September 16, 2021
It always takes me a few days to get into vacation mode, where I can really just be lazy and relax and enjoy myself. At first, I always feel like I should be doing something at all times, and today I’m still feeling like that. But I did get to do some more vacation-like stuff today.
I got up and packed up my things in the motel in Las Vegas, and had a tiny sack breakfast, then hit the road. First stop was the Pecos National Historic Park. I got briefed by the volunteer outside the visitor center, and got a map of the main trail around the ruins. And then I went inside and browsed through the gift shop, watched a short film about what I was about to see, and then walked through the museum.
The main trail here goes around and through Pecos Pueblo and the adjacent Catholic church that the Spaniards built right next door. In fact, they built four Catholic churches there over the course of a couple hundred years. The first was a tiny experimental affair, and then the second was a huge cathedral with buttresses and everything. But then the locals destroyed it in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. But of course the Spanish came back and built a temporary church, and then a bigger one on top of the ruins of the previous big one. But Pecos was on the decline by the time the new church was finished, and the remaining inhabitants of the pueblo moved in with their relatives in another pueblo about 80 miles away.
My favorite type of landscape – red dirt and piñon pines 
Remains of the fourth church at Pecos Pueblo 
Shorty is having second thoughts about descending the ladder into the reconstructed kiva 
Inside of the kiva 
Some of the original stonework of the kiva, artistically showing through the plaster 
Another view of the church ruins, with a big tent for the archaeologists to work under
I drove into the modern village of Pecos, but didn’t see anything that caught my interest, so I drove on to Santa Fe for lunch. In keeping with my theme of trying to eat New Mexican style food everywhere I can, I got an open faced hamburger smothered in red chile. Of course you can order it with green or Christmas, instead.
Then I drove to Albuquerque and checked into a new hotel near Old Town, which would be my home for the next two nights.
After a shopping trip to Whole Foods to stock up on food and booze (they sell beer, wine, liquor, and pre-made cocktails there), I had a nap and a shower and then walked to a restaurant for supper that specializes in using local ingredients, called 66 Acres. I had a cocktail called The Manhattan Project (a Manhattan made with bourbon from Taos) and for a main course I had New Mexico Shrimp & Grits, which has green chile in the grits and red chile on the shrimp.
I hope you find what you’re looking for on your jorney!
Thanks. I’m not really sure what I’m looking for, except learning and relaxing.
Man, I sure could eat like that with no problem!