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!