A Trip to New Mexico, Day 4 – A (Balloon) Fiesta

Our final full day in New Mexico began with an even earlier wake-up time than the rest of the vacation.  We awoke at 5 am and made the 45 minute drive from Santa Fe to Albuquerque for the Mass Ascension at the Balloon Fiesta.  We arrived shortly before the 7 am lift-off.   Thankfully, we had the foresight of buying tickets a few days before so we were able to bypass the enormous line that formed near the entrance to the field.  

The Balloon Fiesta Mass Ascension featured about 500 hot air balloons which rose within 90 minutes of each other.  Balloons featured included several shapes, sizes, and colors.  Some of the many photo highlights are below: 

The owl balloon surveys the situation (above) 

Darth Vader lifting off into the rising sun (above) 

The balloon family were separate balloons that inflated and lifted off together.  They were a crowd favorite.

After getting our fill of the hot air balloons, we grabbed some Starbucks on our way to the Sandia Peak Tramway.  We arrived at the base of the mountain only to find a sign saying the wait from this point was 1.5 hours.  Even though riding the longest tram in the world was appealing, we decided not to waste a good portion of our last day standing in line.  The view from the base of the lift was pretty good anyways, and the Sandia mountain range didn’t offer the tree-lined scenery we got in Santa Fe.

After finding our way out of the tramway area, we decided to head to the Petroglyph National Monument.  Petroglyphs are rock carvings depicting different aspects of Indian life in the area.  Many were carved around the 1300s.

With the early start to the morning, we were worn down by shortly after lunch.  We checked into the hotel a little early and relaxed, cleaned up, watched college football, and tracked Kona for a while before heading out for the evening.

Our last night was spent in the Nob Hill area, a trendy bar and restaurant district that’s a few blocks long, near the University of New Mexico.  It was pretty crowded with college students, so had a good energy, probably also helped by the New Mexico vs NM State rivalry game being played.  After dinner we returned to the hotel to get things together in preparation for our morning flights back to the Midwest.

With that, our mini-vacation has come to a close.  Back to the real world of school and work again tomorrow.  However, to close out the trip report, I leave you with a short video of the balloon filled sky at the 2010 Balloon Fiesta shot, along with everything else, by Susan.

A Trip to New Mexico, Day 3 – The Way to Santa Fe

Friday AM brought another early wake-up and run in the ominous morning weather.  The legs were not as cooperative this morning, so the run was ended after 4 tough miles.  After cleaning up, packing, and saying good-bye to the resort we made our way out of Taos.  After searching for a bakery, we found a coffee shop that was sufficient and fuelled for the trip. 

On the way out of Taos, in the smaller village of Ranchos de Taos, we stopped to view the San Francisco de Asis church, the most photographed church in the US.  It seems to represent the typical adobe chapel model of NM churches.

Adding ourselves to the number of people who have photographed the church.  We were also struck by the beauty of the neighboring house and courtyard, (below) complete with chiles.

 

We then made our way south to Santa Fe, this time taking the “low road” which provided great canyon views and some time riding along the Rio Grande river.

Before heading to Santa Fe proper, we climbed the adjacent mountain to the Santa Fe ski area and rode the ski lift to an overlook.  It was cool at the peak and we were not dressed for it, so our time on top of the mountain was short-lived.  After an obligatory couples photo, we hiked back to the base.

Notice the blanket of aspen trees covering the mountains.  Dramatically different than the desert below.  The fall colors were impressive.

Once reaching Santa Fe, it was time for a late lunch.  My chicken sopapilla (puffed bread) with chile sauce was just what I needed before heading into the plaza.  The plaza was buzzing with vendors and tourists as we crossed to the Cathedral, a more modern church built in a similar model to the adobe chapels.

 

Then went away from the plaza to Canyon Rd, the road of the artists.  It’s a winding road that isn’t much wider than an alley, but is covered on both sides by art galleries for at least a mile.  Of course, we couldn’t even pretend to be able to buy any of the art, so Susan just grabbed some photos as we passed through. 

Below is an artistic shot of a windmill.

…and a bronze sculpture of a girl swinging from the nearby tree.

 

Once we returned to the plaza, we realized how worn down we were.  Since the plan was to return to the same area for dinner we decided to check in at the hotel and take a break for a while.

We returned to the plaza after dark and hunted down a restaurant where Susan got a 400th anniversary (of the founding of Santa Fe) margarita with collectors glass.  It may have also been the first hot meal I’ve eaten here that didn’t feature chiles.  Then, since we have an extra early morning planned, we decided to call it a night.  However, on our way out of downtown, a pit stop was made at Ecco for some deliciously authentic gelato. 

Tomorrow brings the last full day of this mini-trip, but the plan is to end with a fiesta…

A Trip to New Mexico, Day 2 – All Around Taos

It was an early morning start, due to the early bedtime and time adjustment, so I was out of bed at 6:30 and out the door for a run in the cool morning by 7:00.  After winding through the Taos plaza area for almost 6 miles, I got back to the hotel and got ready to return to the touring.

