road trip recap: Albuquerque to Santa Fe and everything in between

Yesterday while I was teaching my class, I got distracted by the map of the United States on the wall. I think it was the first time I’ve been faced with a physical map since my trip, as Google maps and I are good friends. I visually traced my travel route, finally feeling a sense of surprise that I covered so much ground during my road trip. (And a sense of embarrassment that I never drove up to LA in the three years I lived in southern California.) This country is big! I also realized that because I’ve already done such a long road trip, I now see potential trips as entirely possible (given the right amount of time off of work). I still want to do the Colorado/Utah/Arizona/New Mexico route in the summer. This has inspired me to dig out my wall maps of the US and the world from my parents’ house on my next visit. When I lived in New York, I kept them on the walls, to inspire me. And I think it’s about time I do the same again.

My trip up to Santa Fe and back again was actually one of the last days of exploring I did during the road trip. With the deadline of meeting my brother in Virginia quickly approaching, I was getting back on the road for long stretches of time the next day. So I had to make the most of this sightseeing trip.

After a night in the snow and almost-scary stillness at the hostel, I got up early amidst beautiful sunlight streaming in the windows of the beautifully designed Sandia Mountain Hostel. (You can also check out my review and extra photos on Yelp.) The reason I loved this hostel is that it was designed to be a hostel, reminding me of places I stayed in South America, with spacious lockers to secure your backpack and belongings, with a big common area for people to get to know each other as they travel through, and a cozy, warm feeling in an area with personality. It seems that business hasn’t felt very sustainable over the years, so it may not be in operation too much longer, but if you are planning a trip, I highly suggest staying here for the true hosteling experience. If you’re in luck, as I was this evening, you’ll get to meet some interesting people with stories to tell.

I got on the road bright and early, taking the Turquoise Trail along Route 14 to Santa Fe. This gave me a chance to stop off in all the small towns along the way. Though the Tinkertown museum was closed for the season, I did get to see the revitalized town of Madrid, NM, a coal-mining village turned ghost town turned artist community. I passed through early in the morning, but I imagine it would be fun to wander and shop.

Next, I arrived in Cerrillos, which was once considered for the capital of New Mexico, but now is pretty much a ghost town. The town was still as I admired the view and the buildings with their remnants of signs and advertisements from much earlier years. It reminded me of New York City’s old advertisements which you can sometimes spot if you look up and pay attention to the paint on the brick buildings. I wandered the very quiet streets and took pictures of the interesting buildings. Note the Christmas bouquet of dried chiles in the photo below.

After Cerrillos, I was almost in Santa Fe. I took one last shot of the scenic mountain landscape, and headed into the city.

Though Santa Fe is known for its museums, I visited on a Monday when most of them are closed, and I’d already seen two the day before. (I’m not much of a museum person, despite my former residence in NYC!) After checking out the views from Museum Hill, I headed over to the art district on Canyon Road, passing the cute little houses and galleries. When I thought I might park and browse a bit (window-shopping, obviously), I realized how touristed and expensive it was there as the “public” parking lot was $10 or more. So instead I headed back down to the main plaza. I took the requisite photos of the Spanish-style colonial buildings and churches, so familiar to me after time in South America.

I’d been excited about Santa Fe for a while, hearing rave reviews from friends, and knowing its reputation for being an artsy area. But upon arrival, I wasn’t that excited about it. It reminded me of Cuzco, Peru, with its expensive city center filled with tourists buying art inspired by the people of the region who live in poverty. I’m not sure if that’s the case in Santa Fe, but I didn’t really care for it. What I did enjoy was browsing the handcrafted silver and beaded jewelry, ceramics, and art sold by Native Americans along one building’s wall in the main plaza. It bothered me that they had to sit on the cold ground in order to sell their art, even though they need permits to sell. Of course, their work was gorgeous and I got some beautiful earrings and bracelets. I wish I’d had more money to spare, because the work was amazing. I love silver jewelry made by artisans, and this was worth the trip.

After getting my fill of the plaza, I decided to leave the city center. Not very inspired by the options in the guidebook, I pulled off to see a Christmas artisan’s market by the remodeled train station, where the Farmer’s Market is held in warmer months. While these handmade goods were created with care, it reminded me of the typical market you can see in any town in America. I left empty handed and decided to look for a local bakery which I’d found out about, the Chocolate Maven. I stocked up on food for my long drive to Oklahoma City the next day, and I was very happy I did so. I bought a peach empanada, a green chile and cheese croissant, Santa Fe’s traditional cookies, biscochitos, and the smartest decision, a black bean, green chile, and cheese burrito ready to be warmed and eaten. I was so overwhelmed by the selection that I neglected to buy what they are known for: brownies!! Next time. This cafe and bakery is located in a kind of random area, but it’s worth checking out.

Tired of Santa Fe despite only spending a few hours there, I decided to head back to Albuquerque via the highway. Luckily for me, I had just enough time for my final detour to Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. This is absolutely a must-see. To get there, you drive through Cochiti pueblo and turn off onto a dirt road, so it is really is off the beaten path. I totally lucked out (again!) because I showed up at 3:50, just before the gates closed, but the attendant was already in his car to head out early since no one had come by in hours. He ran to the booth and apologized to me, but no worries, I was just happy I showed up in time to see these cool tent rocks. I had one hour to explore this very quiet landscape, as I had to be out by 5.

Since I couldn’t take the long hike, I power-walked along the trail, making sure I’d get to see all angles and take good pictures and not get trapped in the middle of nowhere by myself with my car packed full of my belongings (at least I had food!). It was gorgeous to be in this haunting landscape, with only trees and mountains in my line of vision. I continue to be amused at how quiet my hikes were. My city-dwelling self couldn’t help but worry that that it was dangerous, but really, it’s peaceful. Sometimes it’s nice to feel like you’re the only one around.

After a lovely hike, I got back in my car and drove back to Albuquerque. I decided to stop in at Satellite Coffee again for some tea, wi-fi, and good vibes, and then headed back to the hostel. Luckily, when I arrived, there were actually other guests: two college girls road-tripping from Ohio to one’s home in LA (via Las Vegas), and a guy moving back to Albuquerque from Minneapolis. Interestingly, the girl from LA and the guy from Albuquerque had already stayed at this hostel and completely fell in love with the place. What can I say, it’s a charmed space. I had fantastic conversation that night, strangers connecting and sharing random things, because this is the one chance you have to talk. I love that about hostels, and even though I needed to get up early to drive to Oklahoma City the next day, I stayed up late, never missing an opportunity to learn about someone new.