lo 63F (17C)

A few more days and it will be a week since we left Santa Fe and arrived in San Patricio, New Mexico — a tiny little community in the central region of the state.  No one recognizes it when I mention the name, but if I say we’re between Roswell and Ruidoso — closer to the latter than the former — than the light bulb goes on … heh, heh, heh ;-)

Rufous Hummingbird

Considering we haven’t done much, hard to believe the time has flown by so quickly and we’re already down to about three weeks left in our stay here.  After finally catching up on my Santa Fe posts, I thought I’d do a post to introduce you to our home through the first part of August.  Glad we came this year as the property is for sale and might not be around next season.

Santa Fe Church Visits Continue

Sunday, 12 July 2015
Santa Fe Skies RV Park — Santa Fe, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 85F (29C) / Lo 56F (13C)

A day of rest did wonders to rejuvenate my batteries.  Too many people; too much heat … draining for an introvert like me who prefers cool temps to summer heat.  Staying home yesterday also allowed me to process photos … always a good thing in my book.

Mui wandered off for a while to visit the Saturday farmer’s market — he needs people to recharge his extrovert batteries don’t you know :-).  He came back with a few goodies that I am sure he will make good use of over the next few days.

With a travel day ahead of us, we decided to stay local today.  We did a few chores, and then set off to enjoy a few more sites in Santa Fe and give Mui a break from the kitchen by having lunch at one of the many restaurants and cafés in town.

Our short stay in Santa Fe has somehow turned into a visit with a focus on churches.  You’d think we are especially religious people — we aren’t.  That said, we enjoy visiting ecclesiastical sites — be they churches, mosques, or synagogues — and appreciate the sense of quiet peace they afford.  Add to that the history that many of the churches in Santa Fe come with … well, let’s just continue the theme.

Las Golondrinas: Walking the Trail

Friday, 10 July 2015 (Part II)
Santa Fe Skies RV Park — Santa Fe, New Mexico

After we completed our tour of the placitas [little plazas] at El Rancho de las Golondrinas [Ranch of the Swallows], and I went back and photographed the various rooms in each (post here), it was time to head off on the trail that meanders around the far end of the living history museum.

threshing floor (Left) and sorghum mill — first stop on the trail.

When the Curtin/Paloheimo families came up with the idea to convert the original ranch into an open air museum, they began by restoring or reconstructing whatever buildings were already on the property.  If the state of disrepair was too far gone, they rebuilt on the original foundations.  Some old structures — mostly log buildings — were grouped in the hills as a mountain village; a Peninte meeting house in Abiquiu was used as an inspiration to build a similar one; and rural buildings from elsewhere were carefully de-constructed, moved here, and put back together to represent buildings that had disappeared long ago.

Ranch of the Swallows … aka El Rancho de las Golondrinas

Friday, 10 July 2015 (Part I)
Santa Fe Skies RV Park — Santa Fe, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 76F (24C) / Lo 53F (12C)

¡Bienvenidos a El Rancho de las Golondrinas … Welcome to the Ranch of the Swallows.

Those were the first words in the brochure we picked up for $1 when we went into the gift shop to pay the $6pp admission fee for the open air museum that is located 20 minutes south of Santa Fe … and maybe about 10 minutes from the RV park where we are staying.  We went thinking we’d just spend half a day there.  As it turns out, we arrived just as the museum was opening at 10:00a and left just before they locked the doors at 4:00p ;-)  Luckily, the sun did not become unbearable until late in the day as much of our time was spent outdoors ... except when we were inside the buildings that dot the grounds.

An Ecclesiastical Kind of Day in Santa Fe … Cont'd

Thursday, 9 July 2015 (Part II)
Santa Fe Skies RV Park — Santa Fe, New Mexico

In the previous post we had lunch in Historic Santa Fe and toured the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi (post here).  Let’s continue our a-wanderin’ of the landmarks near the city’s famed Santa Fe Plaza.

Scanned copy of the map we picked up from the Visitor Center (marked with an “I”). Marked up to show where we had lunch at Café Pasqual’s (across the Water Street parking lot), and the landmarks we visited (green stars). Starting to the right of the Plaza: St Francis Cathedral and City Park; Loretto Chapel; and the Oldest Church and House. Click for a larger image.

