Santa Fe Oct 6

Another improvised day after my alarm did not go off. After some self-deliberation, I decided to stay in the area until Wednesday morning so I could witness the mass ascension at the balloon festival. I am just too close to it, too far from home and too flexible at the moment to pass up this opportunity. So today I drove to Santa Fe and explored a little. Santa Fe is to puebloan style as Santa Barbara is to mission style. All of the buildings take on earthy tones. It seems to me pretty liveable place. My one complaint is no free public parking. I visited the Georgia O'Keeffe museum which was time well spent for I have long held a fascination with, and appreciation for, her paintings. They had a great collection with many unique works I had never seen before. I spotted 2 quotes on the wall that I relate to: "Nothing is less real than realism. Details are confusing. It is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things." "To me people are difficult." After a great meal of spicy New Mexican, I drove into the Santa Fe National Forest to find a place to camp. What a surprise! All the aspens were ignited in vivid yellow flames as the sun peeked in and out of clouds. I may only be a kid from California who has never seen the fall colors in their peak as the East Coast is famous for, but to me it was quite the show. I am camped at the end of the road, surrounded by 4 inches of snow. I guess summer is truly over and winter is on its way.