Wednesday (5/20)  Drove to Santa Fe, NM.  Santa Fe is the capitol of NM and is a city steeped in its history and the culture of its people.    The city's elevation is  6,989 ft. and the temperature is 20 degrees colder than the 90 degrees we had in Albuquerque.  

We went to visit a place just outside of Santa Fe called Tinkertown.  Tinkertown is the life hobby (forty years) of a gentleman who turned everything (mostly junk) into art.  He was a painter, wood carver, sculptor, photographer and many other things.  This is a place that just has to been seen to be believed.  He carved an entire miniature western town, an entire circus with two big tops and many, many other things (see pictures.)   The range of items on display boggles the mind.  The building was made out of bottles laid on their sides and cemented together (see picture.) It was fantastic.

In the evening we went to the Santa Fe Plaza just to get a feel for the city.  There are very strict building codes that require all buildings are built in the adobe style and painted a sanctioned shade of beige.   It really has the feel of an old southwest town.