New Mexico

As planned, we left the condo early on Friday morning and headed Southeast toward Colorado Springs enjoying another pleasant drive and arriving before the forecasted snow started to fall.We spent the day visiting nearby Manitou Springs, a small town famous for the many natural springs that flow through the town. We tasted all the waters, but didn’t really find any of them to our liking! On Saturday morning, we took some time to tour the Garden of the Gods. This amazing vertical rock feature which was formed as a result of shifting rock as the Rockies came into being was awe inspiring and we had a great hike up and around many of the formations. The semi-arid conditions and cactuses framed against the back-ground of snow topped Pikes Peak (14,000ft elevation) was an interesting contradiction and we certainly enjoyed the views.

Later on Saturday, we had the opportunity to learn a hard lesson, as we travelled toward Taos, New Mexico. Thankfully, God was with us and everything turned out okay, but we certainly had a couple of hair-raising moments and I for one, have nails chewed down to the quick! Since our destination of Ojo Calliente was several miles South and West of Taos, we travelled down a small rural highway for most of the journey. Somewhere in the foothills in the middle of nowhere, we realized that we were going to require some gas before arriving at our destination and were alarmed to discover that there were no gas stations within 35 miles and no cell signal either! To deal with this issue, we quickly re-routed and headed into Taos. Unfortunately, it was dusk and our GPS made two mistakes. First, it did not realize that one of the local highways had been closed due to a rockslide and second, it didn’t mention that the alternate route required a descent into the gorge down a gravel road with multiple switchbacks. Thankfully, Shawn’s calm nature and confident driving skills prevailed and we arrived to a parking lot at the bottom where we decided to spend the night. The next morning, our salvation arrived in the form of a sweet old ranger who not only provided us with a 5-gallon jug of gas, but also directions out of the gorge. It was a night we won’t soon forget!


Today, we spent our day at Ojo Calliente, a natural mineral springs turned spa just south of Taos on the way to Sante Fe. It was an amazing experience! The day started with a hike up into the foothills where the kids marvelled at the rock and the cactuses. We then registered and entered into the spa where there were six different mineral pools with temperatures ranging from 80-106 degrees. Although kids under 12 were only permitted in the main pool, Braedon’s height allowed him full access all day and we were able to smuggle Riley in for a chance in each pool by the end of the afternoon. Topped off with a massage for each of us and it was a spectacular day! Tonight, after a day in the New Mexico sun with temperatures around 70 degrees, we are resting back at our trailer and enjoying a movie before turning in for an early night.

Tomorrow, for Shawn’s birthday, we are heading into Albuquerque. The plan is to visit the Natural History Museum and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Centre before heading out for a typical New Mexico dinner (green and red chile here we come!).

We are having an amazing time, but miss you all!

Tammy