Day 62 – Santa Fe

03 Jul Day 62 – Santa Fe

The day has come. I am now only 40 miles from Santa Fe.

Heading North

I got back on the Santa Fe trail after meeting the owner of the gas station where we stayed last night. He seemed pretty cool. I mentioned how beautiful it was and how amazing it must be to live here. He mentioned that he had got used to it and after 17 years he was ready to move on. I was dumbstruck, and i don’t know how you could get used to it, but then again I get bored with London sometimes, and other people can’t believe that. Anyway Chris and I headed up the road and Chris gave me a detailed history of South Africa and explained to me the apartheid. My knowledge of history in that part of the world is poor to say the least. A great work and I felt like I had got my daily dosage of culture.

Off the Beaten Track

On leg two we hit some rougher terrain. We stopped the RV and sent it back to find a better route. Shaun and I took out my iPhone and used the compass to navigate west. It was incredible roughing it. Just Shaun & I walking and talking about how cowboys and Indians alike must have has to navigate, without iPhones and how the land panned out. We came across some old farm buildings and also a house which we ventured round. Shaun also found some antlers and thought they would make a good piece of art so I strapped them to his back in the middle of a hunting ground. We made it through and met up with Chris & Helen who had manage to navigte to a road that was non existent on any map. All in a pretty good team effort.

Santa Fe

Leg four stated 10 miles form the centre of town. As I walked up the Old Pecos Trail I looked west and saw the fires that we had been told about. The smoke looked like clouds far away but as you got closer you could see the source. The sun was setting and as it started behind the smoke it went blood red. A few miles later and I look back and the sun has gone. The thought that the smoke was so thick it could block out the sun made me a little sick. What these fires do to the wildlife and terrain must be distressing to everyone who lives and also comes to visit the city to see the nature. As I entered the city i listened to a playlist Ali had made me a couple of weeks before. Every track made me smile and I bounced into Santa Fe, smiling cheek to cheek. I was so happy to be home!!