Naked Southwest

We packed up the car for our drive south to Santa Fe. A string a small towns (Antonito, Tres Piedras, etc.) before we made a little detour to Taos. We crossed the dramatic Rio Grande Gorge Bridge on our way into town and stopped to snap some photos with the usual packs of Winnebagos and motorcycles. It was pleasant to discover that Taos has not changed too much in four years. The outskirts, especially to the south, seem to be fertile ground for all of the strip development that typifies most urban commercial sprawl, but the town center is virtually unchanged. We ate a wonderful lunch at an old favorite, Eske’s Brew Pub and Eatery. Good wholesome grub and homemade beer outside on the patio. One could do worse. Then a wander around the plaza and a drive past Taos Church before pointing our wild steed toward Santa Fe.

While cruising along the top of the world and then swooping down into the canyon etched into the desert by the Rio Grande, I remembered rafting these waters during their mad spring dash from the mountains like bulls racing through the streets of Pamplona. The three main stretches that are rafted are the Upper Gorge, which we had crossed over on our way into Taos, Taos Box, and the Racecourse, which ran along side Route 68 as we made our way toward Española.

My memory of Española’s ubiquitous low rider hotrods was betrayed despite my efforts to find even a single example of the elaborately restored and meticulously maintained automobiles with miniature wheels and chrome-covered chain steering wheels. Not one! Disappointed, we continued on to Santa Fe. I was a little startled to see the enormous highway project in full swing between the Santa Fe Opera and Santa Fe. It seems that the old highway is being swallowed up by a mammoth multi-lane affair with big-city exit ramps and so on. A bit startling, but soon enough we arrived in Santa Fe and made our way to the Water Street Inn Bed & Breakfast where we had reserved the next two nights in the delightful Galisteo suite.

Across from the one-time Santa Fe Music Hall and tucked beside Vanessie’s, one of my long time favorite Santa Fe watering holes, the Water Street Inn offers a charming home away from home. Our suite was entered from a private walkway shaded beneath an arbor covered with vines and a cool green canopy. A fountain gurgled pleasantly in the walkway, further defining the calm oasis that can be found so close to the Santa Fe plaza. We unpacked and made ourselves at home. The room was typically Southwestern with a kiva fireplace and a viga ceiling. The atmosphere was comfortable, charming and roomy. Our suite also had an enclosed porch and a small, enclosed garden with another fountain. We took quick showers and then headed off to Los Mayas, a casual family run Mexican and Southwestern restaurant around the corner from our B&B.

I had spoken to the owner, Fernando Trillo, several times in the prior weeks to organize a cocktail party for some of my Santa Fe friends. It was great fun catching up with a couple dozen Santa Feans, most of which I hadn’t laid eyes on in four years. Plenty of nostalgia and the wonder in the back of my mind if I shouldn’t be thinking about spending some time living out there again one day. And Fernando’s grub is great and the service was friendly and consistently good all night. The night inevitably wrapped up later than planned so we decided to forgo a nightcap at Vanessie’s where the piano bar was already swinging at capacity.

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