Santa Fe, Part III

Another day we combined a hike at Ghost Ranch with a drive up to Taos.  Ghost Ranch is most commonly associated with Georgia O'Keeffe as her home is in the nearby town of Abiquiu and she frequently painted landscapes in the area.  Reservations to tour her home and garden must be made well in advance but I didn't even bother trying as I wasn't sure it was something the kids would or could appreciate.  

Instead we went out to Ghost Ranch for a hike to Chimney Rock.   There are also various guided hikes available as well as trail rides, archery lessons and river rafting.  Many movies have been filmed on the site such as City Slickers (the log cabin seen on the drive in is the only remaining structure built for the movie), Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull and Cowboys and Aliens.  There is a hike offered which visits the sites used in the filming of these movies but it wasn't offered the day we were there.  

Chimney Rock is a 3-mile up and back with breathtaking scenery.  They even have markers along the trail alerting you to a particularly "photo-worthy" vista.  

Check in at the orientation center and pay a small day visitor fee.  You can even borrow a walking stick for your hike, which I gratefully took advantage of.  The hike is moderate with some steep inclines and drop-offs but Ava handled it with little problem.  Again we got an early start and had the entire area almost entirely to ourselves except for a lone crow.

After a quick snack break and a change of clothes at the orientation center, we set off for Taos. It is about a two-hour drive from Ghost Ranch to Taos but the ride goes quickly with so many beautiful things to look at outside.  We arrived in Taos hungry and eager for lunch.  We wandered into Michael's Kitchen on the advice of many guide books and were so glad we did!  The place is nothing fancy but I ate one of the best omelets I've ever had and the kids enjoyed having pancakes for lunch.  The waitresses were very nice and super sweet to the kids.  

We tried to visit the Taos Pueblo but true to the warnings in the guidebook that it can and may be closed at any time, we were waved away at the entrance.  We resorted to Plan B and drove about 20 minutes north of Taos to the little town of Arroyo Seco.  

Arroyo Seco has a great cafe that serves delicious ice cream (try the piñon caramel) and lots of little galleries and cool shops.  Our favorite was Arroyo Seco Mercantile.  This store had something for everyone including toys, antiques and the most beautiful collection of turquoise jewelry.  

We headed back through Taos and stumbled upon the coolest toy store.  Twirl has a great selection of toys for all ages but the most amazing part is when you step into the courtyard in the back of the store.

Ava squealed with delight when she spied this and they both spent the last 30 minutes before the store closed climbing up and through this kid-sized obstacle course.  There was also a little splash pool to play in as well as a sand pit and giant musical instruments but they were too busy to notice.  We chatted with the owner who had a daughter the same age as Jack.  She and her husband have been slowly creating this play space over the last couple of years and offer it to the community as a free drop-in space.  In addition, the shop offers all sorts of weekly classes for the newborn to pre-school set as well as "Crafty Saturdays" for all ages.

Santa Fe, Part II

We spent most of our week outdoors enjoying the amazing scenery Santa Fe and its surrounding environs had to offer.  All of the hikes we did are kid friendly in that they were neither too long nor too difficult and had plenty of features to keep everyone interested.

The first area we explored was Bandalier National Monument, which is a collection of dwellings that were first inhabited by Native Americans over 11,000 years ago.  The 1.2 mile trail is mostly paved and almost completely flat.  The kids loved climbing in and exploring some of the caves that were carved out of the soft volcanic rock.  

A couple of tips about this hike:  Arrive early (before 9:00 a.m.) and you can drive right into the park.  Any later and you have to take a shuttle bus to and from the site from nearby White Rocks which takes about 30 minutes.  By arriving early you also get the site almost to yourself and miss the midday sun which can be intense.

There is an additional .5-mile walk out to the Alcove House site.  It is well worth the walk just for the pleasure of walking through the forest and along a little stream and taking in the sight of the cliffs from afar.  

Unfortunately, the Alcove House site is accessed by 4 wooden ladders much taller than the one in the picture above and a series of stone stairs, which we didn't feel Ava could manage so we turned back.  

