IMG_0867[1] One of the great things about living on the Front Range in Colorado is there are lots of road trip possibilities within a day’s drive.  We took advantage of this by road tripping for a long weekend down to Santa Fe, New Mexico to see friends and enjoy the area.  Though Santa Fe sits at an altitude of 7200 feet, the environment and culture is quite different from our home town of Nederland.

Though many people identify the Rocky Mountains as exemplifying the true American west, there’s something about the wide open plateaus, rugged canyons, and aridness of New Mexico that feels truly western to me.  Santa Fe embodies this, with cactus abounding, and mountains within view on nearly every side.  Santa Fe also embodies the southwestern Adobe style of architecture, reminiscent of its Hispanic culture.  The city, in fact, passed an ordinance in 1957 requiring all construction to use a pueblo or adobe style architecture, in an effort to build tourism to the area.

Though the adobe style represents Santa Fe’s ties to Mexico, in fact, the first inhabitants of Santa Fe were Native people who go back to as early as 1050.  There are many places to see ruins of these first Native Americans in and around the Santa Fe area.  We spent a day exploring Bandelier National Monument, exploring the various cliff dwellings and settlements in the valley.  My favorite was Alcove House, sort of like a modern-day penthouse, with the views to match.  To reach Alcove House requires 400 feet of climbing, many of it via wooden ladders, much like the Native Americans used. The effort was totally worth it, with an enormous “house” and a spectacular view.IMG_0842[1]

Though the climate is more dry and arid around Santa Fe, there is mountain living in the nearby mountains.  We spent one day driving and exploring around Taos, New Mexico, another town with a rich history and a connection to art and culture.  We took the “Low Road” up along the Rio Grande, and took an incredible hike down to the Rio Grande in Wild Rivers Recreation Area.  I can only imagine how those settlers who came out via the Santa Fe Trail must have felt when they encountered the dramatic canyons of the Rio Grande.  It’s very deceptive as you drive along the plateau, never would you dream a narrow, but quite steep canyon that drops 800 feet would bisect the landscape.  On the way back, we returned back to Santa Fe via the “High Road”, a scenic byway, that climbs among the mountains, before descending back into the valley.  I felt as if we’d been transported back to Colorado, as the winding mountain road snaked among thick forests of pine and fir.

IMG_0893[1]Of course, no trip to Santa Fe and New Mexico would be complete without a dose of Mexican or as they call it, New Mexican food.  Our tastebuds were burning from the red and green chile, and also from the very strong Margueritas.  Several places had entire menus (up to 100 different kinds!) dedicated to their Margarita offerings, and with over 100 Mexican restaurants to choose from, that’s a lot of drinking and eating to fufill a hankering for all things enchiladas, tacos, salsas.

We had quite a bit of rain that came and went throughout our long weekend, but that only added to the splendor and the magnificence of the landscape.  As we returned from Bandelier at the end of the day, we spotted a large, vibrant rainbow spanning the entirety of the valley, with the mountains looming in the background — what a perfect end to our road trip!

promoblock