New Mexico / Colorado Road Trip Day 3 - Santa Fe New Mexico and Camping Red River

After our mountain top excursion on NM/CO Road Trip Day 2 to the top of Sandia Peak we headed to Santa Fe. 

I love me a quaint little historic town full of shops and souvenirs just calling my name “buy me! BUY ME!”, and Santa Fe did not disappoint.

I didn't take a lot of pictures of the town. I guess I was too busy walking in and out of the stores buying tchotchkes for the house. The sky was bright and clear and the sun was beating down on us with tremendous heat, so the stores offered a much needed therapeutic break.

Walking around town the kids literally stopped to smell the roses, eh dandelions? 

Santa Fe has so much to offer for someone wanting to absorb the culture and learn the history, and unfortunately we only had a couple hours scheduled. 

One must-see stop though, is The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. 

This church is right at the end of one of the main roads of shops and would be a shame to miss. It's beautiful inside and upon entering you immediately feel the history and get that hold-your-breath stop-time feeling when you know you need to just stop and absorb everything around you. The original church was built on this site in 1610! According to the church website, 

"The only part of this church still existing is the small adobe chapel dedicated to Our Lady La Conquistadora. Brought from Spain in 1625, the statue is the oldest representation of the Virgin Mary in the United States. "

I will say, that I was impressed at how the children behaved in the church. Grady was (for the most part) quiet and behaved. Gracelyn understood the significance and took time alone to pray.

After church we were walking through the La Fonda Hotel shops, and the kids spotted a couch in the lobby, and flopped down. 

It was at this point that we decided to head to our next destination on the family road trip. After all, successful family road trips rely on driving while the kids are quiet and restful!

We camped that night at Fawn Lakes Campground on the north side of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in Santa Fe.

The campground is on the main road, which does have the potential to be loud, however we lucked out and got a perfect campsite in the very back, next to a stream, with nothing but the sound of rushing creek water. We were also near the bathroom which was quite clean (considering).

I will say the sound of rushing water was soothing and yet made me frequently want to get up and use the restroom, however, the air was so cold outside the tent that I chose to suffer in silence all night. Hopefully next time we camp here, it's not so cold at night! And I do hope to camp here again soon.

And that's it for Day 3. Here's our roadmap for the day.

Tomorrow we're headed to Breckenridge Colorado!

New Mexico / Colorado Road Trip Day 2 - Albuquerque New Mexico, Sandia Peak

Day 2 of our family road trip landed us in Albuquerque New Mexico to visit my sister-in-law who just moved there, and to celebrate her little boy's first birthday. 

 

 

For our family outing we headed over to Sandia Peak.

Loaded up with water bottles we started to hike up the peak. I lasted 5 minutes. Literally. 5 minutes. And then I melted down. Although beautiful, it was brutally hot, both kids were clinging on me, and I was covered in little bitting gnats with no bug spray or sunscreen. 

At the risk of disappointing the family (boyfriend Tim, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, mother-in-law, kids), I declined the walk and headed to the restaurant to relax with a lemonade and a book. A few minutes later I saw Tim and Grady, followed by the rest of the crew.

Because of the heat we decided to take the tram to the top, instead of the hike. Now I will admit, I'm terrified of heights, and I tried to back out and not partake in the tram ride. But the family wasn't having it. I literally stood in the middle of the tram, surrounded by people enjoying the view, and the only thing I saw was the floor of tram. Silly, I know. Anyone who is afraid of heights will appreciate the pulse-racing inability to breathe sensation when exposed to heights. The Tram ride was 15 minutes long, safe and calm and on the way back down I even ventured a few glances out the windows. So glad I did it!

 

 At the top of the peak we went on a very short hike into the woods and had a picnic. It's amazing how different the landscape is at the top. Green and lush with pine trees, fresh/cold air, and butterflies everywhere. Dreamy. We will definitely go back and explore more of the mountainside someday soon.

Lesson learned. Even if you're afraid of heights, don't let this opportunity pass you by. Take a deep breath, grab someone's hand, and try to enjoy the ride. The view from the top is fabulous.

 

Have you ridden the Sandia Peak tram and hiked at the top?


At the end of a very long day, a warm cookie and soft cushy bed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Albuquerque: