Days 27, 28, & 29 Santa Fe, NM / October 11-13

Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, was part of the initial Route 66 alignment in 1926 but was eliminated from Route 66 in 1937, reducing the total Route 66 mileage by 90 miles.  Whether reducing the distance of Route 66 was the reason for re-routing the Mother Road in New Mexico, or whether it was the target of political spite of a governor who blamed Santa Fe for his failure to be re-elected --- our caravan surely did not want to miss this awesome city!  



But first, a visit to the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa, NM.  The juke box was blaring as we entered the museum on a Sunday morning! Wait!  -- Is that Sandy, Virginia and Pat rocking to the music with Elvis?!  

So many cars to inspect and admire!

Our caravan travel days are structured to give us each the freedom to travel at our own pace and take in as much as we'd like. One such optional opportunity was the Pecos National Historical Park, site of the remains of Indian pueblos from 1640 to 1800 A.D. 

After a full travel day, Tina Poole, CEO of Adventure Caravans, surprised us by showing up at our campground ---- and bringing her famous margarita machine!  
Party ON! 







Tailgunner Rick Gilbert made the quesadillas, while Wagonmasters Terry and Barry Klein and Tailgunner Sharon put the final touches on a full course dinner of (New) Mexico classics!  What a feast!  Me gusta!  

Terry Klein leads the group in a toast.   Barry gave us an overview of upcoming Adventure Caravan tours.  And Tina enjoys a good party!  








Our first full day in Santa Fe began with a trolley tour of the downtown area. Clarice drove us through historic neighborhoods, the arts district, and transitional neighborhoods with residences, shops and galleries.  


We also visited the Georgia O'Keefe gallery, the Museum of Folk Art, NM Museum of Fine Arts, and the NM Museum of Indian Arts.  While most of the museums forbid photography, there were beautiful and unique exhibits in each.  In the downtown plaza, we enjoyed shopping from the artisans and wonderful frito pies and burritos from the street vendors.  

Our evening was a Route 66 Dinner and Dance Party at the home of Clarice, our trolley tour guide.  Complete with DJ and all the tunes of Route 66, and decked out in our Route 66 finest, we rocked the neighborhood with our renditions You Ain't Nothin But a Hounddog, Blueberry Hill, Moon River, and Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree.

Pat & Tom Whittaker, Claudia Lee and Virginia Nehring give an enthusiastic effort with Moon River. 

Randy & Liz Bradley, Nick Mellinger, and Joyce & Gary Weiss debut as The Hound Dogs!

Rick & Sharon Gilbert (hiding behind Rick), Sandy & Gunter Oeser and Barry & Terry Klein ham it up on Blueberry Hill.  Coordinating our arm movements needs a little more practice!

And the evening would not have been complete without dancing!

Our Route 66 themed dinner and dance party was a huge success --- with a step back in time that brought energy and lots of laughter.  Santa Fe will be remembered as a Good Time!  

After an evening of partying, we began the next morning with omelets in a bag  ----- the lightest, fluffiest, most perfect omelets ever!  Onions, sausage, cheddar, feta, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, peppers --- what more do we need?  Salsa, sour cream, hot sauce --- Terry Klein had it all!  And we're still trying to figure out Barry's secret for such fluffy eggs in a bag!  

Terry expertly seals each bag for perfect omelets! Maybe that's the secret to such fluffy eggs? 


And here is the fine fresh air kitchen where Barry and Rick boiled the eggs in a bag. 

Santa Fe was a wonderful city --- full of art, and history, and a blending of cultures.  We enjoyed all of that…but sometimes it's the simple things that our group enjoys!  Pedicures, and a few manicures, all around! What a fun morning ladies!  

On to Albuquerque next!