by laura beth

The love for New Mexico continues. Santa Fe is amazing. The art, the colors, the people, the history, the food (still), and the weather. This being my first trip to New Mexico, I didn't know what to expect, and assumed it wouldn't be much different than Arizona. I love Arizona, and although the two states are similar, northern New Mexico has that special...je ne sais quoi.

We parked the moho at a visitor's center as we looked around town, walking around the plaza, checking out the shops and art. We ate at the Blue Corn Cafe (great food!) and I had the most delicious tortilla soup, chile relleno, and local brew. I loved it so much, we came back to eat it again the next day.

Our second day in Santa Fe, we checked out the historic churches. Santa Fe means "holy faith" and it's patron saint is Francis of Assisi (my favorite saint!). We first visited Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. Then went on to the Loretto Chapel, home of an amazing and beautiful spiral staircase, built by a stranger. Read about it here. That evening we attended mass (a first for Kenny) at San Miguel Mission, arguably the the oldest church in the U.S. We visited a few gift shops filled with beautiful crosses, retablos (a new interest for me), icons, and rosaries. It was a great day of history, amazing architecture, and wonderful art.

Santa Fe was also home to Georgia O'Keefe for years, and inspiration for many of her paintings. Next time I'd like to visit the Georgia O'Keefe museum.


We found the local KOA, and stayed for two nights free, in exchange for a listing on RVTY. The campground was great, and the staff were friendly.