ADVENTURES OF DAVE AND DIMPLES VOL 1.22

ENCHANTING SAYS IT ALL...

Spiral and Chili-Rista

So we crawl out of Chaco… and head back to civilization.  We stop in Espanola, NM, which is about 22 miles north of Santa Fe.  We check into the Cottonwood RV Park.  The park is for sale and has seen better days but it’s reasonably priced, has WIFI and a Laundry room.  Dave needs his oil changed and Dimples is frankly a mess inside and out. 

On the suggestion of one of the park workers we stop at El Paraqua for lunch.  El Paraqua is a hidden gem in Espanola. (Well not all that hidden.  Every major food critic including the NY Times, Frommers and Gourmet Magazine have positively reviewed this restaurant.)  We are so NOT disappointed! With the first bite of my Stuffed Sopapilla smothered with Carnitas, my taste buds are singing arias! Chris practically licks his plate as he finishes his Huevos Rancheros.  In fact the food is so outstanding that we return later that evening for dinner.  The margaritas are mixed to perfection, the clam strip appetizer crisp and juicy, the Trio of Enchiladas (ground beef, chorizo and steak) mouthwatering, the Chili Rellenos Y Carnitas are light and the beef tender and flavorful, And the Sopapillias… ah the Sopapillias… that accompany each entre…. are light, and puffy, with a family secret seasonings… (I think it’s heroine because I now dream of these LOL) We finish with a couple of Mexican coffees and the flan, yum yum yum!!! This is Northern New Mexico cuisine of the highest caliber.

The next morning Dave goes in for oil change and lube job at the local GMC dealer.  On the way back, Chris stops at El Parasol, (The original take out taco stand that spawned El Paraqua)  for some quick take out.  The breakfast burritos are to die for.  This is fast food for the foodie in all of us!

Santa Fe Style

Although Espanola is relatively close to Santa Fe, we would like to get more urban. We e-mail a former neighbor Moni Vancamp, (who with her husband, Gregory Kondos owns a home in Santa Fe) asking for dining recommendations etc.  We are pleasantly surprised to learn that Moni and her girlfriend, Barbara will be in Santa Fe the coming weekend.  So after taking Dimples to a self-service car wash and cleaning off the desert grime, we head into Santa Fe.  Here we stay at the Trailer Ranch RV resort. Although it’s located on a busy thoroughfare, it’s quiet and has great WIFI.  There is also an El Parasol take out right down the street… YEAH!! When checking in we meet some fellow full-time Airstreamers and discover that they are the creators of the Ginger Goes Glamping Blog! (Woo Hoo… rubbing elbows with celebrities!)  But wait… it gets better…

We meet up with Moni and Barbara on Saturday morning at the Tesque flea market. Barbara is a producer of organic extra virgin olive oils from a grove planted in 1888 by her grandfather on her family’s ranch (Martell Ranch) in Solano County, CA.  I wish I could direct you to a website where you too could purchase some of this wonderful olive oil, but alas the website is pending… but the oil is spectacular (thank you Barbara!) Moni introduces us to Alex, who sells museum quality turquoise jewelry.  We learn a lot and admire but we let Moni and Barbara do all of the purchasing LOL.  We did get some great spices from Chef Abdul Wasabi.  Afterwards we have brunch at the Tesque Market where the Green Chili Stew is spicy and flavorful and the Huevos Rancheros heavenly.  Northern New Mexico chefs sure know their stuff!

We return to Santa Fe and leave Dave at Moni’s house near downtown and head off to do a little shopping and gallery browsing.  Browsing galleries with Moni who is an art consultant is always informative and entertaining.  We finally end up back at Moni’s where we meet up with Barbara’s friend Joe Dan Lowry.  Joe Dan’s family owns the Turquoise Museum in Albuquerque and is the author of THE most comprehensive book about these lovely blue and green stones.  Joe Dan answers questions about turquoise, but he’d rather talk about all of those things we are supposed to avoid in polite company.  The discussions are lively and thought provoking and revolve around our common humanity.  It is refreshing to have real adult conversations without any avarice or hurt feelings.

Santa Fe is a mecca for seekers of great: shopping, food, art galleries and Museums.

