Day 26 8/24/2010 do you know the way to Santa Fe?

Gorgeous morning! The girls we had spoken to yesterday mentioned a bus called the Santa Fe Trails that we could take right into the Plaza, but we opted to drive in since we were out the door so early. If we couldn't get parking, we'd go back to the campground and take the bus.
The Plaza was 4 and a half miles away. There was a lot of parking on the street and we were good to go. A Plaza is an area in the center of town where people gather to socialize. In Santa Fe, on one side of the Plaza you see the Palace of the Governors which is the oldest public building in the US and on the other three sides you see shops and restaurants. Plaza records date back to the early 1700's when Santa Fe was settled by Spanish Conquistadors. When Mexico governed the land, it was an open spot where people brought their cattle to graze. Between 1821 and 1846, the Plaza became a place filled with carts, livestock traders and people. In 1844 trees and benches were added.
The shops were lovely. On one side a group of Native Americans were selling their wares. Each store had a Spanish influence architecturally. We shopped for a while. Lunch was beef fajitas from a vendor in the plaza and we sat on a bench at the edge of the Plaza and ate. Dessert was Hagen-Daz ice cream. We walked around a little more then headed back to the RV.
It was early yet so off we went to the Tesuque Pueblo. It is one of the most traditional
pueblos. Tesuque may be translated to Cottonwood Tree Plaza. The Pueblo on the banks of the
Tesuque River may have bee inhabited since 1200 A.D.
At the entrance we were greeted by a few kids and a crazy dog who chased cars as they entered.
He had no fear! It was pretty funny, but scary because he went under the cars when they were
moving. No pictures were allowed to be taken. Here is where the RV is a
disadvantage.....the roads were narrow and difficult to travel on and without knowing exactly
where we were going, we could not go too far back. We did venture to the plaza where
traditional homes were and I got to see the school. It also felt a little disrespectful driving around without direction, so we headed out and went on to the Harley dealer.
We went back to camp to relax and it started to rain........what a great day we had.