Day 7: Santa Fe to Albuquerque
Loretto Chapel
Brontosaurus Family (photo op) 
Drive to Albuquerque

Well, folks, this is the last of our Pre-Road Trip Blog - that's right - Part 2 to Part 14 just about covers the Cousins' portion (7 days of fun and driving) around New Mexico. 

Why?  Well, as of tomorrow, Tanya will be well on her way to the Southwest with her kiddies, making her way towards New Mexico, and Elisa (your's truly!) will be heading out of New York Friday morning with her girls for there as well

That means, that starting tomorrow, Tanya will start LIVE BLOGGING as she begins her road trip from Anaheim, California through Arizona, stopping in Sedona for a few days of exciting and scenic stops, as she traverses towards Albuquerque, with an ETA of late afternoon, Friday, October 3rd.  

I cannot tell you the excitement that is brewing in my household, knowing all the cousins will be together at the end of this week! LIVE BLOGGING will begin on Saturday, October 4th from Balloon Fiesta by BOTH Tanya and Elisa - so be sure to check in daily!!!

So, back to Day 7 -- this will be the last day of our joint road trip as we leave Santa Fe and our lovely rental house, back towards Albuquerque, where we we all met up, a week prior.  

Our return drive is not terribly long, but we do have a number of lively spots to see along the way. Our first visit will be Loretto Chapel.  This chapel is located at at the end of the Santa Fe Trail and was built in the 1870's.  It has a very interesting history and it is known for the two mysteries that surround the spiral staircase inside the Chapel: the identity of its builder and the physics of its construction. 

The Miraculous Staircase, which legend says was constructed or inspired by St. Joseph the Carpenter, was built sometime between 1877 and 1881. It took at least six months to build, and has two 360 degree turns with no visible means of support.  Now, as for the details of the mystery, I'm taking the liberty of including this legend for you:

When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel.

Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers.

The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today.

The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. Also, it is said that the staircase was built without nails—only wooden pegs. Questions also surround the number of stair risers relative to the height of the choir loft and about the types of wood and other materials used in the stairway's construction.

Over the years many have flocked to the Loretto Chapel to see the Miraculous Staircase. The staircase has been the subject of many articles, TV specials, and movies including "Unsolved Mysteries" and the television movie titled "The Staircase."

The Loretto Academy, which was founded by the Sisters of Loretto in 1852 was closed in 1968, and the property was put up for sale. At the time of sale in 1971, Our Lady of Light Chapel was informally deconsecrated as a Catholic Chapel and today, it is a private museum.
 
Definitely looking forward to visiting this chapel!

Our day of driving would not be complete without a photo op with the Brontosaurus Family!  I'm sure the kids are sure to have a blast at this stop!! After a few great pics, we will continue onto to Albuquerque, where our cousins road trip all began!!!

Looking forward to seeing you live on the blog starting Oct. 4th at Balloon Fiesta, our first event of this amazing trip!!

Please catch up on our previous New Mexico Road Trip Blogs:

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8 
Part 9 
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13

Hello!! Welcome to Part 13 of our New Mexico Road Trip Blog!! It's no secret just how much me and Tanya love to travel.  But, I have to say, there is something a little extra special when we are both on the same trip! I'm sure you can imagine how much we all miss each other - adults and kids alike.  Our upcoming trip is more than just travel - it's a way for our family to reconnect and strengthen our bonds.  New Mexico and all we have planned will be so much more than a travel adventure - it will be a family reunion!!

Okay, so before I get all teary eyed, onto what we have planned for Day 6! On this day, we will be waking up in Santa Fe.  We rented, what looks like, a very lovely house for the six of us.  I'm not sure how much sleep the kids will be getting, all bunked up together, and for that matter, me and Tanya, gabbing away.  

Our first full day has us visiting Nambe Falls, one of the most scenic sights in New Mexico, sixteen miles from the state capital of Santa Fe. Nambe Falls is situated above the Nambe Pueblo,which is located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The Pueblo encompasses nineteen thousand (19,000) acres of land surrounded by national forest and is a registered National Historic Landmark and a major tourist attraction.

