Santa Fe and The Enchanted Circle

Santa Fe, capital of New Mexico,  was originally named La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís (“The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi”).  ("Santa Fe" is so much easier!)  The Pueblo Indians were the first known inhabitants of the city of Santa Fe, coming to settle there around 1100 A.D.  The Santa Fe River provided ample water for the village - until 1700 when it became seasonal.  In 2007 it became the most endangered river in the United States (or so says the conservation group, American Rivers.) Thanks to modern technology, though, I'm guessin' they'll pipe water in from somewhere so Santa Fe will just go right on being Santa Fe.

In 1608 New Mexico's third governor under the Spanish flag, Don Pedro de Peralta, formally established Santa Fe at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  In 1610 he made it the capital of the Spanish province, which it has almost constantly remained.  That makes it the oldest capital city in the modern United States.  I say almost because Santa Fe had to be abandoned for a dozen years or so (1680-1692) due to deadly Indian raids.  (Ah-ha! So Americans weren't the only ones pushing against Native Americans!)

On it's way to Santa Fe, The Santa Fe Trail takes us to what has become known as The Enchanted Circle.

Anchored by the towns of Taos, Questa, Red River and Eagle Nest, the modern love of snow skiing has added Angel Fire and the Taos Ski Valley.  Circling the tallest mountain of the Southern Rocky Mountains, Wheeler Peak, the Enchanted Circle runs for 84 miles through the (Kit) Carson National Forest.  Because the views are so magnificent: alpine valleys, wild flowers, clear blue lakes, evergreen forests, and historic western communities, what might take you an hour or so to drive will turn into four or more hours!  And that doesn't count the time you spend shopping.

We've been through Kit Carson's adobe home in the heart of Santa Fe.  If you don't do these historic places you miss the real understanding of the times and places.  And read, read, READ the interpretive placards!  WATCH the 7 - 10 - 20 minute videos they show!  LISTEN to the staff, strike up conversations with them to get the minutia that is oh, so interesting!  (Did you know that the Carson home was once used to house World War II German prisoners-of-war?  I guess all those troop ships were coming back to the States empty so why not load up a few POW's and bring them here.  That frees up our troops to fight instead of guard POW's.  I wonder how those folks got back to their homelands after the war??)

During different seasons of the year each town in the Enchanted Circle hosts a variety of entertaining festivals.  You most likely will share the road with bicyclists, too.

Coming from Texas we enter the Enchanted Circle on Highway 64 at Eagle Nest. (My momma and I came through here in 1999 - just before the turn of the century, you know - on our way to Alaska, and just as we top the hill before Eagle Nest we saw two bears.  I have them on video tape somewhere...)