There is almost no signage along the way so be sure to stop in the information center and gift shop.  There are brochures and handouts that outline all of the hikes and give a clearer picture of who built the dwellings and how they lived.  The gift shop has a small book about Bandelier geared toward kids but it answered a lot of the questions Alan and I had as well so look out for that.  The shop has some cool postcards and a very good selection of books for both kids and adults.  There is a also restaurant to grab water or a snack.

The next hike was also to visit some cave dwellings but much less popular than Bandelier.  It is called Tsankawi and is about a 20 minute drive from Bandelier so the two hikes can easily be done in one morning.  It is a 1.5-mile loop and although it does require navigating some ladders, everyone managed with no problems.  The path is over tufa (a very soft type of volcanic rock) and as such you are walking in troughs carved out by the thousands of footsteps that have come before you.  Although Alan and I took to calling some of these troughs "ankle breakers," the kids loved that they were just the right size for them.

One of the most exciting parts of the hike was coming upon bits of ancient pottery scattered across the path.  In one spot we quickly found 4-5 pieces to add to the display someone had already begun.

A third hike in this area is the Valle Grande trail in the Valles Caldera National Preserve.  The caldera stretches over 22 miles across and was formed over a million years ago by a series of volcanic eruptions.  This hike is an easy 2 miles round trip through a beautiful forest and lots of wildflowers.  Then you come out of the forest to this...

We had hoped to spot a large herd of elk that roams the caldera but had to settle for small specks in the distance.  

We did all three of the above hikes in one day and although it may sound crazy, it is very doable.  We knocked out Bandelier and Tsankawi in the morning, grabbed a quick lunch in Los Alamos, headed out to Valles Caldera and were still home in time for a swim before dinner!

We took one more hike on our last day and it was my favorite one of the whole trip, to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.  Most of the guidebooks list this as the top hike in the area and it definitely delivered.  We were advised to get an early start and bring lots of water and we were glad we did both.  The hike is a little over 2 miles total but there are some steep climbs.  You start by heading through a slot canyon which was unlike anything I've ever seen.

The kids loved scrambling up, over and sometimes under the rocks.  Along the way you get a glimpse of the rock formations for which the park is named.  Over time, water and wind have eroded the volcanic rock into these tent forms with little "hats" on top.

This is a very popular hike and I think we saw more people here than on the rest of our other hikes combined (another reason to get an early start).  At the top you are rewarded with the most amazing views and the knowledge that it is all downhill from here.

The whole hike only takes about 2-3 hours and we wanted to check out a hike to some hot springs we had read about but unfortunately it was too far of a drive.  One of the many things to put on our list of things to do next time!

Santa Fe, Part I

When I told people we were planning to go to Santa Fe there was usually a pause followed by the question, "What is there to do (with kids)?"  The answer it turns out is a lot, more than we could fit into a week visit despite our best efforts!  We travelled at the end of August and had the most amazing weather:  low 80's, no humidity and brilliant blue skies.

When we are on the road and will be in one place for longer than a night or two, we have found that it works best for us to rent a house or apartment.  Blessed with a very early riser (5:30), this allows everyone to get the right amount of rest without disruption.  We have used a few different websites to find places, but I seem to return again and again to HomeAway.  They have rentals throughout the U.S. and the world and we have rented places everywhere from Maine to Barcelona and have always been pleased.  

This time we chose a casita about 10 minutes outside of Santa Fe in the small town of Tesuque.  The property is in a small community right across the street from the Four Seasons and it was recommended that we go over and have a drink on the patio as the views are spectacular, but unfortunately it wasn't that kind of trip!  The casita was well appointed with two lovely patios, plenty of room to spread out and a washer and dryer.  Access to a washer and dryer is another benefit to renting our own space as it means we can travel with less and those inevitable spills and messes don't have to be washed out in the bathroom sink.  

One of the reasons we chose this particular spot was the community pool and it was a  highlight of the trip.  I've found that a pool can be a tremendous asset on any vacation with kids.  It is a great way to fill a couple of hours after sightseeing or burn off excess energy before bedtime.  We were lucky to have it to ourselves every time we used it, so it was like having our very own private pool.  And you couldn't top the view...