This week we were encouraged to share a little chaos.  How about a combination trading post, mining museum and petting zoo?  Where can one find such a chaotic delight? Cerrillos, New Mexico.

When I was leaving Santa Fe a couple of weeks ago and heading back to Albuquerque to fly home I chose to drive Hwy 14 rather than the main freeway.  It’s a lovely drive with some interesting sights along the way.

I pulled off the highway to check out Cerrillos, a small, almost-empty town on a Sunday morning in October.  I followed signs to the Casa Grande Trading Post and was delighted by what I found.  Their website describes the trading post as follows:  “This 28-room adobe building houses a gift shop with many unique items that include handmade sterling silver jewelry with rare Cerrillos turquoise, rocks & minerals, antique bottles, insulators and barbwire. The Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum has  local history displays, dioramas, a large mineral collection and antiques of the area. The Petting Zoo contains a friendly llama, several goats, fancy chickens and pigeons. This is the perfect place to stop with the family on your day trip adventure! Animal food available.”

How can one go wrong at such a location?

I wandered the gift shop, boggled by the offerings.  Lots of rocks of all different varieties. Sand dollars.  Shark teeth.  Wuh-huh?  Yes, indeedy-doo…in the middle of New Mexico.

Sometimes a little chaos is a good thing.