Santa Fe: A Day in the Life of SNC
May 11, 2010
It's the end of the show. We're winded.
Santa Fe is the highest elevated state capital in the country at 7,000 feet or so (2,000 above Denver) and we're feeling that altitude. BUT, we're had a great time singing for everyone in the audience tonight, many of whom saw us perform live for the first time (always cool to see the show of hands and hear the cheers from crowds who haven't seen us before).
We had yesterday off, which was a much needed break on our voices and bodies. We caught up on sleep, got some good sun by the pool at our hotel, and had a fun cocktail hour (or two) around the hot tub and brainstormed some creative marketing and musical ideas together. Dinner was at a fun spot called Coyote Cafe (not Ugly...), which has a relaxing rooftop terrace and a fantastic Southwest menu. As the picture of Jerome holding his plate of (APPETIZER) nachos attests on the main page, Coyote Cafe does not skimp with their portions! The night continued - at the expense of several buckets of Coronas and some Sangria for an after-dinner-drink drink - and some of us headed to a fun local watering hole calling the Tin Star where we had another round and called it a night. Best part: our hotel was next door.
Today, Mike, Seggie, and I rented a car in town and drove out to the nearby mountains to get some fresh air and check out the local hiking scene. We stopped at a trailhead and were drawn to a creek that was running through the forest, trickling here and there past the foot or so of snow that remained on the ground from the winter. The avid, expert climbers that we are, we made sure to pack plenty of water (10 oz. each for the day), wear our most comfortable shorts, and throw on whatever shoes we found on the bus that belonged to us. We cavalierly decided against bringing any granola bars or other sustenance on the grounds that it would most likely weigh us down as we trekked up the treacherous and daunting terrain.
That all came to an abrupt halt when we spotted a fresh paw print in the snow and knew that somewhere out there a big Mama bear could be eyeing us three human idiots as a potential light snack before dinner. We decided it best to return to our comfortable car and just drive the rest of the way up the mountain. Conversation turned to how we would break it to the rest of the guys if one of us actually was eaten by a bear. We pondered if we had the gumption to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, which would be fitting since we since about it every night. We learned from a sign at the last look-out that aspen trees hate beetles. Or maybe it's the other way around, I don't know.
OK, I hear the venue staff cleaning up in the hallway outside the dressing room which means one thing: this guy (points to chest with thumb) has to get out of here. Adios, Santa Fe / Goodbye, Holy Faith. Thanks for the memories.
Cheers,
RA