Native Vendor

So let’s talk shopping.  Outside of the downtown there are strip malls and big box stores.  We stop at Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up a replacement for our Simple Human soap dispenser. Our model has been discontinued, but they have a floor model and they swap out our broken part at no charge. (SWEET!) The shopping downtown offers a plethora of boutiques and Native American vendors selling handcrafted jewelry and wares.  Here we pick up a small Acoma pot by Anne Lewis to add to our small collection, some tin Dia de Los Muertos figures to decorate Dimples, and a lovely Indian inspired belt to hold up Chris’ pants that seem to be increasing in size as we travel about.  At Diva jewelers, Chris has the broken opal in his wedding ring replaced with a piece of spider web turquoise.  I also have my wedding ring sized down… it was falling off due to weight loss.  Overall we are good and don’t go too crazy with the purchases.

Now Food… ah… if we keep this up… all of our advances in weight loss may be lost!

Our first attempt to grab a bite is at the Plaza Café.  Somehow we are invisible and after sitting for over fifteen minutes with no acknowledgement and watching patrons who were seated after us get drinks and service.

We leave and head across the plaza to Rooftop Pizzeria where we enjoy a Chicken pizza with green chili and pine nuts and nice glass of Chardonnay and a dark draft oatmeal stout.

On another foray into town we grab lunch at the Blue Corn Café.  Their enchiladas are wonderful and the Corn Chipotle Chowder filling and bursting with flavor.  Their Sopapillias don’t compare to El Paraqua, but they are nevertheless light and tasty.  

YUM YUM
with a twist

A hankering for sushi leads us to San Q  in Burro Alley where we sit at the sushi bar and allow the chef to prepare his choice of offerings of his freshest sashimi and a custom unagi roll with a Santa Fe twist. It’s fun to eat off the menu! Chris finishes off his meal with a wonderful bowl of Oyako Donbori (a Japanese comfort food.)  At the New Mexico History Museum’s Cowden Café we share a Frito Pie, a tasty (albeit junk food) regional favorite. 

Of course, we stop at El Parasol a couple of times to grab, some of their tasty burritos and yummy Chilaquiles. (Chris is exceptionally fond of the corned beef burritos.)

Art Galleries are everywhere offering pieces by local and international artists for every taste and pocketbook.

Loretto Chapel

And then there are the museums.  Wonderful world-class museums!  Our first stop is the Loretto Chapel to view the “miracle staircase.”  This is something I heard about as a child and although we don’t buy into the mysticism it is part of the cultural heritage of the city.  Since we are seeking culture, we purchase a Culture Pass that grants access to 14 museums and monuments in the state. Four are located in Santa Fe. We spend three days exploring two of them.  

Museum of Indian
Art & Culture

The New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors gives the visitor an in-depth comprehensive view into the stories that made the American West, from the prehistoric indigenous people through the colonial occupation by Spain, The Mexican era, Statehood, the development of the atomic bomb and on up to the present.  The Museum of Indian Art and Culture is a real treat.  A panel Native American Curators and others designed the exhibits.  The ongoing exhibit, Here, Now and Always takes us on a journey from the pre historic beginnings to present day experiences of the Southwest indigenous peoples.  Relics from Chaco Canyon fill in some of the gaps in our understanding of the complexity of the culture and a museum employee points out a thousand plus year old net made from human hair measuring over 150 feet long and tells us of its unlikely discovery in a cave buried in bat guano. Fascinating!  This is one of the most comprehensive collections of Southwest Indian tools, art and artifacts. The current exhibit featuring works by third generation native contemporary artist Margarete Bagshaw excites us.  “Breaking the Rules,” says it all! Her works are modern, visually stunning and retain a native sensibility in fresh and exciting ways. Much to our dismay... photography is not allowed in any of these museums :-(

We also catch a showing of the film Cloud Atlas at the local Cineplex. Although this movie has received mixed reviews, we found it stimulating and fully enjoyable.

Chili-Rista's everywhere!

