Aztec Ruins

Aztec Ruins National Monument - 22 August

Chaco Canyon

Chaco Culture National Historical Park - Gallo Campground - 20 August

3 nights, I'm letting myself have 3 photos.

Things that make you go brmmmm

So we have now been in the US of A for two years, and to celebrate by coincidence we bought a new car that day. It isn't new new, just new to us. It's 4WD for those lumpy roads, and craptastic enough that we won't care much about mud, sand, scratches, sun damage, and all the other ways that the Nevada desert likes to reclaim vehicles unto itself and generally return them to the dust whence they sprang.

There were several strikingly interesting things about the transaction. And yes, I will now proceed to list them. You may want to give it up as a bad job without reading further.

The Inn at Halona (Zuni Pueblo NM)

Sunset view towards mesa at Zuni Pueblo

The Inn at Halona is a nest of a lodge in the midst of an ancient village. Of the couple of dozen pueblo communities in New Mexico, as far as I found, Zuni is the only one with guest accommodation in the village itself. (The proper name for Zuni people is Ashiwi but our guide explained that Zuni is still kinda their nickname and it's used extensively on their websites.)

A beautiful Zuni vessel at MNA

House of mirrors (Mary Colter and La Posada Hotel, Winslow AZ)

Arriving

When you walk into a place that is really loved, it's often evident from the very first moment. La Posada at Winslow is such a place.

Wait, Thursday is also wolf day (Meow Wolf, Santa Fe NM)

Detail of arch, Meow Wolf, Santa Fe NM

So, Meow Wolf. Wait what, right? Wolves don't ... Cats aren't ... Yup, true, true, so I took a deep breath and ignored the category violation error. It's an excellent name because it makes you ask, what on earth is that?

Ans.: No idea, sorry. Indoor theme park? Art gallery? Interactive installation? Immersive mockumentary?

Meow? 

When they roast the Hatch chiles for you

This is kind of a southwest thing, and I guess they don't tell you about it because it's as matter-of-fact as fresh tortillas, or raspberries, or toilet paper, or 900 kinds of cereal, or an entire wall of canned and bottled chiles. 

But as a stranger to these here parts, I couldn't help noticing ... 

In August and (depending on the season) into early September, you can buy Hatch chiles at the supermarket by the 25 lb box for about $20. That's quite good, but it's not the amazing part. 

The amazing part is that you can then take your box of peppers outside, and some poor bloke who's been assigned to this duty presumably for his sins, will stand out there in the 115 heat and flame roast them for you in a purpose-built, gas-powered roaster. True story.

Hatch chiles, from the eponymous New Mexico county, have a very particular flavour to them. So delicious - so hard to describe. (Come and visit, I'll make you some kind of something with them that we'll eat with fresh, hand-made, blue corn tortillas, out on the patio while the fountain splashes. And drink margaritas while the sun sets, or sample several kinds of local gin into the night.)

I'm a wimp, I got the 'mild' kind, which are all flavour and hardly any heat.

This is up the road at one of our many local supermarkets. I asked the lovely, helpful man if I could take photos. Bemused but obliging, he agreed, and while the chiles roasted, I explained that back home they would never have heard of this. 

Dude! Your hat totally matches the fresh chillies!

It takes 5 minutes or so, but he watches them and knows the perfect moment to power down the blowtorch, stop the revolving drum and decant them back into the now plastic-bag-lined box. 

Tip the guy real good; it's hot and he'll deserve a beer.

Yep, I womanfully trundled them home on the back of my bike. This was back in September 2015 when we didn't yet have Harry. 

When you get them home, let them cool. Then without peeling them, freeze them (we did them in lots of 10 in freezer paper.) When you want to use some, the skins slip off easily as they defrost. Then use them for good and not evil.