Mid September we moved Monti to Santa Fe. From there we drove to the tiny town of Cerrillos. There is a huge tree near the Catholic Church. We were told it was the Hanging Tree back in the day. We enjoyed browsing through the museum. It is owned by a family who also owns a turquoise mine. The turquoise is lime green in color.

From there we drove to Madrid (pronounced Mad-rid, an old mining town turned artsy town. We had a delicious lunch at the Hollar. Connie's Photo Park was a fun place to visit and take pictures. She paints scenes on wood, the kind where you put your head in a hole and become part of the scene. We were like kids getting our pics taken in various scenes.

We took a day trip to Los Alamos. We saw some interesting exhibits at Bradbury Museum about the Manhattan Project, WWII, and what the National Laboratory is working on today. On our way to Jemez Springs we stopped at Las Conchas Trailhead. Some rock climbers had just finished their climb. Our main objective was to see the Jemez Historical site. The last time we stopped by here it was closed. The pueblo village is very well preserved. The scenic backdrop is dramatic.

When we left Jemez Springs we stopped at the Soda Dam, which is an amazing sight. Hiking to the back of the dam we saw the creek as it falls under the calcite bridge. We also took a side trip to the Gilman Tunnels. When you see the scenery you realize why the railroad gave up trying to build a route here.

Another day we went to the plaza in Santa Fe. We met two artists, one from Africa near Ghana. We looked at huge geodes from Brazil and Peru at A Touch of Stone. The amythest and citrine was also beautiful. One night we went to El Farol for the Flamenco dinner show. We found the food to be just okay. The show was also disappointing. It was a small, narrow stage. Two of the dancers were from Spain but there were never any introductions. We couldn't see the feet of the dancers from our table.

We also drove to the top of Sandia Peak. The views of Alburquerque are amazing from there.

At the end of September we began making our way to Tucson.