Santa Fe | Pascals

Sunday - 9 June 2002: Santa Fe, New Mexico - The weather today in Santa Fe was just lovely. Sadly, as the drought now enters Biblical Proportions. (I had an email from Rachel - our seat-mate at the 2nd Jimmy Buffett concert in Vegas. Rachel says Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona has now been closed to all but local traffic due to fire danger.) We were lazy after our late night (and big meal) and slept in until 7:30 am. DT went for a run, but I opted not to walk because we were going to play golf later! I did my housewifely duties: laundry, reading, CNN-ing, needlework, etc. and later in the morning we went on a little field trip to Jackalope. We thought it would be interesting to visit a 7-acre indoor/outdoor store! Jackalope sells imported (mostly from Mexico and India) furniture, pottery, textiles, rugs, kitchen items... well, nearly everything. Jackalope has three stores in New Mexico and another North Hollywood. It really was a fun adventure. Of course, there were women selling jewelry as we entered the store! They have a big display of a prairie dog "village" for your viewing pleasure and also a nice petting zoo. Roosters and chickens stroll about the 5 buildings on the premises. You know, we were there for 90 minutes and didn't buy a thing. We especially enjoyed their Mexican furniture department - large, chunky dining tables and gorgeous hand-painted cabinets. It is like Pier One on steroids, but with a lot of crap. Jackalope has a fun kitchen/food section with a large variety of hot sauces, including such notable brands as "Ass in the Tub", which has been replaced by the even-hotter, "Asses in Space" - a sauce so hot it will launch you into the stratosphere. There were more varieties, involving Bill & Monica... but this is family website.

Then it was off to Santa Fe Golf Links. Hitting a golf ball at 7000 feet elevation onto a bone-dry course is heaven. DT hit a 340 yard drive today and I hit several nearing 200 yards. I even out-drove my studly golfer on one hole! We were paired on the first nine with Kirk, the food service manager at the club. Kirk was very nice and helped us around the front nine with his knowledge of the course. On the back nine we were paired with Curt, and his young son, Kent. (Okay, so what are the chances you could meet a Kirk, Curt and Kent in one day and keep it straight?) Curt and Kent were beginners, were really enjoying learning the game and we enjoyed their company. Any day spent on the golf course with your kid is a good day.

After our round, we joined the locals in the club house for spirited conversation - building codes in Santa Fe, the plight of our Navajo Brothers, local restaurants, Habitat for Humanity... and, we talked about golf too. Really, the course was not in such great shape. With the drought, they can only water 3 days per week, and only with effluent water. (Don't put the tee in your mouth.) No matter these details - hitting a golf ball at 7000 feet elevation is sweet!

After a rest, we went into town for dinner. We had planned to eat at Tomasita's because we had been told by around 10 people that it was either the best or the worst place to have New Mexican food. We decided to give it a try for ourselves. Tomasita's was closed on Sundays! (Now we may never know.) I asked DT to drive into the core downtown area to try Pasqual's. I had eaten brunch here 6 years ago - the chef is quite famous, with several cookbooks, etc., so I thought it may be a fun choice. We had a blast! The staff is so friendly - we walked in with no reservation to a completely packed house - and the place can only seat 49 customers. The hostess, who has been dating a new guy for 3 months now and thinks he is a "keeper", said she could seat us in 7 minutes IF the planned reservation did not show up. They didn't, and we were seated at a table for two, 3 inches away from another table for two. The restaurant may as well as put the tables together because we spent the entire evening chatting and laughing with a lovely couple from Arkansas. They could not get over how we have "chucked it all in" and are living in a bus for 6 weeks. They were ten years older, and getting ready to retire. After having three sons, they now have a granddaughter and Grandma is looking for turquoise for the sweet thang! They were a very fun couple and their Arkansas accent was just delightful. They drove the "High Road" to Taos today and well, "eet was jus one dump effter an-uther". We were thinking of driving the "High Road" in the BC2. Maybe not. Seriously, if someone from Arkansas says it's a dump - it's a dump. (Her words, not mine.)

Pasqual's did not disappoint. For starters, I tried the Iroquois Corn Tamale with Roasted Poblano, Zucchini and Asadero Cheese. It was served on a banana leaf and the tamale melted in your mouth. The corn taste was quite prevalent. DT had Napo's Pupusa-Griddled Corn Masa Cake with Sweet Pepper-Onion Escabeche. (He says it was like corn bread with lots of corn and cheese.) For my main course - I went nuts and had their Plato Supremo! Well, I had HALF of their Plato Supremo... Anaheim Chile Relleno, Chicken Mole Taco, Cilantro Rice and Field Greens, Jicama and Orange Salad. It was just yummy! The chile relleno, was well - it was a chile relleno - but it WAS homemade and huge. The mole sauce on the chicken - they used thigh meat - was very rich, with a slight hint of cinnamon. The taco was too soft to eat with your fingers, the shell was made from a freshly rolled yellow corn tortilla! The rice was Thai, and made green with freshly-chopped cilantro leaves - maybe the best thing on my plate... well, except for the gigantic chunks of avocado in my jicama and orange salad. Great combination of foods - I was a good girl and only tasted each thing - it was enough food for 2 or three people. (If you ordered the ENTIRE Plato Supremo, you were also served a citrus-garlic shrimp taco and a Niman Ranch Beef taco al Diablo. The bypass surgery is separate.) DT had Free Range Chicken Mole Enchiladas with Plantain Rice, Fresh Corn Torte and Mango Jicama Salad. His mole sauce was the same as my mole sauce and he tasted more cinnamon than I did... but what does he know? His rice, with chunks of plantain, was especially nice and he really enjoyed his jicama salad. No room for dessert. No room for coffee.

Again, I am skipping my spell checker completely tonight, as every other word in the above paragraph is underlined in red. If you see a typo - get over it.

We have really enjoyed our stay in Santa Fe. Considering it is just a little smaller than Beaverton, Santa Fe has a lot going for it. The bad things are sprawl and bad traffic... hmmm... just like Beaverton!  At least we have enough water to sustain our population - Santa Fe can not accept another resident until it rains. The amount and quality of art in this town is staggering.

RV Park: Los Campos RV Resort