sculpture Archives - Santa Fe Footprints

I Love E-Bikes

by Bob Ackenhausen | Jun 25, 2020 | Footnotes

I have been hiking the low trails. Hiking the high trails has been exhilarating and exhausting. The benefit of the shutdown is that it is causing me and others to get out and smell the chamisa (that’s a New Mexico thing). I have an E-bike, which pre-shutdown, I used just for transportation. Now I use my E-bike to explore the city, the city bike trails and the trail outside the city. I love E-bikes.

Why peddle?

OK, all you ‘real’ bikers are now calling me a fake biker. Well, there is some true to that charge. Let me explain. Peddling is good exercise and biking is fun. Peddling up hill is not fun. For me that is. Yes, I know, I see you hard core guys and gals pumping away as you struggle up Hyde Park road heading to the ski area. That sort of punishment is just not for me. I enjoy being on a bike and not killing myself. That’s why I love E-bikes!

On my new E-bike. Aventon Level

What Type of E-bike?

My first encounter with an E-bike was on a trip to L.A. My wife and I took an E-bike tour of Santa Monica and Venice Beach. After that I was hooked. I just knew I love E-bikes. My first E-bike was just like the one we had used on the tour. It was and is a very serviceable model for getting from here to there but it just didn’t sing! I wanted more. I wanted jazzy!

Got a Jazzy E-bike!

As the lockdown began to ease I headed out to Sleeping Bear Electric Bikes to see what they had to offer. They had mountain bikes, step-though Dutch bikes, cruiser bikes and the bike that I bought. An Aventon Level. They say it’s a commuter bike but it can also do trails.

Heading into a tunnel on the trail

Cruising the Tails

Now that I have a jazzy E-bike it was time to get out and ride Santa Fe’s bike trails. The wife claimed the old bike (she doesn’t understand why I didn’t think it was jazzy) and we were off. I love E-bikes!

For more information on biking, hiking or touring in Santa Fe contact Santa Fe Footprints.

Indian Market

by Bob Ackenhausen | Aug 13, 2019 | Footnotes

This weekend, August 16 to 18 is the 98^th annual Indian Market here in Santa Fe. It is the largest and most prestigious juried Native arts show in the world. Over 1,100 Native artists from the U.S. and Canada sell their artwork. The Indian Market attracts 150,000 visitors to Santa Fe from all over the world. Buyers, collectors and gallery owners come to Indian Market to take advantage of the opportunity to buy directly from the artists. For many visitors, this is a rare opportunity to meet the artists and learn about contemporary Indian arts and cultures. Quality and authenticity are the hallmarks of the Santa Fe Indian Market.

The artists are people from over 220 U.S. Federally recognized tribes and First Nations’ Tribes (Canada). To the casual observer, it may not be evident that there may be generations of artists sitting together under the same booth. Some artists have been participating in Indian Market 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and even 60+ years. Their artwork is the universal language, which speaks and becomes a part of our lives.

The Indian Market officially begins on Saturday, 7:00 am -5:00 pm and Sunday 8:00 – 5:00 pm. Saturday is typically when the die-hard collectors come to shop. Sunday morning is less busy and preferred by those Market goers who wish to take their time discovering and rediscovering the hidden gems of Market.

Santa Fe Footprints does not offer walking tours on Saturday and Sunday of Indian Market. Not only is it just too crowded, we believe you should be enjoying the market and not desperately trying to hear what our extremely informative guides are saying. We do have tours the week leading up to and the days following the market. These tours will help you understand what you are about to experience or if after the market, make some sense of what you have been through.

Art, Art, Everywhere Art!

by Bob Ackenhausen | Mar 16, 2019 | Footnotes

In addition to its signature architecture, downtown Santa Fe is rich with artwork within sight of the most casual pedestrian observer. From statues of historic figures, such as Archbishop John Baptiste Lamy and St. Kateri Tekakwitha (the first Indian of North America to be thus promoted), to rearing bronze horses and dragons perched overhead, the downtown area is dotted with fascinating sculptures and other creative works in
public view.