The Sangre de Cristos ahead, as I-25 winds past the Pecos exit, and prehistoric Pecos pueblo ruins and ancient Pecos mission. This is the view the Missouri traders on the Santa Fe Trail saw as they prepared to camp, after two months crossing the prairies from St. Joseph, for the last night before the next 20 miles around the southern tip of the mountains, through Apache Canyon, and down the slopes to the Mexican town of Santa Fe. The Mexican authorities had built a road from Pecos into Santa Fe. Out of view to the left is Glorieta mesa, and the tracks of the Santa Fe Railroad--which never actually enters Santa Fe.
The Pecos mission ruins
On the morning after storm, The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Frances,the patron saint of Santa Fe, built by Archbishop Lamy in the 1800s. His story is the subject of Willa Cather's "Death Comes for the Archbishop." It is just up San Francisco street, one block from the Plaza, the end ofhte Santa Fe Trail, with the Palace of the Governors on the north side, the oldest seat of government in the united states, founded 6110.
Santa Fe Baldy, elevation 12,600+ feet, at sunset, turning red to earn the name as part of the Sangre De Cristos.
Whoa, a lot in this post. As said before I love snow on adobe. I was born in Espanola. My Dad, a former Forest Ranger worked on the Glorieta Mesa, one of my first funerals I attended, as a pre-schooler, was at the National Cemetery (50 years ago!!!)
ReplyDeleteThanks,