Heading further west on 66 we reach Sante Fe, NM..Santa Fe Loop of Route 66 The original alignment of Route 66 between 1926 and 1937 went from Santa Rosa to Albuquerque via Romeroville, Bernal, Pecos, Santa Fe, Santo Domingo, Algodones and Bernalillo. It was bypassed in 1937 with the "Santa Fe Cut Off" which shortened the alignment via Moriarty. Santa Fe combines Spanish Colonial and Native American Pueblo culture and history. Arts, crafts, food and amazing outdoors on an iconic Route 66 city. Downtown Sante Fe, NM.
Heading further west on 66 we reach Sante Fe, NM..Santa Fe Loop of Route 66 The original alignment of Route 66 between 1926 and 1937 went from Santa Rosa to Albuquerque via Romeroville, Bernal, Pecos, Santa Fe, Santo Domingo, Algodones and Bernalillo. It was bypassed in 1937 with the "Santa Fe Cut Off" which shortened the alignment via Moriarty. Santa Fe combines Spanish Colonial and Native American Pueblo culture and history. Arts, crafts, food and amazing outdoors on an iconic Route 66 city. Downtown Sante Fe, NM. Loretto Chapel..Loretto Chapel is best known for its "miraculous" spiral staircase, which rises 20 feet to the choir loft while making two full turns, all without the support of a newel or central pole. The staircase is built mostly out of wood and is held together by wooden pegs and glue rather than nails or other hardware. The inner stringer consists of seven wooden segments joined together with glue, while the longer outer stringer has nine segments. The exact wood used to build the staircase is unknown, though it has been confirmed to be a type of spruce, probably non-native to New Mexico. The handrails were added later, in 1887. The staircase was built sometime between 1877 and 1881. By this point the chapel was substantially complete but still lacking access to the choir loft, possibly due to the unexpected death of the architect, Projectus Mouly, in 1879. According to the version of events passed down by the Sisters of Loretto, multiple builders were consulted but were not able to find a workable solution due to the confined quarters. In response the nuns prayed for nine straight days to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the last day of the novena, a mysterious stranger appeared and offered to build the staircase. He worked in seclusion using only a few simple hand tools and disappeared afterwards without the Sisters learning his identity. More fantastical versions of the story have the work taking place overnight, while according to others it took six to eight months.
