We have both spent time in northern New Mexico on separate trips. We’d talked about heading out that way together and when a three day weekend was available in May 2011, we decided to take advantage. Looking for a quick getaway (as the Brits would say, mini-break), Santa Fe was a fairly easy location via a flight through Albuquerque.

Friday 2011 05 27

Departure was on a Friday afternoon, from a small, very crowded gate at Love Field. The entire airport was packed with people. We quickly gravitated toward the airport bar, finding fuel comforting in the middle of this airport insanity.

Clear skies on this afternoon flight allowed for some pretty decent photos.

Arrival in Albuquerque was smooth, but there was still a 2 hour drive and a rental car to figure out. Hertz gave us a Sportage, a model neither one of us were familiar with. We hopped in and headed… to the nearest bar, of course. Sitting in a booth in an old dark restaurant, we waited for food and drinks. And waited. and waited. We came to the conclusion service in New Mexico operates at a different rate than what we’re used to. It’s sort of a “we’ll get around to it when we do” sort of attitude. Looking ahead to a long drive to Santa Fe, we were a little impatient with this cavalier mode of operation. After the food and drinks were served and consumed, we headed out into the now dark evening. The Sportage was a nice car – right size (with the exception of the back window), but the direction of the pedal seemed awkward. When pushed, the gas pedal’s lower half goes toward the floorboard instead of the top. There were a few faster than intended starts, but we made it up to Santa Fe. It was late and very dark, and it took us a while to find our place – a cozy little place buried in an adobe apartment complex. We found a modest living area, kitchen and an alien guarding the front door. Perfect. We settled in for the night.

Saturday 2011 05 28

We woke up late and considered breakfast possibilities. Technically, we were staying at a bed & breakfast, but we weren’t sure if the owner accommodated almost afternoon breakfast requests, so we roamed a bit in downtown Santa Fe, finding a brunch place that reiterated to us the slower-than-leisurely pace of service in New Mexico. One of us began reminding himself that this was not a problem, but a benefit …

We wanted to explore Santa Fe, but also get in some outdoor time. Maybe a hike, we thought. And as we wandered through the town, we found ourselves at the bottom of the chair lift at Ski Santa Fe, looking up a very large hill. As would become the norm in our adventures, no plan, beverages in-hand, and no thought about how things would work out meant we were sure we could just climb 2000 feet up a 45-degree incline with no problems.

We could walk up part way, we thought. With no particular end game in mind, we headed up into the snow and trees.

As far as preparation for a long hike, that was nonexistent. One of us was wearing running shoes, the other sandals. We had water – one bottle of only water and a couple bottles of non-water. Having been at 500 feet of elevation the prior day in Fort Worth, we were starting off at about 10,500 feet of elevation, no sunscreen on, and the sandal-wearer having done pretty minimal physical exercise, ever. This could be exciting.

At the halfway point, we were still feeling pretty good and maybe even a bit tipsy from the non-water, so we made the decision to keep on going. The sandal-wearer was enjoying about 10 steps at a time, pausing to allow his heart rate to drop from 200 bpm to 175 or so …

Oxygen is scarce at this elevation and after a while, it started to take its toll – even the full-time athlete in our party was feeling some lung burn. That said we pushed on, figuring at this point we might as well finish what we started to get to the top of that hill (read: big-ass mountain). We thought there might be a nice view from up there, and we were right.

We hadn’t planned on spending the entire afternoon climbing a steep hill, but that’s how the day played out. We stopped for a minute to consider our walk. Probably 3 miles of distance and about 2500 feet up and down, just on a whim. Imagine what we could do if we actually planned ahead.

The way down was a challenge, although we did find several snowpacks to put our hot and tired feet in – unusual sights for those of us from Texas.

Exhaustion was setting in, and the non-water induced buzz started to fade. We were very happy to finally see the road, which would take us to a bed.

We found the car and happily headed back to the little apartment and collapsed into the bed for a long nap.

The evening was less physically exhausting, but involved a lot of energy testing out our tolerance for high altitudes and strong beverages. Having a good friend who lived in Santa Fe with his future wife, we asked for tips and were able to meet them at a completely Santa Fe bar, Del Charro, located in the ground floor of the historic Inn of the Governors. A thoroughly enjoyable night ensued with a lazy dinner and beverages, photographic evidence of which we will refrain from sharing to protect the innocent. Wandering home late, we were glad of a walkable downtown area.

Sunday 2011 05 29

The night before, our local friends had really sold us on the idea of driving north. They said we couldn’t visit Santa Fe and not see the amazing gorge carved by the Rio Grande River near Taos. While we were up there, we might as well hike up the mountain, and should probably plan a stop at a well-known Mexican spot for the best margaritas (because the night before we hadn’t finished all the margaritas in norther New Mexico …). We agreed to join them for the adventure. Impressive hangovers prevented this from happening too early in the morning; the early hours were spent downing coffee and opening eyeballs, and eventually discovering another slow breakfast on a patio.

We packed a cooler for the trip, including a bottle of vodka we had accidentally picked up on the drive from Albuqerque to Santa Fe. A bit more deliberation this time meant when our ride arrived, we had more practical belongings to stuff in Dave’s trunk: closed-toe shoes, bottled water, sunscreen, jackets, and of course mixers.

The route from Santa Fe to Taos is spectacular. Highway 68 follows the Rio Grande north through the river valley, with looming mountains on both sides, fast-running rapids streaming by on the west side, and plenty of vistas to check out as you climb north. The road winds along the west side of the gorgeous Sangre de Cristo range, with the peaks of the Santa Fe National Forest across the river.

We rode in silence, admiring the scenery, wondering how inconvenient it would be to relocate children and jobs here.

