Inland, Dreaming of Waves

Go soak yer head

I did a little birding this morning before we left for Santa Fe. There I wanted to visit High Country Gardens, a nursery that specializes in plants native to the West, and when I did I discovered that one garden center is much like another. I bought a Dramm sprinkler and spray nozzle, and then we found our way to downtown Santa Fe.

There I made a lovely discovery: the scroll manuscript of On the Road, which I had missed when it was at the Denver Public Library, was on display at the Museum of New Mexico in the Palace of the Governors. After lunch at Catamount Bar and Grill, we toured the museum. To construct the scroll, Kerouac had glued or taped sheets of paper together and rolled it all up so that he would never have to stop typing to put in a sheet of paper. About 20 to 30 feet of the manuscript had been unrolled and secured under glass; you could read along and see Kerouac’s notes. A film was playing in the corner, and there were displays of books on the walls. Perusing the scroll and the information about the Six Gallery reading in San Francisco in 1955, where Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” was first read, filled me with joy.

When we’d had our fill of Santa Fe’s main square, we drove north on U.S. Route 285 to Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa. I’d planned to go to two spas today; this was the first. It had been renovated a bit since the last time we’d been there, in December 2005, and didn’t look quite so run-down. I don’t know how good the accommodations are, but the ten pools are unique: the outdoor Iron Pool, with a pebble floor that feels lovely on the feet; the cooler indoor Soda Pool, where I could stay for hours; the Mud Pool and two hot pools by it; the three private pools with kivas; and the swimming pool and associated hot pool. We had a good time there in the mud pool, as this picture of Todd shows.

But there was no dawdling for us. We headed north on 285 into Colorado and made a brief stop in Antonito at Silo Park. We dined at Trujillo’s in Alamosa, where Todd had filet and I had pasta. Then we drove north on state route 17 to Mineral Hot Springs, where Joyful Journey is located and I had reserved a yurt. We got there pretty late but were still able to soak before we went to bed.

posted by Price of Silence @ 11:43 AM