Look at that sky! For those not familiar with my hometown in northeast Indiana, you may not appreciate sunshine for days in a row. I was happy to capture this photo of a windmill, spinning in a constant breeze all day. It made me glad to be wearing my Route 66 sweatshirt into town to do some exploring this afternoon
In an effort to be prepared, I did some research with a lady who works here at the campground and online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas,_New_Mexico. The old town plaza seemed the place to start, so I ate breakfast here while deciding which shops and buildings looked most interesting.
The bandstand that replaced the old structure that had been used for lynchings.
Several sculptures are located on the plaza, this one is entitled "Cry to the Ages".
He didn't have a name, so I call him the "Pioneer"
There are 900 structures designated as Historical Places in the small but old city and I knew that I wouldn't be able to see them all. In fact I was becoming short of breath faster than usual. My research also showed that Las Vegas is higher in elevation than Denver - 6424 feet. Therefore, I decided to do a driving tour and limit my visits to historical buildings.
I also found out that Las Vegas was used for films and TV, such as Easy Rider - the scenes where they get arrested for parading without a permit and meet Jack Nicholson in jail; Kevin Costner in Wyatt Earp; No Country for Old Men by the Coen brothers; Longmire on A&E; and House of Cards had some scenes shot here. Not seeing any movie or TV stars, I went shopping.
The first stop was El Zocalo Gallery right on the plaza. This artists' co-op had many interesting and beautiful items, but I couldn't resist a new pair of earrings. It turned out that the ones I chose were made by Sandi Boyer, High Desert Artisan, who was working in the shop. I am trying to model them here but I just can't take a good selfie. I highly recommend visiting this gallery for an opportunity to support local artists and a chance to visit one of the historical buildings. Be sure to check out the glass between the two parts of the shop.
Another passion of mine is crochet, and wouldn't you know the shop next door, ThreadBear, in another historical building, is full of fabric for quilting and yarn. Well, they have a bit less yarn now. I couldn't get over this door handle. If you cannot tell, the button to push down is a fish tail. The co-owner, Michael Siewert, said that it was made locally and the local university has reproduced it.
After returning to my car, I had one more visit to make. The wi-fi connection in the campground was inconsistent this morning, so I thought I would try to find the Carnegie Library. Modeled on Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, I was pleased to find that it is still a functioning library with free wifi access.
Until the end of 2019, I still work part time for Heartland Home Care and Hospice in Fort Wayne and South Bend, IN. I audit charts and prepare reports for the Quality Performance meetings. I am happy to announce my part is done for October's meeting, so I can play the rest of this trip.
Upon return to the campground, I took a few photos of the interior of the camper and my potty tent.
Just look at that sky! I woke this morning to the smell of sage and I look forward to tomorrow's adventures.
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