Santa Fe, New Mexico

The next stop of our 2014 southwest motorcycle tour was the magical and exuberant town of Santa Fe, New Mexico, also known as La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís (“The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi”).  Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico and since it is located at 7,199 feet (2134 m) above sea level it is also the highest state capital in the United States. 

Cathedral Basilica

It was a very hot and windy ride into town so the first item on our agenda was to get a cold beverage, which we found, easily, at the Thunderbird Bar & Grill , overlooking Santa Fe Plaza. After a short rest we headed up San Francisco St. to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. 

From the Cathedral we walked down Old Santa Fe Trail to the Loretto Chapel.  Two mysteries surround the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel: the identity of its builder and the physics of its construction.  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.






From the Loretto Chapel we headed to E. De Vargas St. to view the "Oldest House" in the U.S. The "Oldest House" rests on part of the foundation of an ancient Indian Pueblo dating from around 1200 AD.
Oldest house in U.S.

We headed across the street from The "Oldest House" to the "Oldest Church" in the United States, San Miguel Church.  The little mission church was built by the Tlaxcalan Indians, from Mexico, in the early 1600s. The church is still used today and we were able to go inside as it was between masses.

Outside of San Miguel Church





We worked up an appetite touring Santa Fe Plaza so we headed to what we heard was a local favorite, Maria's New Mexican Kitchen.  Maria's has been around since 1952 and although it is known for over 100 real margarita's, it was the blue corn enchiladas that got our attention.  G-man ordered his with red and TK the green- together it is called Christmas! We finished up our meal with another New Mexico favorite, sopapillas with honey!
G-man munching down on some blue corn
enchiladas with red sauce.  Hmmmmm...
G-man did you regret your sauce
choice later?

With our feet aching but our bellies full we headed to our hotel room at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino.  We were impressed with the clean and spacious room at Buffalo Thunder Hilton but the Casino was rather small and too "smokey" for our taste. 


View from hotel balcony

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Ballard, Washington

Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the  Hiram M. Chittenden Locks  (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
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Twilight Eagle Santuary, Oregon

Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home.  When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point.  This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,
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Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park .  The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas.  The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east.  Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the  Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.