Sunday, May 24, 2009

Here's Waldo

We have been taking drives on Saturdays and Sundays to help us get our bearings in the area around Santa Fe and just to see the sights. We took I25 south to exit 267 then turned east/south on the road to Los Cerrillos. The road soon turns to gravel as it winds through Waldo Canyon.






















Here's Waldo, or what is left of it. It was once a mining town and a railroad stop. You can still see some foundations. (click on the photo for a better look.) The town was bought in in the thirties and a salvage operation was undertaken in which just about everything usable was removed. If you look under the trees, one of the foundations is visible. Someone was stopped under the trees in a truck and he did not particularly look as though he would would welcome the presence of a couple of extra people and a dog so we parked farther away. We observed a lot of broken glass, indicating that Waldo may now be a party spot.








The road continues on to Los Cerrillos, another mining town. It is considered a ghost town even though people live there. The downtown area is designated as a historic landmark. This $40,000 painted horse was in front of an antique shop.

From there we took HWY14 to Madrid. (The a is pronounced like the a in cat and the emphasis is on the first syllable.) I can see why Lauren loves it so much. It is an old mining 'ghost town' that has become an artist village. We did not stop since it was a little crowded and we had Lani with us.









We took the road that goes from HWY 14 to Galiesto. It turns into a gravel road for a few miles and we were looking for a place to let Lani get out and run around. It is easy to feel that you are out there in a private place where few if any other people stop. We were reminded that that is not always the case by what we found in the grass. It could only have been there a few hours since it had rained in the area yesterday and this was dry. I was going to leave it where it was but Stephen picked it up and turned it over. On the back was written: Look who's picture was on the mirror?

7 comments:

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Great shots, beautiful country!

I love the painted horse. LOVE it. Do you think they're particular about the number of zeros in the price?

FriĆ°vin said...

I'm glad you have the leisure time to travel the back roads and see the areas most people never see. Nice.

Unknown said...

Heart, there are smaller versions available. If you google painted ponies you will find lots of them.

Kona, you and Txrad should come for a visit and we can explore lots of back roads. I am looking for work so I don't know how much time I will have in the future so I am enjoying it now.

Ginnie said...

That was quite a Sunday drive. Not like any I've had lately. I love the deserted towns.

lime said...

you just never know what you will find, do you? thanks for sharing the exploration.

LittlePea said...

Great pix!

hele said...

wow. the light is so clear and bright there. beautiful.