Santa Fe Sunset

Home again to this beautiful sunset. Both of these photos were taken in the same evening.. When you see sunsets this beautiful it helps you understand why this city has so many resident artists.

Eldorado, NM

A U-turn in the parking lot of St Elias the Prophet Greek Orthodox Church in Eldorado, NM, and this is the view that you see as you drive down the hill.

St Elias the Prophet Church in Eldorado

It was hard to leave this lovely serene place.

St Elias the Prophet Church in Eldorado

Every turn through the church property brings even more beautiful sights. It is probably a photographer's dream to be there when it is covered in snow.

St Elias the Prophet Church in Eldorado

Forty minutes of driving through Edorado finally led me to this beautiful Greek Orthodox Church. Take it from me, there is no direct route to the church from Rt 285.

Mystery Building in Eldorado

Leaving Lamy, I took 285 north to head back to Rt 25 and home to Santa Fe. The many times in the past that I've travelled 285 I've noticed an enormous white structure to the west, perched in the mountains overlooking Eldorado.

Houses of Lamy, NM

I've pointed out the truly different architecture of Lamy, but most of the houses are of this pueblo style, very much like the houses of Santa Fe. With all the creativity in houses, it is obvious that Lamy doesn't have the building restrictions that you find in Santa Fe, where everything has to be built in the pueblo style.

Wild Houses in Lamy

Every town has its' blatantly richest guy in town. This massive vistorian was built by Joe Miller who was described to me as follows, "He marches to his own beat. He owns all the land on that side of the railroad track."

Wild Houses of Lamy, NM

If you drive past the railroad station about 1/10 of a mile, you will find this house/railroad car on your right. The wooden balcony/patio is a stroke of genius.

The Wild Houses of Lamy

My favorite part of the trip was the diverse architecture of this tiny town. With only 64 houses in all, I've never seen such a range of styles. I drove past this house set back in the hills, several times before I realized that it was actually a house. From the main road through Lamy take a left on Cosmic Way until you wind up in some poor person's yard. I took the risk of getting shot to get close enough to take a picture. I learned that this house was commisioned by a woman who owned the Golden Eye Jewely store in Santa Fe. She had the house built out of existing white rock. She passed away recently but the house is presently occupied.

Lamy Restaurant

The sign on the outside of the railroad dining car says "Lamy Museum" but it is now a restaurant - and actually a really decent restaurant. The best burger in Santa Fe (and one of the best in the US) is at Bobcat Bite's. The burger here wasn't as large, but I have to say that it tasted just as good as the burger at Bobcat Bite's. The air conditioning and cool atmosphere was a welcome relief on a hot day.

Legal Tender Saloon in Lamy

The inside has been completely restored and has been used for several Hollywood movies.

Legal Tender in Lamy, NM

Legal Tender looks like a fun restaurant but the restaurant has actually been moved across the street to a railroad dining car. This is now a museum. Originally this building was a general store and then it was expanded to a saloon. Some of the locals told me that it had once been a brothel, but the present caretaker vehemently denies this.

Lamy Church

Despite the fact that the church has been boarded up for centuries, some of the beautiful stained glass windows remain.

The Lamy Church; a Piece of History

The ancient church was a sad reminder of days gone by. Like so many houses and buildings in New Mexico, the front door is painted blue to ward off evil.

Lamy:Created by the Railroad

The sleepy town of 137 people and 64 homes was created because engineers found out at the last minute that they couldn't lay tracks directly to Santa Fe. They hadn't counted on the mountains surrounding the city of Santa Fe. Lamy became the back-up location for the Santa Fe train station for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad.
The train pictured is actually a tourist train that runs on a spur later created, to go from Santa Fe to Lamy. I love the open air platform (second from the last) that allows tourists to stand outside, holding on to the one thin rail, as the train travels between the two towns. It should provide great photo ops!
The train trip is quite an event, with a picnic in the shaded area next to the train station and serenades by a Spanish guitarist. Cherry BBQ pork for sandwiches was being served outside the station and the air smelled heavenly

Lamy,New Mexico

My local post office always has a line of at least 15 people so it's a great place to meet local folks. You take a number and then sit patiently on one of their wrought iron benches. During my last wait I met Kathy, the wife of a Hollywood director. They live near Lamy, a tiny town about 13 miles SE of Santa Fe. When she heard about my travel blog, Kathy encouraged me to visit and take pictures of their old abandoned Church.