Santa Fe trail

We woke up in Winslow AZ to drifting snow and high winds.  I-40 was clear though we drove through some substantial flurries.  We stopped just west of Albuquerque at the Petroglyph National Monument and took a breezy hike into the lavalands to see the petroglyphs.

Continuing north to Santa Fee we parked and spent two hours walking around the town and getting ourselves oriented.

Then we travelled the scenic 3 miles out of town to Bishops Lodge Ranch where we were staying. This is a ranch/resort/spa.  I chose it because it had horseback riding.  Our room was very spacious with a fireplace and deck and the bathroom was equipped with a huge and inviting bath tub!  After four months in a modest motorhome shower I was pretty excited.

We had schedule massages for shortly after our check in.  This was very welcome after a few days of driving.  Liza and I both were decidedly in relax mode and it took some effort to gather the motivation to walk the short distance to the main lodge to enjoy a beautiful dinner.  It was snowing pretty steadily and the wind was up.  I was concerned that the footing the next morning would not allow us to go trail riding.


The next morning was clear and sunny but cold and windy.  We checked with the stable and they said the trails were in good shape.  We walked the short distance to the stables where I saddled up Toby Joe and Liza rode Cadillac.  Daniel the wrangler took us on a beautiful ride up into the nearby mountains, meandering through the piñon pine and up to a viewpoint that allowed us to look across New Mexico into Colorado.  It was a beautiful ride and a joy to be back on a horse!

That afternoon we returned to the spa for facials and by evening we were into the resort rhythm!  We had a light supper in the bar of the lodge and caught sight of the evening news which informed us that I-40 eastbound from Albuquerque was closed.  We considered traveling south to I-20 but after looking at the forecast from the comfort of our luxurious room we decided to stay another day in Santa Fe and continue on I-40.

On our bonus day we drove back into town and walked around some more then went to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. I particularly enjoyed the exhibit of traditional woven horse blankets.

Back at the ranch I took Vinny for a beautiful hike on the trails around the ranch.  He enjoyed the fresh air and was intrigued by the smell of the stables!

Tomorrow we have to get back to "work" and start covering some ground to get home to Maine!