Thirty
years ago, most roads in this high-altitude town were unpaved
and the only visitors were hippies and artists who came to paint
the desert landscape in cruisy contemplation. These days, Santa
Fe ranks among the top tourist destinations in the USA. Movie
stars live in adobe mansions in the cedar-spotted hills, there
are more art galleries than there are grocery stores and the
folk munching on green-chile burgers are all wearing black turtlenecks.
Santa Fe has arrived.
It's a great
place to visit. The compact center offers cosmopolitan conveniences
and culinary delights. Just outside town are stunning forests
and deserts, ripe with possibility for high energy exploration.
The phenomenon of desert light, partly a factor of the high
altitude, is one of many highlights that can be appreciated
only through experience. The history of the area's peoples -
Indians, Hispanic settlers, traders and mountain men - cannot
be separated from the landscape. Any visit to Santa Fe can shed
light on this primal relationship, especially if you combine
visits to museums and pueblos with some outdoor activities.
