A day in three parts

Part one - where we make it down the hill and Relax

Turns out, Mario was right. We sleep in some, and are woken up by the sound of cars driving up the steep mountain climb to the ski resort, and in all kinds of vehicles, too. And the road looks good. And I breathe a sigh of relief - looks like the descent will be manageable after all. We warm up with some oatmeal, because it's still ridiculously cold out there, unplug the campervan and then head down into Santa Fe. Our plan for this morning is to soothe away all the stress from the previous day in the mineral baths of Santa Fe, specifically at the Ojo Santa Fe Resort and Spa. Northern New Mexico is dotted with wonderful hot springs, some natural, some harnessed, and so we couldn't leave the state before giving the healing waters a try, now could we?

Upon arriving, we find out that the pond-side pools are unfortunately closed for maintenance, but that the Sages Pool and Heated Salt water tub are both available, and they will be letting less people in as a result, so we head in, change, and get to the difficult business of soaking our worries away. The pools are a wonderful 102 degrees F, and we stay until our fingers are pruny and we feel absolutely poached, but oh-so-relaxed that I think I basically float my way back to the campervan. It was a very welcome break at this point in our cross-country drive. Onwards!

Part two - where we wander Santa Fe and eat the BEST tacos

The next part of the plan was to wander around the pretty little historic centre of Santa Fe, with all of its Santa Fe-style adobe buildings in rich red earthy tones, admire the wares in the boutiques, and the art in the gallery windows. Santa Fe is also a hub for art, particularly art reflecting New Mexico, so it just has this posh feel to it. But we are hungry, and so nothing will impress until we find something to eat. Mario spots a pub as we walk, and after a quick look at the menu, we decide this will be good enough as they have tacos. 

Turns out, we chose THE place for tacos in town, as we find out later at the tourism bureau. El Cajellon seems like a mix of Southwest flavour with British Pub style - it even has a Premier League game playing on the big screens. But the tacos, what they are known for, are the real highlight. Served 3 to a portion, very unassuming on overused white oval diner plates, there is little in the way of presentation, but oh man, do they ever deliver in flavour! I get the slow-cooked Carne Barbacoa beef tacos, and Mario orders the Al Pastor tacos, marinated pork char-grilled with pineapple and onions, and they are all served with spicy guacamole, green chili and fire-roasted red chili salsas. New Mexico is known for its chilis, so everything comes impressively and deliciously spicy. And the more we eat, the more we want. It was just so good - well, it was so good, Mario stopped watching the soccer to concentrate on how good the food was. Believe me, that reaction was very well-received by our waiter!

After stuffing our faces with delicious tacos, we head out to wander around Santa Fe. The wind was whipping up the streets, and chilling us down, so we made a point of ducking into shopping arcades and boutiques often, taking the time to warm up and hide from the weather. We also visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, with its beautifully-painted interior. We try to find a bookshop because I was looking to recreate those amazing tacos, but with no luck - they were either closed or specialized in things that were not cookbooks. Onwards! 

Part three - where we taste fantastic wines and enjoy the night air

One of the most interesting things I found in my research when looking at Santa Fe was the Gruet winery tasting room, tucked away in the lobby of the St. Francis hotel. Gruet is a local producer of sparkling wines, started by a frenchman back in the 1980s, Gilbert Gruet, and using the traditional Champenois technique. That means the wines are basically Champagne, only not, because they are not made in the Champagne region of France. Very promising. So we head into the cozy little tasting room, snag a comfy table at the back of the bar, and proceed to taste ALL of the bubbles. Mario and I each order a 4-wine tasting flight, both different, and get to try out both the whites made with Chardonnay grapes, the rosés made with Pinot Noir, and of course, several blends of the two. We try some non-vintage wines, blended in large quantities to ensure standardized quality of the product, but also some vintage wines, either because they are of a specific year, or of a specific grape, like the Pinot Meunier Reserve that contained ONLY grapes grown in New Mexico, and on vines grown only on Native Lands. That last one was a special tasting offered to us but our waiter, who was both incredibly informative, but also very friendly and easy to talk to - it made the tasting that much more personal. We came away with two favorites: the Blanc de Blancs 2018 and the Gilbert Gruet Grande Reserve 2016, and there may be a couple of bottle bouncing around in the back of the campervan for later drinking. Onwards!

And that was supposed to be the end of our big Santa Fe adventures, so time to make the climb back up the ski hill...

Yeah, in the end, we decide we didn't want to have to navigate back to the campsite. Plus, it was effectively adding another hour onto our driving time tomorrow. And really? It was only 14 dollars for the night...So instead, we head back down out of Santa Fe towards Albuquerque, opting instead to stay the night at our mainstay this trip, Love's Travel Stop. Except this time, they were less inviting. In fact, we're basically told that the stop is primarily for truckers, as it is too busy, so if we want to park on the shoulder of the highway, that would be okay. Otherwise, we could head 3 exits up the road to the local Walmart. Needing groceries, we relent and get back into the van.

Back at the Grand Canyon, we stopped on the side of the road of the road for some beef jerky after having been enticed by the vendor's signs that reminded us of the Burma Shave ones. As we drove away, he called to us, "Don't stop at any sketchy jerky stands!" Good advice, that, and can be applied to a multitude of situations. Such as a Walmart. Think a place can have too much security? Is there a turning point at which the level of security goes from instilling a feeling of safety to invoking a feeling of uncomfort and fear? With officers inside, patrols outside, and at least 3 portable police camera stations in the parking lot, we question our safety spending the night here. Pair that with the fact that not a single camper is here, and we leave as soon as we put the groceries away. Instead, we find safety and security in numbers and in the parking of the Cracker Barrel not 5 minutes down the road. It feels like being in a campground - and we sleep great