Day 17: Sante Fe, New Mexico today

We awoke to blue skies, sun and a brisk breeze.  Before breakfast, we set off to check out a roadside attraction we read about.  Cadillac Ranch was conveniently located about a mile away from the RV park, so we also got in a good walk.  This is what we saw, in a field:

Ten vintage Cadillacs, nose-down, half buried.  This quirky work of art has been around for forty years, and folks still come to see it.  Some bring spray paint with their cameras and add their own graffiti to the layers of paint already there.
For a full report on the history behind this, log on to http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2220
The only unfortunate result of this strange practice is that the field remains littered with used spray cans.

The owners of the RV park did not want to be outdone.  They created this effect outside the office:

Texans have a good sense of humor!

The Cadillacs reminded me of the other strange phenomenon we saw in the desert in Niland,California. Leonard Knight created a religious mound which he painted and decorated over the years.  Today, that too is a popular site, visited by folks from all over the world.

By 10AM, we were off, facing 270 miles ahead of us before arriving in Sante Fe.  I had a song stuck in my head: All my exes live in Texas....
For the next 60 miles, we drove through flat, dry Texan terrain. Never-ending convoys of trucks passed us constantly.  We saw some planted fields, a few cattle ranches, mostly dry grassland, several more abandoned gas stations and roadside restaurants, and a line of windmills that followed the road for several miles.  The windmill fins, my DH pointed out to me, were pointing north, the direction the wind was coming from.  I didn't know that they are able to move!  The windmills were active this morning, judging by how many "cartwheels" these three-legged monsters were doing in the brisk wind.
Other than that, and a couple of houses here and there, there was nothing and no one else in this vast empty space.  I wondered why anyone would live here or want to.  

this vintage windmill looked like a toy compared to the modern giants

About 13 miles from the border, the topography changed dramatically.  We were driving through scrub land, dotted with cacti, and mesas popping up around us. This was the desert.

I had a good chuckle at this final exit in Texas - EXIT 0.












It took just over an hour from the time we left this morning to cross into New Mexico, our 8th state now. We were in Mountain Time zone, gaining an hour.  Clever Ginny alerted us that we had crossed the border and that we changed time zones.  








The desert landscape continued, with its mesas poking above the flat and barren terrain.  DH remarked that this looked like cowboy land.
About 35 miles later, we begin to climb slightly, and the terrain became more rocky.  I noticed train tracks following alongside the highway. Eventually a train rumbled past.  Out of nowhere, cattle would appear,scattered in the dry scrub, their ebony color making them stand out. I once noticed four deer among them and it seemed strange to see them with the black cattle.  There must be ranchers living out here in this desert wilderness after all.
We pulled over in Santa Rosa for a quick break and a bite to eat.  Ginny let us know that we are at 4,000 feet now.  Then we continued for another hour, the scenery remaining constant and predictable. 

if we were approaching a turn off to a small town, rows of faded billboards
enticed you to pull off and stop there

Eventually we turned off towards Sante Fe.  In the distance, mountain tops encircled us.  The rest of the drive was pretty as we continued to drive through hilly terrain dotted with green shrubs.  
There was a dusting of snow on the highest peaks.

I spied my first adobe homes on the outskirts of the city.  They blend in so well with the surroundings that it took me a while to realize these were homes.  I do like them!  

Santa Fe is nestled 7,000 feet above sea level.  Tomorrow we plan to go exploring.  For today, we made our way to the RV park and set up. It felt good to get off the road, stretch our legs, and take another brisk walk after a well-deserved cup of tea.