RV trip day 2: The Miracle Staircase

Santa Fe is one of the prettiest cities I've seen. We're here through Sunday with some of our Las Cruces friends, and on Monday we'll go our separate ways. Though I don't expect to be actively selling my books on this trip, I will leave business cards on bulletin boards at all the RV sites—a low-key approach to be sure.

Today we visited Loretto Chapel, which is now a private museum. It's well worth paying the small admission to see the spectacular "Miracle Staircase." According to the story, the nuns who owned the chapel needed a staircase to get to the upper level, but there wasn't enough room for a conventional set of stairs. So they prayed, and along came an anonymous carpenter who built essentially what you see in the picture and then disappeared without accepting payment. It seems to have no supports except for a small brace added later. Originally it had no railing and banister, which it's said made for scary ascents and descents.

Here's a wonderful statue in front of a shop downtown.