October 11

The sun was shining brightly through our windows when we woke up. All traces of the storm that had gently disturbed the area over the past couple of days were gone. Instead, we were greeted by the incredible sunlight that always seems to bathe high altitude cities. We got ready for the day and packed our belongings in preparation for another driving day. It would also be the day when we started making our way back to California. While heading home is always something of a sad occasion (because it means the vacation is just about over), we were looking forward to seeing what promised to be a couple of the trip’s highlights.

We went back into the breakfast room for another delicious breakfast. Our companions at the table on this morning were a British couple who were visiting their children and grandchildren who resided in the area. What struck me most about our conversation with them was the absolute lack of fear they displayed in regards to traveling in general and flying in particular. They had no compunction about getting on a plane and flying 4,000 miles to visit family, even after September 11th. Their attitude was most refreshing after the pervasive fear which had gripped the county after that incident.

We finished our breakfast, packed up the car, and paid our bill. We left El Paradero with very good impressions about this bed and breakfast (and an idea or two for remodeling our own home). The rooms were incredibly decorated, the food was superb, and the staff was tremendously helpful. Plus, its location just outside of the center of Old Town made it feel like it was out in the country. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at El Paradero, and highly recommend it for any visitor to Santa Fe.

We lingered in Old Town Santa Fe to complete our shopping. After visiting some of the shops which had been closed the evening before, we drove out of Santa Fe. Instead of heading north to Colorado, we headed south. Why? Well, I wanted to visit El Rancho de las Golondrinas. Lonely Planet described this attraction as “a living-history museum that shows what life was like for Spanish settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries.” But, we never got to find out if that was true or not. After a very circuitous (but well signed) drive to find the ranch, we discovered that it was only open by appointment during October. So, we had wasted about 45 minutes of our time. Anyone wishing to visit this ranch needs to know that it is primarily a summer attraction, with very limited hours in April and October.

Given that we had gone a bit out of our way to get to El Rancho de las Golondrinas, the best way to get to Cortez, Colorado from where we were was to continue going south to Bernarillo, then take Highway 44 to Aztec, New Mexico, and finally cross over into Colorado. I wasn’t unhappy about taking this route because I was looking forward to returning to Aztec. I had visited Aztec’s ruins in 1996, and wanted to see if anything had changed.

What I hadn’t counted on was the road construction from Bernarillo to Aztec. The drive turned into a tedious trek behind a variety of road repair vehicles. The only benefit to the slow pace was that we were able to enjoy the beauty of the Jemez and Nacimento mountain ranges. This area of red rocks and pines is some of the most spectacular high desert scenery in the entire Southwest.

After several hours of driving, we made it into Aztec. We got to the ruins about an hour before they closed. That turned out to be plenty of time to explore them. After our visit, we decided to get a bite to eat. Dianne was fascinated with the Highway Grill, because its road sign featured a Cadillac skewered about 50 feet in the air by a thick pole. While the sign was unique, I have to say the food wasn’t anything special. I had a hamburger which cost $6.95. All in all, the Highway Grill was a solid, if unspectacular, choice for lunch.

We headed north out of Aztec toward Durango, Colorado. The dusty high desert appearance of Aztec quickly gave way to the grasslands of Colorado’s meadows. About a half hour after leaving Aztec, we were in Durango. We were both impressed with what we saw. All around us were the pines and cedars which typify high altitude landscape. Adding to the landscape was the multicolored leaves on many of the aspens and maples. Topping off the scene was a dusting of snow on the peaks above Durango. The whole countryside looked like an advertisement for Fall. While tempted to stop, we pressed on to Cortez. We met our goal of getting to Cortez before nightfall. It was pretty clear that Cortez didn’t share much of the high mountain beauty of Durango. The town seemed to be another dusty, mid-sized, Southwest town. Our impression wasn’t changed when we first saw our accommodations. At this point, I should backtrack and tell the story of how we got our accommodations in Cortez. We had made our arrangements just the night before while we were in Santa Fe. Up until that point, we were undecided as to whether we’d stay in either Durango or Cortez. Our mind was made up for us by Lonely Planet, which only listed Cortez hotels in its Southwest guide. We decided to call the Arrow Motor Inn and see if they had a room. When we called, we found out that the Arrow Motor Inn was now a Travelodge. However, the price was about the same: $42/night for room with a king sized bed. Given our time constraints, we took the room. It turned out to be clean and comfortable, but certainly not in the caliber of the rooms in which we’d been staying the previous three nights.

We unpacked our luggage and turned on the television. The television confirmed that the chill we’d felt while unloading the car was not in our imaginations. The temperature was in the low 40s and expected to drop into the upper 20s before the morning. It looked like we wouldn’t make it out of the Southwest before winter would arrive. This weather did not bode well for our trek through Mesa Verde National Park the next day. I wasn’t sure what it was like to hike in freezing weather, but I knew I’d soon find out.

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