4 Corners Road Trip – part 3

Day 4 started with exploring El Malpais National Conservation Area, where my campsite was located. I climbed around the Sandstone Bluff overlook and "hiked" out to La Ventana Arch. The park itself was a bit underwhelming, but it was a good place to spend the night and seemed very lightly visited.

From there, I drove 3 hours to Tent Rocks, a bit outside of Santa Fe. Though it wasn't on my plan, my inability to sleep meant I got very early starts on this trip and was able to squeeze in even more sightseeing than originally planned. I hiked both the Slot Canyon and Cave Loop trails. The Slot Canyon Trail in particular was one of the stand outs of the whole trip — good ascent, beautiful views, and narrow canyons to weave through made it a very engaging hike.

Next I headed into Santa Fe proper on a bit of an Alexander Girard pilgrimage. First lunch at The Compound Restaurant, then a visit to the Museum of International Folk Art. My meal at the Compound was delicious (polenta with mushrooms), and such a funny contrast to several days of hiking and camping and eating food from Ziploc bags.

The restaurant was fun to explore – in particular, the different ceiling treatments seemed to retain the largest Girard influence. I loved the wavy, textured ceiling as well as the scrap fabric panels. Similarly, one of my favorite details from the museum were the display cases that had fabric lining their depths. Though it is barely noticeable when the cases are viewed straight on, once you approach at an angle, the different fabrics become part of the display, complementing the contents of the case.

By mid-afternoon, I was ready to get back on the road, and I drove the remaining 5 hours that delivered me to Hobbs and my family. And 7, yes 7 dogs! (Missing only Riley in this photo. Sydney, on the sofa, is so over it all.)