On Saturday 9/26 we drove into Santa Fe from our KOA campground. The City Plaza was packed with tourists and shoppers. We had trouble acclimating to our way around the historic city, but finally found a tourist info center and got a map. That helped! Our first stop was the Loretto Chapel which was dedicated in 1878. The famous spiral stairway in the chapel was built by an unknown carpenter in answer to prayers to St. Joseph by the Sisters of Loretto. The stairway is 22 feet high, has no center support and was assembled with wooden pegs instead of nails. The story of the chapel has been told in several motion pictures. The Sisters of Loretto turned the chapel over as a museum, and it is no longer a church.
Right up the street is the De Vargas Street House within the Barrio De Analco Historic District and is one of the Oldest buildings in America Between 1709-1710 it was the temporary residence of the Territorial Governor Chacon Medina Salazar. Up until 1920s the house was continually occupied by people representing all the cultures of Santa Fe (Apaches, Navajos, and families of Spanish soldiers.
Right across the alley is the Mission San Miguel. This is the oldest mission in Santa Fe, and Masses are still celebrated here on Sundays - 2:00 p.m. Spanish, 5:00 p.m. English. We also visited the Plaza and saw the Governor's Palace. I personally found the historic part of town to be very touristy- baskets, weaving, pottery, leather, etc. for sale in stalls around the Plaza and on the side streets.
On Sunday we stayed in camp and prepared for our trip to Lubbock, TX.
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