We awoke to bright, blue skies. The breakfast room at our hotel, Coyote South, opened onto a sunny patio. Despite the cool temperatures, it was warm enough in the sunshine to eat on the patio looking out at some snow capped mountains and flowering fruit trees.

After breakfast we took the hotel shuttle to Old Town Plaza. (We were grateful for the free shuttle since Old Town parking is very limited and the traffic is very congested.)

The local artists are permitted to display and sell their goods on the covered sidewalk outside the Governor’s Palace. There was some beautiful jewelry and sandstone artwork. Peggy really liked the Christmas tree ornament, but there is just no room in our car for something so fragile.

We toured through the New Mexico History Museum and the Governor’s Palace. Peggy was impressed with the hardships and challenges the explorers and original settlers endured in conquering the territory. Personally, I found the descriptions of the treatment of the native population by the Spanish colonists, and later the American colonists, and the subsequent war between the U.S. and Mexico quite depressing. All of that killing and destruction for land, riches and glory. (And the same thing is going on today – humans never learn.)

On a lighter note, in one room was a restored Celerity wagon or “mud wagon” stage coach that could seat 9 passengers (3 in the back facing front, 3 in the front facing back and 3 in the middle probably facing whoever they were talking to. The seats were wood with no padding or covering and those in front and back (first class) had straight vertical backs while the seats in the middle (coach class) consisted of a simple bench. Needless to say, given the lack of comfort in the coach’s construction and the lousy roads they had to travel, it had to be hard on one’s posterior.

The Governor’s Palace is undergoing more restoration. It was built on a site that had been a large village at least as early as the 17th century. The Governor’s Palace has been in continuous use for 400 years and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The palace is a single story building that is very long and narrow and inside there is a corridor that leads from one end to the other. It is not like one would expect for a palace. All of the rooms had exhibits, but few had any furnishings. There were a few cutaways showing the construction and the thickness of the walls and the Pueblo style floor.

One room of the palace was dedicated to a model railroad depicting the 18 miles long Lamy branch of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It included replicas of the depot, water towers, cattle area, and a diner (the real one is still operating). The caretaker was a real talkative type with lots of interesting stories about the railroad.

After the governor’s palace we decided to enjoy the sunshine and a bite to eat at the outdoor section of the Plaza Cafe. I had a wonderful spinach salad that made me ask myself why I don’t make spinach salads at home. (I resolved to correct that error as soon as we get home.) Peggy indulged in a sticky bun that was also wonderful.

Next up we walked to the Santa Fe Railyard. It’s an area where the Sky Railway train runs 5 days weekly for tourists.

At the railyard there is a farmers market (now used for artisans to hawk their wares) and various shops and restaurants in renovated and restored buildings. After meandering around the railyard for an hour or so we then headed back to the Plaza to catch the shuttle back to our hotel in order to get our car and head towards Albuquerque and the Sandia Peak Tram.

It took a little less than an hour down I 25 to reach the road leading to the tram. The tram climbs about 5000ft to 10,300. The tram takes about 15 minutes to reach Sandia Peak. Along the way and at the top are amazing views of

Albuquerque to the southwest and open country to east.

The snow was pretty much gone but there was a little left in patches here and there. In addition to the tram, you can also reach the peak on one of the ski lifts or hike up one of the many hiking trails. At the top there are a couple of restaurants for either formal or casual dining. At the peak, the weather was cool and windy but when you were in the sun, is was really warm. Altogether, it was perfect weather for the trip up the mountain.

The ride back “home” was uneventful. Not being that hungry, we stopped at a Denny’s for a sandwich and milkshake and headed back to the barn to work on the blog and get ready for tomorrow. We plan to get an early start tomorrow to head up to Mesa Verde National Park. Since the weather forecast there is for freezing temperatures at night, we will probably not be camping.