We made our way to a local bakery/diner for breakfast, the tortilla rellena (sp?) was delicious being basically a giant breakfast burrito (covered with green chile sauce, of course).  Once fully fuelled, it was off the the Taos pueblo.

There are a handful of pueblos, particularly in the region between Santa Fe and Taos, with some being abandoned ruins and others still being actively used as Indian communities.  Taos pueblo is the latter, and therefore is incredibly well maintained given the age of the buildings.  The people who still live in the village (w/in the wall) where the tourists visit live without running water or electricity.  Many of the ground level homes are used as shops to sell baked goods and handmade arts and crafts.  Below is some shots of the pueblo…notice the amazing backdrop of living in the valley below some of the highest mountains in NM.

 

I was initially confused by the sign below as to why Native Americans would be serving Indian food…then it dawned on me.

After the pueblo, we made the short drive west to the Rio Grande Gorge bridge.  Although the bridge itself isn’t incredibly breathtaking, it’s the fifth highest bridge in the US so provided some awesome views of the Gorge.

 

The raging Rio Grande river

After walking to the center of the bridge and being terrified by the vibrations caused by a semi-truck we made our way back to the car, but not without first seeing (and hearing) a truck in a tough situation…driving with a fully loaded bed of lumber and no rear tire.

Only about a mile further west of the bridge is the Earthships world headquarters.  We figured since we were so close, we’d stop by and see what life in an Earthship was all about. 

Not trash, but building materials

While I applaud the creativity and effort taken to live low/no impact, I’m not quite ready to move into my own Earthship.

The tour of the Earthships was short, and soon we were back on the road to Taos with the goal of grabbing some gelato for lunch and hitting the shops in the main village before their early closing time.  By the completion of the shopping trip we were beat, so it was back to the hotel for a pit-stop before going back out for dinner.

Not a real elk

Once thoroughly relaxed, we grabbed dinner at a small local brew pub, where I enjoyed a veggie burger (with chiles…a theme is emerging).  Post-dinner, we hurried to the Best Western, of all places, to see an Indian dancing show that we were told started at 8 by a local shop-owner.  Unfortunately, this was a fail since we were told on arrival that the show started at 7 and had just recently ended.  With our evening plans shot and Taos closing down at an early hour, it was back to the hotel for us to hang out a bit before going to bed.

Tomorrow takes us back to Santa Fe…

A Trip to New Mexico, Day 1 – Getting There

Despite the fact that school is in full-swing for both Susan and me, we decided it was high time for another mini-vacation.  Actually, it is my parents vacation that we chose to piggyback on a portion of.  Either way, we’ll be exploring Northeast New Mexico over the next few days.

The trip began early yesterday.  Thanks to the hospitality of some friends, we were able to stay in Dayton the night prior to our 6AM flight and were given a ride to the airport way too early in the morning.  After a couple flights with minimal delays, we found ourselves in the Albuquerque airport where my parents awaited our arrival. 

First order of business was picking up some tickets for Saturday morning’s balloon fiesta mass ascension.  Then we grabbed some lunch (where I had my introduction to the local red and green chile’s) and made our way northeast to Santa Fe.

The main tourist activity of the day was a scenic back road trip to Taos.  Out of the scenic route options, we took the “high road”, which travelled along at a higher elevation (than the “low road”), as you might expect…

 

We were pretty excited about the higher speed limit in NM, but don’t get caught talking on your cell phone and driving.

Familiarizing ourselves with the desert landscape, including the aptly named Camel Rock (below)  

After hitting the back roads, we got to our first pit-stop in Chimayo  at the local chapel (below) where we also caught our first glimpses of artists in action (she’s painting the chapel)

This strange depiction (above) of St Francis of Assisi and the stylish skeleton, with his globe in hand, riding in the cart was hiding below the chapel at Chimayo…we are still looking for what it’s supposed to mean.

Further along the poorly marked roads to Taos, we passed through a variety of small villages.  What struck me most was that, despite not being more than an hour from a good sized city (Santa Fe), the villages gave the feeling of being in a remote portion of another country.  The gravel roads, small adobe chapels surrounded by smaller adobe huts, and basic lack of commercialization made for a unique atmosphere, particularly for being in the US. 

By mid-afternoon, we found our way to Taos, and to our hotel, which is pretty spectacular.  Travel tip:  Ski resort hotels have great deals in the off-seasons.  Pictures of the hotel grounds and our room, complete with fireplace and large, spa-like bathroom are below.

After settling in and taking an exploratory walk of the resort, we walked into the Taos plaza where most of the shops had already closed, before grabbing dinner at the Gorge bar and grill.

Post-dinner had us return to the hotel for some relaxation and a fire before a pretty early bedtime.  It was a long first day.