The air was a little thinner for us today

Today we only travelled 277 miles (443 kms), and in fact detoured north from our basic westerly route. We took time to take in some of the New Mexican culture. We visited its capital, Santa Fe, which is the oldest capital city in the U.S., having been founded in 1610. At an altitude of 7000 feet above sea level, the air is a little thin up there!

Wooden plaque at the entrance of the Governor's residence

We walked the main downtown core for a couple of hours and took in the beautiful adobe pueblo-style architecture, saw many quaint shops, and stopped in at an art gallery. Below is a photo taken at the art gallery, which shows some of the traditional architectural design. Also notice the hanging clusters of red chili peppers, which is a common sight here.

We also visited the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, which I thought was just beautiful. I've kept up a tradition of trying to light a candle in each new place I visit, in memory of my brother, who loved to travel. Sometimes it gets difficult to do, as many places are now more guarded with access to their churches, but today I was successful. At the cathedral I noticed a contrast between old and new; on the bulletin board of this old cathedral was a poster with a QR code for you to scan to donate. Also, in linking their website here I notice they have their own App. What a different world it must be compared to when this church was built.

We travelled back to the main interstate and continued our journey west. We were again impressed by the landscape, perhaps because it's so different to anything we've experienced. It ranged from large expanses of rose-coloured desert, to dramatic multi-coloured mesas, to snow-capped mountain peaks. We stopped for the night in Gallup, just 16 miles short of the Arizona border. We had a great Mexican meal at Virgie's, which is a hidden gem as it isn't even listed in Tripadvisor, but certainly should be!

Our funniest sight today? Seeing signs that said "Safety Corridor, Maximum speed 75 mph", and "Work zone, maximum speed 65 mph". Wow, hang on to your hard hats, workers!