DAY 6-- I LOVE ROCKS!!!!!

Our stay at the Blue Swallow was wonderful. The owners live onsite and there is such a personal touch.  They had recommended that we have breakfast at Kix on 66.  I got Huevos Rancheros with Red and Green chili because Joe said to eat green chili on everything.  It was really good!! 

We started off to explore New Mexico and found that the original route is broken up more here and we had to get on and off the interstate more than the other states.  We still had nice long runs of 66.  We decided to take the Pre 1937 route to Santa Fe.  It was at a higher elevation so started getting a little cooler and more mountainous with snowcaps in the distance. I love rocks, especially the red rock of the west. This is the stuff I've been waiting to see.

At Pecos we stopped at the Pecos Pueblo national historical park.  There were amazing ruins of a pueblo and Spanish Mission Church which was abandoned in 1838.  It was very large and housed 2000 people.  SONNY GOT HIS SENIOR PASS!! For $10 he got a National Park pass that lasts forever and gets him and 4 guests into any national park for free.  He looked forward to his 62nd birthday for that and Social Security.

We left Pecos with the top down and the road starting climbing and the temp started lowering.  We stopped at Bobcat Bite for lunch.  It a popular roadside place that is famous for their 10 oz burgers.  We got the green chili cheeseburger and it was fabulous.  Got to talking with the couple next to us and told them what we were doing and everyone on the patio got really interested and asked us questions.  Half of them hoped to do it too someday. 

This burger was an inch thick!

We walked around in Old Town Santa Fe and went to the Georgia O'Keefe Museum but it would have cost $12 each to go in and we really aren't art buffs so decided to skip it. 

The Basillica was a beautiful old church. 

The Miraculous Staircase is an interesting story.  It is locacted in the Loretto Chapel and was built in the 1870's by a "mysterious carpenter" that showed up and built the staircase for the nuns then disappeared without pay or thanks.  Sounds like an angel to me!!

              The top picture is now but the bottom is a picture of the original without any railings

From there we headed for Alberquerque and past many beautiful rock formations.  We drove to a lower elevation and it warmed up from 68 to 85 in a short time.  We came in Central Avenue (RT 66) and passed several old motels.  We stopped at the Monterey Non-Smokers Motel.  It has been restored very well and was only $67 a night plus tax.

 This is only 2 blocks from Old Town and was an easy walk to dinner at the recommended Church Street Cafe.  It was behind the old church on the square.  Everything is spanish stucco style architecture just like I imagined the southwest to be.

Roswell Alien amber with our mexican food

We came back to the hotel and got to see the neon lit up at out motel and the neighboring El Don Motel.  Tomorrow we will explore more of NM on our way to Arizona.   Lights out!! It's been a good day!!