To reach Nambe Waterfalls, we will be taking a short 15 minute hike along the shaded cottonwood trails, where we will come upon three of the most spectacular natural falls in the Southwest. I can tell you that Tanya and I will be leading the gang on a short climb up the side of the canyon to capture a birds-eye view of the Falls! Please be sure to follow us as we blog daily on this trip as I can assure the photos we will be posting will be breathtaking!

A little bit of trivia for you - the scenic Nambé Rock Formations are not only popular with tourists, but with filmmakers as well. One popular movie in particular, “City Slickers”, starring Billy Crystal was filmed here.

We are also hoping to catch a glimpse of some American bison, also known as American buffalo in the area.  What a treat that would be for all of us to see these huge, shaggy haired creatures up close and personal! As we are all aware of, these massive creatures were once on the verge of extinction, so it's good to know they are protected and still roam throughout many national forests such as this one.

I'm betting that after a full morning of hiking, sightseeing and snapping photos, we will all be ready for some serious eating and yes, shopping!  Poor Dominic will be out-numbered by five feisty women who love to shop!!  The Old Town is where we will be headed to finish off our sixth day of our road trip.

We only have two more Road Trip blog posts before we are actually blogging in New Mexico!  If you have missed any of this blog series, catch up via the links below.  

See ya next week for Part 14!!!
-Elisa

Please catch up on our previous New Mexico Road Trip Blogs:

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8 
Part 9 
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12

Day 5: Taos to Santa Fe
Drive to Santa Fe
Chimayo
Lunch near Chimayo
Saints and Sinners Sign
Arrive Rental House 
Dinner at home



We'll be starting out the morning with a lovely homemade breakfast, maybe we can even get our little chefs Gianna and Dominic to take the lead in the kitchen and cook up some yummy goodness! Next, we'll be checking out and hitting the road once again. Hey, what can you expect - it's a road trip! 
We'll be traveling along highway 518 and today won't be so bad, as it is only a 75 mile drive to Santa Fe from Taos. We've decide to take this route because we'll be stopping at the 48 mile mark in Chimayo. Heading to the 19th-century adobe church & National Historic Landmark, El Santuario de Chimayo! 
Which is actually one of the trip highlights that Tanya is looking forward to! 

- Chimayó is known internationally for its Catholic chapel, the Santuario de Nuestro Señor de Esquipulas, commonly known as El Santuario de Chimayó. Because of its reputation as a healing site (believers claim that dirt from a back room of the church can heal physical and spiritual ills), it has become known as the "Lourdes of America," and attracts close to 300,000 visitors a year, including up to 30,000 during Holy Week (the week prior to Easter). It has been called "no doubt the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States." 
- Chimayó is also known for the weaving traditions of the Ortega and Trujillo families, who have been weaving in the Spanish Colonial tradition for many generations and now operate weaving businesses near the Plaza del Cerro and in the placita of Centinela. We'll be sure to make a visit over there and check out their goods! This traditional craft is but one of several still practiced in the region, including tin smithing, wood carving, and making religious paintings. These activities, along with the local architecture and the landscape of irrigated fields, create a historic ambiance that attracts much tourism.  
 
We'll do some sight seeing, play with our photography skills, shopping and have a local lunch before all loading back up in our rentals and moving onto Santa Fe!!!

Our next stop will be to quench the quirky side of our road-trip (all road-trips need at least one!) We'll be quickly stopping in Espanola, New Mexico (about 20 miles north of Santa Fe), at the Saints and Sinners Liquor Store! Noooo we won't be boozing it up, we probably won't even be going in! This stop is strictly for the photo op!

After the kids have laughed their socks off at making fun of their silly mum's for adding this stop to the itinerary, we will have 38 more minutes to go (according to the GPS) until we arrive at our final destination of Santa Fe, New Mexico!!!

By now, it'll be about time to check in to our next "home away from home" (for the next 2 nights) vacation rental. Then we'll kick back & relax; while the kids stretch out & play; all while working up an appetite for whatever deliciousness that we decide to make and prepare for the our hungry little troops!  

And that will end our day from Taos to Santa Fe!! Tune in next Tuesday for Part 13!

Please catch up on our previous New Mexico Road Trip Blogs:

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8 
Part 9 
Part 10
Part 11