Almost forgot Santa Fe

OMG, I forgot to add our day trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico to the Balloon Fiesta entry.  One day we drove about half an hour north from Cochiti Lake to Santa Fe.  The old towne area is very quaint and a nice place to walk around.  We were lucky and found a parking spot right in town but it was metered so we fed it some quarters.  There are lots of shops selling western jewelry and clothing around town.

Palace of the Governors where American Indians sell their crafts outside along the walkway.  

Dried Red Peppers for sale

In the center of the old towne there is a square/zocolo and near the zocolo is a Catholic church. 
The Catholic church was beautiful and had interesting relics inside.

Kateri Tekakwitha, First Indian of North America to become a saint.  

This relic had some of Mother Teresa's hair (in the circle in the center of the cross)

Pope John Paul II's hat

Near the church is the Loretto Chapel with the miraculous stairway.

Here is some info on the mystery of the staircase:

Three mysteries surround the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel: the identity of its builder, the type of wood used, and the physics of its construction.

When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel.

Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers.

The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today.

The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. 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.

Over the years many have flocked to the Loretto Chapel to see the Miraculous Staircase. The staircase has been the subject of many articles, TV specials, and movies including "Unsolved Mysteries" and the full-length movie titled "The Staircase", staring William Petersen and Barbara Hershey.

Tree with rosary beads

This is a photo of the original staircase without the banister which was added later.

The chapel was purchased from the church and is now a museum and place for weddings.

We enjoyed our time in Santa Fe.  It was definitely more interesting than Albuquerque's old towne.

Ok, now it's time to make our way to Texas!