Adventure Caravans Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Rally Day 5
October 8, 2013
These early mornings are getting to us, so we decided to sleep in and miss the mass ascension today. The excursion for today was a day trip to Santa Fe, NM. The bus took us along the historic Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway that connects Albuquerque with Santa Fe. It passes through some historic mining towns that yielded turquoise, gold zinc and silver. Now these towns are known for their arts and crafts, theater, music, restaurants, and museums.
When we got to Santa Fe, we took a guided walking tour of the old part of town. Starting in the historic plaza, our first stop was at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi built in 1869 - 1886. It is one of only 77 basilicas in the USA. The sanctuary is beautiful.
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| Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi |
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| Sanctuary - Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi |
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| Ceiling of Sanctuary |
One of the many statues outside is of Kateri Tekakwitha. She died at age 24 in 1680 and was the first Native American to be given the honor of sainthood for her good deeds and miracles.
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| Kateri Tekakwitha |
Next was the Loretto Chapel, built 1873 - 1878. It is famous for the spiral staircase that leads to the choir loft. The staircase was built sometime between 1877 and 1881 and has two 360 degree spirals and no visible support.
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| Loretto Chapel |
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| Sanctuary - Loretto Chapel |
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| Miraculous spiral Staircase |
The railing that you see was added many years later. Imagine going up these stairs without holding on to a railing. I hear that the nuns climbed with their hands on the steps as well as their feet.
The final stop on this guided tour was the San Miguel Mission. It is the oldest church in the USA, built in 1610. It is the farthest north of the missions on El Camino Real stretching from Mexico City from the time this area was Spanish territory. It has a bell that was forged in 1356.
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| San Miguel Mission |
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| Sanctuary - San Miguel Mission |
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| Very old church bell forged in 1356 |
That was the end of our guided tour. We had lunch at the Upper Crust Pizza restaurant, then continued to explore more of the area until it was time to board the bus back to camp. This building claims to be the oldest house in the USA. It was built around 1646. since it was originally built, it has been stuccoed and turned into businesses. Note the old adobe walls and wooden bars on the windows.
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| Oldest house built 1646 |
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| Showing original adobe under stucco |
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| Bars made of wood cover window |
There was entertainment at the Adventure Caravans tent tonight. One of the staff members is from Albuquerque and his grandchildren sang and played for us. They were quite good.
That was a full day. Tomorrow is another bus tour.
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