Abiquiu x2

My very first house sit of this adventure was in Taos, New Mexico last spring. My fantastic hosts invited me back to watch their cat colony while they took their honeymoon, and so I could pick up my custom 6 Hand Hat. It seriously felt like coming home cutting back through the canyon and making my way to their mountain retreat. I revisited old favorites, discovered new gems, made repeat visits to Sante Fe, wandered around the plaza, and made three terrific trips to Abiquiu.

I wasn’t able to get a reservation for a hot spring in Truth or Consequences in transit last time, so my first mission was to overnight there and take a healing hot spring soak en route. I stopped for a cucumber jalepeno margarita & magical pozole at La Posta in Las Cruces, found a nice cheap hotel and the last available appointment at Riverbend Hot Springs. $40 for an hour long day-pass seemed a little steep for public soaking, but I tried almost all of their pools and had a marvelous time watching the stars and laser lights on the Rio Grande. There were even hammocks in one of the cooler pools. If you have some flexibility, booking one of the inexpensive hot springs hotels is the way to go. You get free soaks and easy access to the other properties. I didn’t have much luck calling for appointments working down this list- but it was spring break and slammed for them. The town is very cute and definitely worthy of a stop, especially if you are driving up from Texas. It seems New Mexico is THE place for Texans to spring break because 95% of the people I met were Texans, and at least 75% of them were also coming from Austin. Be sure to drive over to Elephant Butte for some giggles and gorgeous views.

The last time I went to Sante Fe, Meow Wolf was such a zoo, I couldn’t really enjoy it in the covid-craziness. I was passing through on a Friday and thought maybe a weekday visit would make a difference. It was SO much easier to enjoy all of the beauty and the magic of the story and artistry. There is truly something for everyone here, and they change up rooms every few months. I came back because I couldn’t find the dryer slide last time, and it was embarassingly difficult for me to climb into after asking a staff member to lead me to it. (It’s right off the kitchen, if you also spend 4 hours trying to find it.)

My grandmother wanted to join me on this trip so she could visit a famous church, but I couldn’t quite remember which one. She just said it was right on the plaza. Of course I had to visit three before I found Loretto Chapel and it’s Miraculous (and mysterious) Staircase, but the journey was just as lovely as the destination. At the edge of the Plaza is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. It had my favorite interior, gorgeous ceilings and stained glass. I lit a candle for the family and went hunting for the staircase to no avail.  

I asked my cousin for pointers, and she directed me down the street to the oldest church in America, San Miguel Mission. The interior was sparse, the altar was BEAUTIFUL, but still no staircase. I was walking back and noticed that the beautiful church I’d photographed last year had a sign for a miracle staircase. Huzzah! Loretto Chapel is gorgeous inside and out. Be sure to listen to the audioguide as you wander around the beautiful marble altar, and gaze at the grandiose spiral staircase, only standing from the perfection of its creation. As I listened, I actually realized I had seen “The Staircase,” the old Barbara Hershey movie about the mysterious carpenter and his miraculous masterpiece. It’s a beautiful walk and you can see all three in about an hour. It’s definitely worth the time, and I’m so glad I fit it in this time.

There are plenty of lovely libations in the area. Chile Line has an excellent happy hour and I was thrilled with their Amber and massive pretzels with green chile queso. Leaf and Hive was the most innovative and interesting brewery I think I’ve ever been to. The fruit sours were as fantastic as the friends I made at Desert Dogs Brewery with a beautiful balcony overlooking the plaza. I really enjoy wandering around The Railyard, and I had an excellent flight at Bosque Brewing Company, and a chic cocktail in a beautiful bar at Altar Spirits.

Taos is pretty tiny, I hadn’t left much on my wishlist besides the Pueblo and the Puya cliff dwellings which are both still closed for COVID. I was able to make a field trip to the Earth Ship Academy near the Rio Grande Gorge. I was a little dissapointed that we weren’t able to go wander along the compound to admire the exteriors of these eco-friendly, fabulous farmhouses. The views are worth the trip regardless.

