May 31 – June 6, 2016: After departing Chaco Culture National Historic Park, we headed towards Albuquerque. We spent a few days in the Albuquerque / Santa Fe / Taos area and enjoyed a sampling of the culture and activities as well as a fantastic visit with family (whom took the time to show us around).
In the Albuquerque area we:
- walked around Old Town Albuquerque (a bit touristy) and stopped in at the Rattlesnake Museum ($5 admission; interesting for those fascinated with snakes);
- hiked in the Sandia Mountains, resulting in a fantastic view of Albuquerque;
- visited a few breweries (it was Albuquerque Beer Week and there were some events including yummy food trucks): Marble Brewery, Rio Bravo Brewing Company, Red Door Brewing Company, La Cumbre Brewing Company;
- ate tons of delicious food including Thai and Mexican; and
- took in the fantastic public art culture.
In the Santa Fe area we:
- walked down Canyon Road, a mecca of art galleries and outdoor sculpture;
- explored Santa Fe Plaza, a National Historic Landmark with old architecture including the oldest public building in the United States;
- walked past San Miguel Mission, the alleged oldest church in the United States ($1 admission); The Loretto Chapel, renowned for its mysterious spiral staircase ($3 admission); and the supposed oldest house in the United States;
- stopped at Duel Brewing (super expensive and not worth it);
- enjoyed an absolutely amazing afternoon at Meow Wolf: opened in March 2016, Meow Wolf describes itself as “an arts production company that creates immersive, multimedia experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of storytelling. Our work is a combination of jungle gym, haunted house, children’s museum, and immersive art exhibit.”. So true… there’s a story line behind the exhibit and everyplace you look or explore there is more art and information (journals and photos are everywhere, you can open and walk through the fridge, etc.). We spent a few hours there. Super well done and fascinating!;
- had a beer (and green chili cheese fries from the food truck) at Santa Fe Brewing Company;
- sampled delicious African cuisine at Jambo Cafe;
- visited the Tesuque Pueblo on Feast Day where we wandered the pueblo and witnessed a beautiful dance, complete with beautiful outfits (no photography allowed); and
- saw the most fabulous double rainbow.
In the Taos area we:
- explored the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, driving from the Pilar Campground on BLM land, paralleling the gorge next to the Rio Grande, to see a herd of mountain goat as we exited the gorge, and crossing the famous bridge where The Transformers was filmed;
- visited the ‘living’ Taos Pueblo (a UNESCO World Heritage Site; $16 entrance fee), where we followed a self-guided tour and ate fry bread and traditional food;
- wandered around Taos downtown shopping district; and
- stopped at Taos Mesa Brewing, a funky venue complete with an earthship stage.
We had already enjoyed some time in New Mexico (Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Roswell, White Sand Dunes National Monument, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, and Chaco Culture National Historic Park) and this brief stint in the greater Albuquerque, New Mexico area only further added to our desire to spend more time in the state in the future. We didn’t even scratch the surface of things to do and see!
Accommodation:
- Albuquerque North / Bernalillo KOA, Bernalillo, New Mexico, United States
- Pilar Campground, Orilla Verde Recreation Area, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, Pilar, New Mexico, United States
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