MC Southwest Roadtrip DAYS 6 & 7 - Turquoise Trail and Santa Fe, NM
From Gallup we headed towards Albuquerque to grab some lunch. But not before stopping off in the small town of Grants. I had to pull over and take some pics of some of the bad-ass vintage signs.
Drive thru liquor stores. The good ol days.
Prehistoric in every way.
Born from the days of old Route 66.
Wifi is spotty.
I heard the orange chicken is pretty good.
Our final destination for the night was Santa Fe which is only about 65 miles away, about an hour heading north on the I-25. Instead, I decided to take Highway 14 which follows the historic Turquoise Trail into the hills and takes an extra hour. I'm so glad I did.
The first little town we stopped at was Golden. I saw a house decorated in old bottles and other junk and a sign that said FREE TOUR. The cheap side of my middle classy instincts kicked in as I pulled the Ford Flex over to the side of the road.
Meet the Mayor of Golden: Mr. Leroy Gonzales.
This is his personal watering hole.
A house in the town of Madrid, NM
"All aboard!!"
The Clear Light Opera House of Cerrillos, NM.
The window display of the Casa Grande Trading Post, the only operating business I could see in the small town of Cerrillos.
Because we spent $65 in the store the owner let us have a walk thru of his museum for free (it's normally $2 a person).
We eventually made it to Santa Fe around dusk and luckily scored an amazing parking spot near the town Plaza. It just so happened to be that the Great Race, an annual vintage car race that lasts about a week, were rolling into the plaza parking in their reserved spaces. We walked around and soaked it all up.
Some patriotic rides for sure!
After dinner and more walking around we headed to our lodging for the next 2 nights. It looked cozy and clean on the Internet, online reviews were positive, and the price was right. As soon as we arrived I felt a familiar vibe. From the gravel driveways to the horse shoe toilet paper dispensers, this place had just the right dose of middle classiness.
The Silver Saddle Motel in Santa Fe, NM is middle classy approved.
True to our name, we bring a little bit of classiness with us everywhere we go. Shown here is the new Mr. Belvedere valet tray, the Sedona sleeve for the iPhone 6+ in hickory, and the 454 wallet in beeswax.
Smoke em if you got em.
The plastic keychain for the room key paired perfectly with the wife's prototype purse .
The next morning we enjoyed our complimentary breakfast in the motel courtyard and went back to The Plaza to walk around and shop a bit.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
Look to the heavens.
The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.
Had to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Bourdain and hit up the Five & Dime in Santa Fe for their World Famous Frito Pie.
My son quenching his thirst at the La Fonda Inn drinking fountain.
Plenty of art in Santa Fe, most of it is out of my price range.
Always colorful.
Loretto Inn