Taking care of business, having fun in Santa Fe and ABQ
After a few weeks of visiting beautiful, but mostly isolated places in Colorado and New Mexico, we needed a dose of big city time.
So we headed south on the High Road to Taos Scenic Byway and went to Santa Fe. This drive is described as like taking a time machine back to the 19th century Spanish roots of New Mexico, and you will indeed pass shrines such as the El Santuario de Chimayo, where Catholic pilgrims show up every Holy Week to, perhaps, witness a miracle.
We loved the scenery, particularly the views of 13,000-foot Truchas Peak rising out of the high-plateau landscape. It was a gorgeous drive on a pretty fall day, then we hit Santa Fe.
You know you’re in Santa Fe when the traffic gets crazy and you start seeing shiny new Teslas and Range Rovers. It’s a bit jarring after being in towns where most of the drivers are pretty chill in their pickups.
Whew, we made it safely to Santa Fe Skies RV Park, our favorite place to stay if you’re ever in this part of New Mexico. Situated just off I-25 on the south side of town, this RV resort offers beautiful views and an impressive assortment of metal sculptures created by the owner at this family-run operation.
Sites are well-spaced and private. We especially appreciate the concrete patio area provided at each site, a sheltered spot where we sat by the fire bowl and admired the starry night.
On our first evening, we drove the rig into town and had a lovely meal at Alkeme, an Asian-inspired restaurant near the Santa Fe Plaza that’s getting a lot of buzz since it opened a few months ago. We enjoyed the multi-course meal, but the star was a crispy fried cod appetizer served with a refreshing dill slaw.
The next day, we took off in different directions. John took a long bike ride into the hills west of Santa Fe while Leslie and a friend headed for a soak at Ojo Santa Fe. This mineral pool resort is the sister property of Ojo Caliente, which we visited a few weeks ago. It was a relaxing afternoon.
After Santa Fe, we headed south for a couple of days in Albuquerque to replenish the pantry at Trader Joe’s and fix a broken phone at the Apple store. You gotta schedule these things, and Albuquerque is a good place to take care of business.
It turns out being in Albuquerque has other benefits for us -- RV mechanics. We’re suddenly needing to replace a broken valve on our gray tank and service is (we hope) easy to find in this urban area. Fingers crossed.
One of these trips, we just might get up to the big peaks on the Sandia Peak Tramway.
In between shopping and chores and repairs, we’re also visiting Petroglyph National Monument followed by a few pints of the special Petroglyph Wit at Lava Rock Brew Pub. Both are an easy bike ride from the no-frills RV park where we’re staying, a place called Nomadland.
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Please follow along with our Southwest journey on Facebook and Instagram. And don’t forget to check the Going Mobile website on spokesman.com, where you’ll find all of our stories, along with world-traveler Dan Webster’s adventures. Go to spokesman.com/going-mobile.