There were a couple of favorites that I had to revisit. Taos Mesa Brewery is still not open next to the Rio Grande Gorge, but their Taos Tasting room is still terrific. The hot honey wings are still excellent, but my new favorite is the blackened broccoli with burrata. Nom. Michael’s Kitchen is still serving up the best brunch in the southwest. I was happy with the grilled cheese with green chili (and my requisite Christmas chili smothered hash browns) but I absolutely fell in love with the chicken stuffed sopapillas. I purchased loaves of the green chili cheese bread as gifts, but I’ll be daydreaming about those sopapillas for years. The Rolling Still Easy Rider is still the best spicy cocktail of life, and Orlando’s Bowl is everything Chipotle wishes it could be. Orlando’s is running on a much lower capacity and is always on a wait. They maintain a beautiful bonfire and the waiting guests all become fast friends while they wait for their tables. I was surrounded by Texans and several neighbors and we had a great time swapping tips for Taos.

With my penchant for self injury, skiing has never been high on my wishlist, but I love ski towns. I took a little drive up to Red River and got to pass Angel Fire and Eagle Nest along the way. Red River was a delightful little ski town filled with families having so much fun together. I wandered around the town square, had a spirit flight at Red River Brewing and Distillery, and a ridiculously wonderful lavender sage Arnold Palmer at Old Barrel Tea Company. I didn’t fall in love with any of my beer samples at Comanche Creek Brewing, but I adored their beautiful mountain views and pretty patio.

I made it to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe last time, but the Georgia O’Keefe Home Museum in Abiquiu was closed for covid. I wasn’t able to book a tour on the day of my Ghost Ranch Georgia O’Keefe Sunset Trail Ride, but I was thrilled to get to tour it this time, and was blown away by the spirit of her space. The guides are wonderful and you learn so much about what made Georgia, her space, and her work so special.

Abiquiu is absolutely enchanting, and I was prepared to drive the 3 hours round trip twice, but I actually wound up there a couple of extra times this trip. I drove all the way to Ghost Ranch just in time to get my cancelation notice that our trail ride was canceled due to weather. The property looked postcard perfect under a blanket of snow, and I had a marvelous time taking photos around the ranch, Echo Amphitheater, and the lake. I made a return visit the next day for a rescheduled afternoon trail ride. There is a museum of paleontology and anthropology that I finally got to explore, and your trail ride comes with day use access to hike the grounds. You should absolutely take advantage of your day and see one of the largest domestic dinosaur dig sites, the scenic landscape, and the filming sites for City Slickers, Magnificent Seven, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, 3:10 to Yuma, Wyatt Earp and more. The snow made the usual trail ride dangerous and they had us ride on the road, so it was a shorter and slightly less scenic ride than last time, but we got much closer to Georgia’s Ghost Ranch House, and we got some better views of the 165 million year old rock formations. I got to ride Yuma, a slightly persnickety horse, and I was proud of how well we worked together. I think I was the only rider on the tour with any previous riding experience, and our wrangler had me holding up the rear and helping out. I had so much fun assisting the nervous nellies, and watching them enjoy the beauty of our surroundings.The wrangler told me he’d be happy to take me on a longer more scenic ride next time, and it’s seriously enough to send me back here again. This really is god’s country, and the palpable energy is addicting. So is the Luscious Lemon Lipsmacker sundae at Fire N Ice, the little food truck behind Bode’s General Store.

I was throughly amused when I learned that the turn to leave Taos for Four Corners would put me right back at Abiquiu Lake/Ghost Ranch, so I got to enjoy the scenery for a fabulous fourth time on my way out.

When I was in Taos last time, my hosts suggested a visit to Six Hand Hats. I fell in love with Kristina and Mikel, the artistic husband and wife duo that run the hand crafted haberdashery. They were on a 10 month waitlist for their wearable art, and it was the catalyst for the return trip. It took me a couple visits to get the fit just right, but it was totally worth it. I learned a lot through the process, especially about speaking up about what I want and need. But the lessons and hat are just what I needed to leave the land of enchantment with.