We stopped to put our feet in the Rio Grande, and watched a group of white water rafters sail by. Icy, clear, fast-running water is a novelty for those of us used to flat, murky puddles and creeks that wander through Texas plains and woods.

We stopped at that top of the pass before heading down to Taos proper, with the vast Rio Grande valley spread out between mountain ranges, and what is probably the southern edge of Colorado at the farthest end of visibility. This was also our first taste of being in the wind tunnel that is north central New Mexico – the 14,000-foot peaks lining the valley in Colorado help drive some intense air currents.

Having made it to Taos, we immediately had to leave Taos to get out to the Rio Grande gorge. The bridge is one of the highest in North America – it’s not the Royal Gorge (we’d see that eventually) but certainly going from the shallow valley we’d driven through, this was an impressive hole in the ground.

Wind can’t be captured in photographs, especially in this terrain, but if it could, everything here would be sideways. As soon as we opened the car door, we were blasted with chilly northern New Mexico air. We tried once or twice to have a conversation as we trekked over the bridge, but eventually just gave up and looked down at the big hole in silence.

After traversing the gorge and capturing some photos, we considered ordering ice cream from a big bus, but decided unhealthy food would taste better after some physical activity.

Next, Taos Ski Valley. A popular ski resort in the winter, the area is popular with hikers, campers, horse riders, and mountain bikers in the summer. We didn’t know it at the time, but this would be the first of many, many trips to Taos. The following trips would happen during ski season and with kids along for the fun.

Today, we didn’t take on a challenge of getting to the top of the hill. It was late in the evening, and a hike up this mountain would take considerably longer than the ski area in Santa Fe. We did enjoy a nice leisurely (very slow) walk along a trail, also known as White Feather, the easiest way down the mountain for those new to skiing.

After our low-key hike, it was time for the first round of drinks. We found those at the base of the mountain in the ski lodge. Strange to visit a lodge during the off-season. Normally the cafeteria area is a bustling, noisy chaotic place full of sweaty skiers and their gear trying to stuff food into the mouths before heading back out. On Memorial Day weekend, the place was empty with the exception of a few local hikers. We enjoyed our beers in the quiet bar before we headed back down the mountain.

It was more difficult to appreciate the view on the drive home, since the sun had disappeared. We drove in the dark, stopping for the second round of drinks and a fantastic dinner at Orlando’s, a little Mexican joint with room for about 10 customers at a time. Food was served on a tiny fenced-in patio, cooked in the miniscule kitchen at the back of a little adobe structure. Well worth the stop.

Driving back to Santa Fe, we had one more stop before calling it a day. Before we got too close to the city lights, we tried to find a remote road to step out and view the stars. Forgetting that we were in one of the busiest corridors in New Mexico, finding pitch black and quiet wasn’t going to happen. We were much closer to the sky than we’re used to at home, so what stars we could see were bright and clear. It was a good indicator that we’d be back this way when possible.

Monday 2011 05 30

Monday arrived and we weren’t ready to leave. The homeward flight wasn’t leaving until the afternoon, so we had some time to explore the downtown area. We wandered over, looking for food and coffee.

Santa Fe was originally settled in the 1600s by the Tlaxcalan Indians, who migrated north from Mexico (no border crossing required then). Buildings then were constructed with adobe, or sun-dried brick. In those days, adobe brick consisted of sand, gravel, clay, water and often straw or grass mixed together by hand. The native Pueblo Indians weren’t thrilled about the new neighbors, and in 1680 a dispute resulted in a fire which destroyed some of the early structures. The Pueblos rule was short-lived, as they later acquiesced to living among other tribes in the area for several decades. As the Europeans migrated to the area, trade increased as well as conflicts. Despite the new arrivals, Santa Fe existed under Mexican rule until 1848, when Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ceding New Mexico and California to the United States.

The intention this trip was to get out of the city and enjoy some quiet. We failed with this particular goal this morning. There were people everywhere in the downtown area, shopping, eating, walking, running. We found some breakfast and coffee and a patio, where we sat and watched the hoards of people swarming the streets.

It appears residents of Santa Fe had worked out a pretty simple market system without using ebay or Amazon. Leave your bike on the corner, with a phone number and catchy slogan like “break the chains of energy slavery”. Interested buyers respond with their own message: “I like your bike! Can I talk to you?” Excellent. Why do we even need the internet?

Santa Fe is home to over 40 Christian churches, four synagogues, six Buddhist temples and dozens of spiritual centers supporting other beliefs. But these are not the retail-space-turned-community-church we’re accustomed to at home. The historic downtown area is full of these architectural wonders which have been around a long time and have been well taken care of since established. In addition to being home to the oldest church in the US, there are several other missions that were established in the 17th and 18th centuries.

After the morning filled with noisy crowds, we headed back to the little apartment and packed up, gathering evidence of the perfect little place before we left. We hadn’t spent enough time here, we thought. Located in the courtyard of an adobe complex just off a main road, the place opens up into a modest kitchen, with just enough appliances to cook meals if you choose to (we didn’t). There are only two other rooms, a bedroom to the left with an attached bath and a living area to the right. It was an incredibly comfortable and relaxing place and the perfect size. We should return, we decided. We would be back a year later, when the friends that took us to Taos decided to get married, but we didn’t stay in the apartment guarded by the alien. A story for a different post…

We drove out of Santa Fe, watching the historic churches disappear into the rearview mirror as we headed back to Albuquerque. Dropping the Sportage off at its rental home, we decided that the awkward pedal and small rear window meant it would be a vehicle neither one of us would ever purchase – the best laid plans …

As our plane took us over west Texas and back down to the big city, we agreed – the weekend in Santa Fe was a success that we’d need to repeat.