white sands and adobe

We left CY's new place early in the morning and headed off into New Mexico. We decided to head to Santa Fe today, despite the unseasonably cold temperatures, because our schedule wouldn't work if we came back to it toward the end of the trip. On the way, we saw the exit for White Sands, and we went there first, though it was a bit out-of-the-way.

The park itself was stunning; the eponymous white sands were formed from gypsum on the sea floor millions of years ago. The dunes are constantly moving, so most of them have very little vegetation, leaving them pristine and glistening in the sun. The temperature was in the 40s, but the sky was entirely clear. In the middle of the dunes, the white sands seemed to extend to the horizon, where they met the mountains, and I could hear nothing but the sound of blood flowing to my ears. It was extraordinary, and I was so glad that I went.

After White Sands, we headed more or less directly to Santa Fe. We kept checking our altitude with the GPSr, and by the time we got to Santa Fe, we were at 6,000 feet above sea level. The temperature dropped continually as we approached the city nestled in the mountains as well; the high temperature in Santa Fe today was in the 20s.

Despite the cold, we wandered around the downtown area, entering shops or art galleries when we needed to warm up. Santa Fe is a beautiful city, particularly in the downtown area, and filled with amazing arts and crafts. We walked around until most of the shops had closed, then went hunting for places to eat dinner. It was mostly luck that we found Cafe San Estevan, a restaurant with beautiful Santa Fe ambience. I had chicken enchiladas with a red chile sauce that was delicious but almost too spicy to eat. C had stuffed poblano peppers, which she couldn't stop raving about.

Tomorrow, we head to the Four Corners area and into Arizona. Though we're both tired, thanks to all the driving we're doing, we're keeping (mostly) sane and enjoying watching the landscape change as we travel. The adventure continues!

For pictures, check the photolog to see where we've been so far.