The Adventures of Gypsy-Jackie

So nice to be at a lower elevation! I feel like I can breathe again. Yesterday was just a day of travel that ended about 2AM this morning.  Long day that began by checking out of my Airbnb ( link ).  This was just an OK stay even though I had an awesome space.  My host was kind of loud AND a night owl so I didn't sleep well at all. I went to Santa Fe hoping to see Meow Wolf but the line was still crazy long, even on a Wednesday morning!  Since it was still cold and rainy, I opted to not wait.  Oh well!  There is so much to see and do in New Mexico if I ever go back. Only a few interesting things happened yesterday.  I actually had a tumbleweed ( link ) cross the road in front of me on the way to to Albuquerque.  How authentically Southwest is that! I saw physicist Michio Kaku ( link ) at the Albuquerque airport.  So weird when you see famous people in person...especially when their black pants are too short and you can'...

Sun!  I woke to a beautiful, sunny, cold day!  Yes!  I went to the The Taos Earthship colony ( link ) for a tour.  It was kind of disappointing as all there was to see was a Visitor Center.  Tours are only available with 2 week's notice.  I get it, these are people's homes, but still a let down. I then drove on down the road to Tres Piedras to see more of the country.  The Taos area is not as nice as Santa Fe.  Lots of run down homes and dilapidated cars in the front yard.  Once I made my way back to Taos I went to the Taos Puebla ( link ).  It's the oldest continually inhabited community in the U.S. dating backing 1,000 years. When I drove up to the Puebla I decided I just wasn't feeling it...so I went back to town.  What I could see was enough to tell me this wasn't going to be an uplifting stop.  I probably should have stopped...but that's one of the joys of traveling alone!  If you're not feeling it you don't hav...

I woke to snow yesterday!  I had about 2 inches on my car to clear off before heading out.  Thank goodness my host left me a ice scraper/brush thing!  I went to the Plaza and walked around until I found a coffee shop.  It was COLD out and overcast so no sun to warm things up.  The Taos Plaza was not nearly as impressive as the one in Santa Fe.  But still worth a stop.  I went into the old Courthouse building to look at the fresco's which are impressive - but a little heavy handed in the way they were obviously trying to influence/manipulate the locals. After a quick stop at the Taos Visitors Center, I drove out to the Royal Gorge Bridge.  Amazing scenery but also a little unnerving when a semi drove over the bridge while I was walking on it.  It didn't take long for me to decide I'd had enough of that! Since it was so cold and overcast it was a good day for a drive.  So I drove the "Enchanted Circle Tour".  This goes from Taos...

Not much to report about yesterday.  I woke up late, went to a coffee shop to write and then tried to go to Meow Wolf ( link ).  I've been putting off Meow Wolf until my last day and when I got there the line was a half a block long - outside - in the rain.  Nope!  I'm really disappointed that I didn't make it there because I've heard so much about it.  I'm now hoping to stop on my way back to the airport on Wednesday.  Fingers crossed! Since it was cold and rainy I decided to just drive to Taos earlier than planned (Ha!  As if I have a plan!).  I'm sure the drive is gorgeous, but the rain and fog hampered my view.  I'm feeling lucky to have had such nice weather so far. Once I arrived in town I was surprised to see the population of 5,763 on the city limits sign.  For some reason I thought it would be much bigger.  A local I meet said "Taos' reputation is much larger than it actually is"  So true.  I wondered around t...

The title of this post is a little misleading...it should say Los Alamos - Day 1.  I've always heard of Los Alamos in regards to the Manhattan Project and the atomic bomb and I wondered if there was more to the town.  So I drove the 45 minutes up there and WOW what a drive...such pretty scenery. My first stop was the Los Alamos history museum ( link ) where I lucked out.  There was a 1 1/2 hour walking tour starting 10 minutes after I arrived!  Yes!  The history of the area dates back to natives then settlers and then a prep school called the Los Alamos Ranch School ( link ) and finally "The Lab".  The tour guide was a local who worked 27 years at the Los Alamos National Lab ( link ) and she was a very good guide. At the time the government took over the Ranch School for the war effort there was only the school and about 32 families of settlers in the area.  Apparently the government was looking for a desolate area that had some resources already e...

I went to the Santa Fe Plaza yesterday and explored ( link ).  The Plaza is surrounded by shops of all kinds.  Some very high end and some very touristy.  All interesting and fun to explore.  The cool thing about the Plaza (as well as Old Town Albuquerque) is that every small alley opens up to a Piazza ( link ) that is also surrounded by shops and restaurants.  Very, very nice place to amble around and explore.  The altitude in Santa Fe is 7,199 and it's really been getting to me.  Nothing bad, just hard to catch my breath.  While exploring the Plaza I was getting a little concerned about the shortness of breath, but then I checked my Fitbit and saw that I'd walked over 4 miles.  No wonder! I stopped for lunch just off the Plaza at the San Francisco Street Bar and Grill.  Very nice place!  I had the most amazing tostatdas.  I've had awesome food in the Southwest.  Most of it not vegan - but oh well!  After lunch...

I have a car!  Yes!!  But now I'm getting to experience first hand what all of my Lyft drivers have said...people in Albuquerque do not know how to drive.  Oh well, I'm headed to Santa Fe! I picked up my car at 9:00 AM and went straight to the Sandia Peak Ski & Tramway ( link ).  I had to wait about 30 minutes to go up the tram, not bad at all!  I was told to get there early before it gets crowded and before the winds pick up (they will stop the tram if the winds are too high).  By the time I left it was a 2 hour wait!  The guide said that on a good day you can see 9% of New Mexico from the top!  Such an amazing view!  I hiked about 2.5 miles through the Aspen and Pine.  Such a cool experience!  But it was at 10,000 feet and I'm not sure I've caught my breath yet! If you're ever in the area and don't want to take the tram, there is a road that will get you to the top of the mountain, but not to the tram terminal....