by Joe
Homer Simpson once said while looking at a map of the US, Look Lisa, there’s a NEW Mexico! Well it isn’t new and it ain’t Mexico, but it truly is the Land of Enchantment. My wife and I just returned from an eleven day tour of the state and found it to be one of the most enchanting and geologically diverse states in the Union. The scenery is terrific, the food is fantastic, and the people are proud of their history and way of life. They are Native American, Hispanic and Wild West American all in one friendly, helpful, and gracious hosts.

We had considered going to New Mexico for several years because we had seen photographs and read info on their Balloon Fiesta held every year during the first couple of weeks in October. Which in itself is a great reason to stop in Albuquerque but by far is not the only draw that will float your boat (or balloon in this case). The more I planned for the trip the longer it became. We picked a great time of year as the temperatures are milder and more pleasant in the Fall. The north will see temps warm up in the day to the high 60s/low 70s with lows in the 40s. The south will still be very warm, typically high 80s during the day and the 60s in the evening. The sun shines everyday and the sky is so blue. Basically we spent five and a half days in the north and the same in the south. The half day was a transitional day as we drove from Santa Fe in the north to Las Cruces in the south which is about a five and a half hour drive.

We flew into Santa Fe which has a very small airport but it offered a better airfare and arrival time for us. Since we were staying there anyway and it would be our base for the next 5 days it worked out perfect for us. However, for most it may be more economical to fly into Albuquerque as it is a much larger city and many more flights per day. Santa Fe is only an hour drive from Albuquerque so it’s still very convenient. Unless you plan to spend several days in Albuquerque you will find Santa Fe is more logistically located to other sites as well as offering a great many other reasons for which to stay.

Santa Fe is an awesome city. It’s a small town that is very walkable and has loads of history, museums, shops, restaurants, and bars to explore. We happened to start our trip on a Farmers market day at the Railyards which was just a couple of blocks from our hotel.

Fresh chilies being roasted to your order, fresh veggies, apples, nuts and other Fall favorites. We had a wonderful time enjoying the activities and eating lunch at a micro brewery. We also checked out Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and the shops in town.

We stayed at a most hospitable hotel, Hotel Santa Fe Hacienda and Spa, which is the only one in Santa Fe totally owned and operated by Native Americans. We loved the Pincus suites, the coffee service set up each morning on each floor, the Native American inspired food, and the entertainment in the bar each evening

Our trip to the Balloon Fiesta was more than we expected. While we knew there would be 400 to 500 balloonists launching all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors, we had no idea just how overwhelming this sight would be to us. The Fiesta has a huge balloon park (looked like a large fairgrounds) which is devoted to this event. There is parking all around it. We arrived at the park around 5 am. We had arranged to do a balloon ride with the only company that is allowed to take off with the other balloonists (Rainbow Ryders). I highly recommend this company as they are first class. The morning sessions had a laser light show, plenty of breakfast food tents serving tasty breakfast burritos, donuts/pastries of all types as well as bacon and eggs served in many ways. The events start before dawn with a balloon flicker, and a group of balloons that are allowed to ascend before dawn (the Dawn Patrol). At the first hints of sunrise the balloons begin to launch. Our balloon was in an early group so we had little time on the ground to watch but it was really cool watching them from the sky too. This was our first balloon ride and it was fantastic. Our pilot was very entertaining and took us to 10,300 ft. We floated over 8 miles over subdivisions, the Rio Grande, and the desert, and the views were so beautuful. The silence is only interrupted by the propane blasts and the barking dogs below.

The next day we drove about an hour to Bandelier National Monument.

This park has preserved many cliff dwelling sites used by the Pueblo Indians from 1150 AD to 1550 AD. The hiking is very good here and there are a couple of locations where you can climb several ladders and enter these cliff dwellings. We climbed 140 feet of ladders to reach the “Alcove House” which was a ceremonial cliff area in the Frijoles Canyon. Consider taking time to drive up to and hike in the Jemez Mountains. This area has Alpine looking scenery that is so very different than the arid desert areas.

The following day we drove along the Rio Grande to Taos. This town is an authentic little artist based town with lots of shops as well as several ski areas near by. We had fun exploring the stores along the cowboy sidewalks and having a great lunch outside at The Gorge.

We also took a short drive to one of the highest cantilevered bridges on North America as it spans the Rio Grande Canyon.  We drove to the Taos Ski Area and saw alot of activity getting ready for this year’s ski season. Many people may not realize that New Mexico has several very good ski areas. We toured St. Francis of Assisi Church on the outskirts of town. It is purported to be the most painted and photographed church in North America including many by Georgia O’Keeffe.

We took a day trip to Los Alamos. Just about an hour drive from Santa Fe, this little town has a big story. It was the gathering point of the scientist and engineers and where the laboratory was built for the creation of the first atomic bombs. The lab still exists and is very active in continuing the research of atomic weapons. There is a great museum called The Bradbury Museum which is named after the first director of the lab and not the science fiction writer. We found a great restaurant there for breakfast. Don’t let the looks of The Chili Works scare you off. It had the best breakfast burrito we ate during the whole trip. Just a shack and a long morning line but the line moves quickly and the food is very, very burrito good.

Las Cruces is a great town to use as a base to explore the Southern part of the state. It is the City of Crosses. It’s very temperate, is close to several ghost towns, a wonderful “old town”, Dripping Springs, and has all the amenities of a growing mid-size city. We spent a day checking-out White Sands National Monument which is only about an hour away.

This park was one of our favorites of the trip. White gypsum sand for miles, dunes, unusual wild life, and vegetation. Buy a cheap saucer at the gift shop and find one of the spots to slide down the dunes that look and act just like snow when sledding. While the day was very hot the sand stayed cool since the sand is gypsum, not quartz, and the water table is not far below the surface.

A day at Carlsbad Caverns National Park was next up. Carlsbad Caverns may not be as large or expansive as Mammoth Cave but it contains some of the most beautiful formations you will see in a cave system. We did the self guided tour which included a hike into the large natural entrance and a couple miles throughout the main portion of the cave. The bat population that migrates to this cave each year, and stays all summer, makes it truly unique. 400,000 to 500,000 bats will stay here and have their babies each year. At the mouth of the cave is an amphitheater in which to sit and watch the bats come out each night to feed. Very amazing sight to see, but no pictures or video allowed.

Final stop on our tour was a day at Guadalupe National Park to do some hiking. Much of the hiking in this park is rugged, but not all of it. We found several nice trails, one of which went up to the base of a mountain where a beautiful spring came out and became a real oasis in this very arid terrain.

A shout out to the hotel we stayed at in Carlsbad. A boutique hotel created from an old turn of the century bank building.  If staying in this area check out the Trinity Hotel. Not only is it a great place to stay, it has one of the best restaurants in the city. The rooms are huge and the amenities are unique such as a wine fridge in every room, special toiletries, breakfast and a wine tasting most every night.

It was a time for exploring. A time for relaxing. A time for hiking. And a time for feasting. Turn, turn, turn. There is much to do and see in this super state. So long New Mexico and thanks for the memories.