Santa Fe is in the news this week… seems the actor Gene Hackman bitch slapped some homeless guy who called Gene’s wife the C-word…. We didn’t see it but we were just around the corner in the museum when it happened…

So after a week here in and all of this blatant name dropping… We think we should stay another week… the weather in perfect and there is just way too much more to do here!

k

THE ADVENTURES OF DAVE AND DIMPLES VOL 1.21

TRIPLE A: ANCIENTS, ASTRONOMY AND ARCHITECTURE…

The drive from Mesa Verde through Durango and on southward is beautiful. We are chasing the fall colors. The hills vibrate with brilliant yellows and reds under the cloudless azure skies.  Our destination: The Chaco Canyon National Historic Site. There is no easy way into the park, every route includes travel over rough dirt roads.  We call ahead en route to assure that there is room in the first come first serve basis campground. (Dragging and bouncing Dimples through the dirt only to be turned away has zero appeal!) We are assured that there should be space in the campground AND we are warned to drive slow as the road condition is heavy washboard.  Armed with this knowledge we turn off the main Highway onto County Road 7900 – its paved and in pretty good condition… and then onto CR 7950… also paved for a few miles and then turns to gravel and then to dirt…really bumpy dirt!  Now the key to driving a car or truck on washboard is to go faster than you think and pretty much drive on the tops of the divots… this is NOT the method when towing a trailer… when towing, SLOW as in REALLY, REALLY SLOW… it is the only way to avoid serious damage… Since this is the first time that we are attempting to take Dimples off pavement, I volunteer to sit in the back and see how things hold up.   After a few bone shaking miles we stop and assess… The kitchen sink is loose – SO… Slow… as in walking speed is the only way!

We finally arrive at Chaco and secure a space at the back end of the campground. The campground is tucked along cliffs sporting petroglyphs and a few small ruins, there is a spectacular view of Fajada Butte and we are intrigued! This is dry camping but they have a dump station and potable water available.  We plan to stay a few days.  After setting up, we head to the visitor center to pay our fees, check the schedule of Ranger talks, the weather report and information about backcountry hikes.  That evening we start planning.

Hungo Pavi

Our first experience in the ruins is a ranger lead hike through Hungo Pavi.  This is a mid sized virtually unexcavated site. Late nineteenth century, eyewitness reports described a four-story structure virtually intact. The remains now are barely two stories.   Hungo Pavi like all of the sites was a victim of treasure hunters burning the wood vigas and latillas to keep warm while trashing the buildings searching for pottery and turquoise in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Our Ranger Guide G.B. has lived in Chaco for over 25 years.  He points out the construction and talks a bit about the history and speculations surrounding Chaco.  In the end he states that the only truth is, “Once people lived here and now they don’t.”

We now know that a few days will not be enough to even start to explore this fascinating place.  There are nine sites within the canyon and four backcountry trails.  Stopping at the visitor center we extend our stay… we will be here a whole week and still not see it all!

Every day we explore more of the ruins in the canyon and surrounding mesas.  They are crumbling remains of massive stone buildings that soared to as many as five stories, with engineered water collection systems, line of site communication between locations and a massive road system linking them to outlying communities.  Most thought provoking is that many are built along celestial alignments. 

Rattler

Casa Rinconada

Pueblo Bonito

Penasco Blanco

The backcountry hikes are the best.  The four and a skosh mile South Mesa Trail climbs a cliff for a spectacular view of the great kiva at Casa Rinconada and on up to the high point on South Mesa where we explore the Great House Tsin Kletzin.  The Pueblo Alto Trail leads up the canyon wall via skinny rubble “stairs” in a crack for a spectacular view of Pueblo Bonito and the heart of Chaco.  And our favorite hike; The Penasco Blanco Trail, takes us to… you guessed it… Penasco Blanco a distant unexcavated site that seems to be melting into the landscape.  When we arrive we are alone… well there was this really lovely rattlesnake, but he left shortly after we arrived.  Along the way we pass walls of petroglyphs and the “Super Nova Pictograph.”

