New Mexico was an unexpected magical experience, especially with tour guide extraordinaire, Mary Jo Rome. We started in Santa Fe, where we visited several churches: Loretto Chapel and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
Mike found a great 20 mile+ mountain biking trail with tons of fun ascents (for me) and descents (for him). We didn’t see a lot of wildlife on our ride, but did spot our first rattlesnake while biking. We did not stop to check him out!!
Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, NM
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis
Staircase in Loretto Chapel
The scenic drive from Santa Fe to Chimayo, New Mexico was truly beautiful. El Santuario de Chimayo Shrine, which has been called the “Lourdes of America”.
It was a very spiritual place with many chapels, artwork, and walking trails. We also really enjoyed a wonderful coffee shop on site with amazing pastries.
El Santuario de Chimayo Shrine
Outdoor prayer area
Beautiful grounds!
Our next stop was in Almagordo, a hidden gem in New Mexico, that Mary Jo is fortunate enough to live for several months due to a work opportunity. The desert mountains surround this town; Sacramento, Organ and San Andreas. I loved running in Desert Foothills park and along Scenic drive and seeing gorgeous mountains throughout my run and seeing my very first jack rabbit. We enjoyed a drive to Cloudcroft, NM through the Lincoln National Forest and exploring the grounds of the Inn of the Mountain of the Gods in Mescalero, NM.
We also visited, White Sands National Monument the world’s largest gypsum dunefield. It was an unexpected surprise, as we had never seen anything like it before. We were actually able to sled down the white sand. It was a blast!
Hiking in the Dripping Springs Natural Area, near Las Cruces in the Organ Mountains was one of the highlights of our trip. The hike to the Dripping Springs was very rocky, but worth the effort to see the Springs and the remains of 100+ year old camping area and sanatorium. I actually saw a javelina while I was hiking by myself for a bit, and of course my phone was dead, so I did not get a picture. Thankfully it was more scared of me and ran away pretty quickly. We ended a wonderful day by having a fabulous dinner with Mary Jo at St. Clair Winery.
Lake at the Inn of the Mountain of the Gods
White Sand National Monument Park
Hanging out with Mary Jo in the Sand!
Hiking in the Dripping Springs Natural Area
Mary Jo hiking
Enjoying the Organ Mountains!
