South-West Road Trip to Erosion Country III

Driving through the night from Needlepoint Overlook, we reached Gallup, New Mexico. Come morning, it was a toss between either Petrified Forests National park or Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We decided to take it easy and make our way back and head to Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: In retrospect, we should have done Albuquerque and Santa Fe at the start of the trip and Utah at the end. We landed at these 2 places dot on christmas and everything we wanted to see was closed - Bandeliers, Aztec ruins, Indian Art museum, Pueblo Indian cultural center, Petroglyph. All the websites clearly spelled out they were closed for Christmas, but then we waren't too much of planners, especially me.

San Felipe De Neri, Old Town, Albuquerque, NM: This church never fails to grab my attention. This is my second visit to this place, and I still find it alluring - the unassuming structure, the simplicity of this adobe church all adds to it.

Pic 1: San Felipe De Neri, Old Town, Albuquerque, NM

Old Town, Albuquerque, NM: Everything about Old Town is fascinating. It will take you back through ages to how it might have been. Here's a street I would love to have lived in, with it's simplistic adobe structures:

Pic 2: Street, Old Town, Albuquerque, NM

Pic 3: Shop Display, Old town, Albuquerque, NM

Something the Japanese would not be in too much of a hurry to visit - National Atomic Museum in Albuquerque, which is incidentally home to the Sandia labs.

Pic 4: National Atomic Museum, Albuquerque, NM

Pueblo Indian 'Buffalo' dance, Jemez Pueblo, NM: En route to Santa Fe from Albuquerque, we detoured to Jemez Pueblo to watch a Indian 'Buffalo' dance during christmas. A very small village, there no signs to lead you to the dance, but there are more than enough cars parked by to guide us to the dance.

There are ominous signboards prohibiting 'camera, videography, tape recorders', and I almost get the feeling that I was encroaching someone's territory. It figures, no one likes to be considered a 'living museum'. Photos are allowed when the dances take place at Red Rock (which looks more like a staged event), but not in the village. Other important feast days are Nov 12 and Dec 12. The dance itself is not revelry, it has religous connotations. We waren't supposed to clap after a dance.

Map: Green Arrow-> Jemez Pueblo, NM

It was like no other dance I have ever seen. The elders were chanting and beating on drums. There were three main dancers - two young men imitating the buffalo, and a young girl who looked like a bird. There were scores of other dancers most of them dressed as deers and birds.

It looked to me like a prayer for a good buffalo hunting season, but I don't know for sure, wish I had a guide. Here's an interesting link on buffalo dance: http://www.indians.org/welker/buffalo2.htm

However, it was refreshing in that it looked like a very natural event, not a staged one. People were just pulling up lawn chairs from their houses to watch, some were sitting on rooftops. The dancers themselves would go in and come out of houses in the street that was cleared off for the dance.

Santa Fe, NM: An Art lover's paradise - for a population of 75,000, Santa Fe has the third largest art market in USA behind NY and LA. There are a few cities that have a distinct holiday festive spirit, Santa Fe is definitely that kind of a city.

Patel Brother snap: What desis refer to as the Patel brother snap - the quintessential desi snap as an example below - we desis have to be at the center of any picture, Statue of Liberty, Yosemite, Pyramids at Giza, doesn't matter, but we have to be the main focus on the picture, not the wonder in the background. It's almost as though it serves as proof of authenticity. Doesn't fail to crack me up every time I see it. I heard it has now entered popular slang as a 'Patel brother snap'!!

Pic 5: Patel brother snap, Saint Francis of Assissi church, Santa Fe

Saint Francis of Assissi, Santa Fe, NM: Beautiful adobe church opposite the Indian Arts museum.

Pic 6a, 6b: Saint Francis of Assissi church, pic taken with flash and without. The pic above almost looks as though the Saint is wearing chain mail.

c 7: Opposite the church, Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, Adobe buildings, an unique feature of Santa Fe

Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM: When I saw a Sotheby's and a Christie's, I should have anticipated this, but a drive through Canyon Road confirmed it - shop after shop after shop of art galleries. The picture below hardly classifies as a picture, but this was the ony shot I had of Canyon road.

Pic 8: Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX: A few more pictures of the Cadillac Ranch on our way back. We made good time and drove from Santa Fe, NM to Tucumcari, NM at a stretch. We started early morning the next day on Tuesday and made to Amarillo, TX for our return home.

The couple below were actually spray painting some very unflattering things about Bush.

Pic 9a, 9b: Cadillac Ranch, return journey, Tuesday, Amarillo, TX

Sunset, Brady, TX: Nice picture of sunset by the road near Brady, TX.

Pic 10: Sunset, Brady, TX

Austin, TX: I reached Austin by nightfall, Tuesday. In retrospection it was a jam-packed trip, wish I had more days to spend time at the parks.

None of the pictures have been doctored or enhanced in any way. I am not a good photographer, yet I did not want to enhance the pics - way too much emphasis is given to color, brightness and creating fantasies nowadays, that we find it hard to enjoy the simple beauty of nature.