Super Nova Pictograph

We celebrate National Fossil Day with a hike guided by the park’s resident paleontologist who explains the park geology and points out fossils.  From this point on, everywhere we look there are fossils embedded in the rocks and littering the roadsides and trails. They are also seen disembarking from tour busses… but that’s another story for another day…

Astronomy is also a huge part of Chaco.  The night skies are dark and well suited for stargazing.  Dale, one of the campground hosts is an amateur astronomer.  On Tuesday and Wednesday nights he sets up his large computer controlled telescope and invites all who are interested to take a peek – or two or ten… it’s really cool!  We also attend a talk by Ron Sutcliff an archaeoastronomer who explains the celestial alignments in Chaco.  Specifically the Great Kiva at Casa Rinconada that is aligned to both the moon and the sun. His book “Moon Tracks, Lunar Horizon Patterns” now holds the distinction of being one of the very select few non-digital books we own. Chaco also has the distinction of being the only national site with it’s own observatory.  After Ron’s talk we are treated to views from the observatory telescope and two other large telescopes set up nearby.

All in all, Chaco is a fascinating and intriguing.  There are as many opinions about Chaco as there are visitors… (Google it and waste a day or two scratching the surface.) Yes everyone has an opinion as to the why and what about Chaco.  Our take on Chaco… It is testament to the observational skills of humanity and the ability to translate those observations into the physical.

So enough of this dry camping in the desert… we need to brave the washboard road, crawl out of here and seek some citification… Santa Fe sounds pretty good….

k

THE ADVENTURES OF DAVE AND DIMPLES VOL 1.20

THE SEARCH FOR ANCESTRAL PUEBLOANS…

Hovenweep Castle

Heading south from Moab on Hwy 191 we turn off onto less traveled roads to Hovenweep National Monument.  We find a lovely spot at the Hovenweep campground.  The spaces dedicated to RV use are wide, level and come with their own sun shaded picnic table and fire ring.  This is dry camping at it’s best.

The park is known mainly for six village groups of the Ancient Puebloans, but this area was also inhabited by the hunter and gather Paleo-Indians for around eight thousand years prior to the arrival of the early pueblo people around 200 AD.  From 200 to around 900 AD the population of the area grew and finally began to explode around 1,000 AD.  At this time the residents began to move from the mesa tops to the canyon rims and a building boom of check dams, towers and kivas changed the landscape.  These towers and kivas display a fine level of construction and many appear to be more defensive structures, situated near water resources.  All of these structures are astronomically aligned both (solar and lunar) for keeping time and tracking the seasons.

Tower

The Little Ruin Canyon is an enjoyable 2-mile round trip hike from the campground.  The views along the canyon rim are spectacular.  We start off in the late afternoon at the first structure a snake crosses our path hissing and rattling.  Now that our adrenalin levels are up we continue around the rim.  Some of the more intriguing structures are: the Square Tower (a three story structure built on top of a large boulder at the head of the canyon) Boulder House (a structure actually inside of a boulder down in the canyon) and the Hovenweep Castle (at the top edge of the canyon.) Estimates place the population here at around five hundred.

Visiting the other ruins involves 4WD, fortunately Dave is up to the challenge!  The road to Cutthroat Castle passes through the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument and we stop to check out the painted hand in one of the ruins.  (An unexpected surprise!) Cutthroat Castle is impressive as are Holly, Horseshoe and Hackberry.  There is a fine level of craftsmanship in these structures and another five to seven hundred ancients called these home.

Cliff House

Next we’re off to Mesa Verde National Park. It’s a short fifty-mile drive and we score a full hook-up campsite in the park.  We can stay only 3 days as the campground is closing for the season.  Mesa Verde is known for the elaborate cliff dwellings that supported a population of approximately 30,000 people. (To put things in perspective, his is 3X the size of the current population of the area.)  Here we book two ranger-guided tours of the Balcony House and the Cliff Palace.  Both of these tours involve climbing up steep ladders and crawling through tunnels.

Balcony House

 One of our favorite sites is the Spruce Tree House.  Here we can explore on our own.  There are a couple of rangers on site to answer questions and keep folks off the walls. The highlight is climbing down into a kiva, which is surprisingly warm considering the cool temps outside. 

Kiva Interior

All of these structures were built in the last years of the Ancestral Puebloan occupation and deserted shortly thereafter.   There is a lot of speculation as to why these people, after completing these structures, left and migrated south.  The best answer we hear is, “Because it was time."

And now for us, it too is time...

We are even more intrigued with this civilization.... so we head next to Chaco Canyon, the largest and most elaborate collection of ancient structures… and one of the earliest to be abandoned…

k

THE ADVENTURES OF DAVE AND DIMPLES VOL 1.19