Our next stop was not far.  But before we leave the cathedral gardens…

A-Wander in Historic Santa Fe

Thursday, 9 July 2015 (Part I)
Santa Fe Skies RV Park — Santa Fe, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 72F (22C) / Lo 53F (12C)

The recorded high for the day might have been 72F (22C) … but it sure felt a lot hotter in the sun!  No matter; we found plenty of places in Historic Santa Fe where we could seek shade.

Santa Fe — meaning “holy faith” in Spanish — was established in 1610, making it the oldest capital in the US; and the oldest city in New Mexico … the Land of Enchantment as the state is nicknamed.  As such, there is a lot of history to enjoy … much of it preserved in landmarks in and around the city.

After a long travel day, we took it easy this morning, heading into downtown Santa Fe close to 11:00a.  Our first stop was the Visitor Center, across the street from the State Capitol.  Our goal was to get an idea of a few things to do in the immediate vicinity — both on good-weather days as well as rainy ones.  Turns out we didn’t have to worry about the 40% chance of rain forecasted … all the wet stuff we got today fell overnight and into the wee hours of this morning.

Colorado to New Mexico … Travel Day

Wednesday, 8 July 2015
Santa Fe Skies RV Park — Santa Fe, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 80F (27C) / Lo 52F (11C)

Colorado to New Mexico — a new-to-us state … with or without the Phaeton.  We drove through New Mexico on the way to our month-long stay in Colorado Springs, but since we didn’t overnight, that passage doesn’t count in my book.

Our 342-mile (547 km) travel day brought us from Colorado Springs to Santa Fe.  I know, I know … that’s longer than what most of you like to drive on a travel day.  It’s a little more than what we prefer to drive as well, but it really was an easy one … a straight shot down I-25 South; with only one “real” pass — the Raton Pass — just before entering NM.  I even managed to wrest the wheel from Mui for a while and drove 60 miles (96 km) from one rest area to the next ;-)

USAFA: Let's Take a Tour

Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado
Temps: Hi 61F (16C) / Lo 54F (12C)

Brrr!  Turned on the heater today and yesterday.  A cold front parked itself over us and cooled things down considerably.  Not complaining; enjoyed the change of pace from what, by my standards at least, were rather hot days … especially at the altitude we’re sitting at.

Two drizzly days, preceded by a couple of big afternoon/evening downpours, put the kibosh on our plans to hike the trails on the USAFA campus during our self-imposed confinement over the 4th of July long weekend.  What can I say … we prefer to hunker down and stay out of the way during holidays.  It wasn’t that the rain was continuous; rather there was enough of it falling to make the dirt trails a muddy mess.

No matter, we still managed to get out here and there.  And we used the time at home to plan our route for the next leg of our trip; complete a few errands; get the awning fixed … it was extending, but not retracting; and have the LCD panel on my Mac replaced a second time … turns out the first panel had what I can only describe as an Ebola virus-like squiggle behind the screen.  Mui even managed to drag me shopping to pick up a few casual chic outfits for our fall cruise.  But that’s an entirely different story.

USAFA Map — need one to help us get around!          

Miramont Castle: Exhibits & High Tea … and a Mural-Wander Around Manitou Springs

Thursday, 2 July 2015 (Part II)
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado

In addition to being an interesting historic venue to tour, Miramont Castle is a museum-within-a-museum kind of place, with several exhibits housed in rooms on the property.  In my previous post, I wrote a bit about the history of the castle and took you on a virtual tour of the rooms that are open to the public.   Now let’s briefly visit the exhibits.

Manitou Springs: Miramont Castle

Thursday, 2 July 2015 (Part I)
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado
Temps: Hi 76F (24C) / Lo 57F (14C)

Our days in CoS are winding down — fast.  Alternating sightseeing and hiking with relaxing at home, we found the days flew by too quickly.  So much to still see and do in the area.

Some might say that we should have spent more time exploring, but we like the pace we set ourselves … quite different from our “vacation” mode trips when we are traveling without the Phaeton.

Glimpse of the Miramont Castle Gardens.

Don’t let the patch of blue sky in the photo above fool you … it was momentary … here one minute; gone the next.  In fact, the skies threatened rain, with a high chance of precipitation in the forecast.  Figuring that an indoor activity would be preferable to the hike we planned to do, we looked to see what was available in the immediate area.  None of the museums enticed us, however, so we decided to check out a “castle” instead!