Santa Fe Skies RV Park, April 18 to May 4, 2018

Rating:  4.5 on a scale of 5

Location: The location of this RV park worked out very well for us. Not only did we spend time in the town of Santa Fe, we also visited three National Monuments and hiked in the San Juan National Forest. The park is close to the interstate and it was an easy drive to everything we were interested in seeing. Sunsets from our site were stunning! So is the view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. 

Lot size: We had the perfect full hookup, pull-through, site (an end one, Iris 6) with a lovely patio on one side and a picnic table on a cement patio on the other. There are 98 sites in total; 55 are pull through). Maneuvering the roads here was no problem in our motor coach with car in tow. There was plenty of room for our car and the tow dolly. 

Here is a view of one of the roads in the park. 

Amenities: There is lots of information about the area at the office/guest area as well as some gift items. The free wifi is slow when the park is full. There is no cable TV, but we had no problem picking up many stations by air. 

Propane is available for sale at the park. A hiking trail around the entire park is a great place to go for a stroll (and all of the dogs liked it, too!) Cottontail rabbits can be seen all over the park. 

We used the laundry room (located in the office building next to the bathrooms) while we stayed at the park; very nice. 

Artwork (some for sale) is on display all over the park. Here are just a few...

Cost: $672.03 (16-night stay); $42/night

Management: The couple that run this place are very knowledgeable about Santa Fe and can provide information for first-time visitors (like us). Also, we were able to receive mail and a couple of packages during our stay (always a convenience). 

General Comments: This was a really nice park. I asked about monthly rates as we would like to return here in the future, but they only rent on a monthly basis for a few months in the winter. 

A display by William Brown (curator for the Rusty Nuts Chapter of the National Gas Engine Club) of antique gas engines is located at the park. We enjoyed wandering around the display area and seeing the equipment. 

So did our sweet doggie, Sadie!

We would definitely return to this place, although I would like to stay for a month so may check out other places. 

Website: www.santafeskiesrvpark.com

Farewell to Santa Fe, NM, 5/03/2018

Rooftop Pizzeria was our destination for dinner our last night in beautiful Santa Fe. As always, we did our chores (laundry, cleaning, pack, etc.) preparing for travel to Colorado the next day. 

We found street parking nearby and went to the restaurant (rooftoppizzeria.com) on the third floor. We chose to eat outside on the rooftop patio and enjoyed chatting with two other couples also visiting Santa Fe. One of them was from a town in Pennsylvania near our home...small world! There were great views of Santa Fe from the restaurant, especially during sunset.

The pizza we ordered was fantastic (highly recommend). And the colors of the clouds were amazing. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed our 16-day stay in Santa Fe. Both of us felt like this is a place where we might want to settle down when we are tired of the RV lifestyle. There are so many fun and interesting things to do here: art galleries, outdoor activities (hiking), museums, Native American culture, nearby national monuments, the Sainte Fe Opera, local and fine dining, etc. But, we have lots of places yet to see in the US, so there are no plans in the foreseeable future to stop traveling! 

A Meow Wolf Experience, 5/02/2018

Several people in the area had told us to go to Meow Wolf. My first thought was: what a strange name! My next thought was to learn more about the place to decide whether we would visit. 

Here’s what I found: It is a Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment group what was established in 2008 as an art collective (by 200 artists across all disciplines). They have created an immersive, interactive experience with amazing realms of exploration. That sounded interesting, so we visited a couple of days before we left lovely Santa Fe. I did not take my camera with me (because I did not want it to interfere with the experience). But John snapped some photos (shown below) and I took some with my phone. 

Several massive art sculptures are positioned in and around the parking lot.

Tickets are pretty pricey, but we found it to be worth it. Adults are $25/per (less for NM residents) and $23/per for seniors. The building (once a bowling alley) is 20,000 square feet of exhibit area with secret passages, hidden rooms, and more! Art is everywhere in every imaginable form. 

The premise at Meow Wolf is that something happened to the family in a Victorian home (House of Eternal Return) that has dissolved time and space. Be sure to walk through it (both floors) looking for secret rooms, tunnels, and hidden hallways (you can climb through the dryer or access a tunnel through the refrigerator door).

(Photo from meowwolf.com)

The story is revealed through exploration and discovery of clues through interactive features that begin in the House. There are more than 70 unique rooms created by the team of 500 contributing artists. 

(Photo from meowwolf.com)

It is difficult to convey just how fun this place is! 

After we thought we had seen every room, we walked around one more time and found about 5 more rooms! 

There is more artwork in the hallways after you leave the exhibit area.

You can purchase drinks (and cocktails) in the lobby area. We bought this plaque at the gift store for the RV, because I just love the imaginative and artistic energy in this place. A truly unique experience!

Two more Meow Wolf sites are in the works: one in Las Vegas (to open in 2019) and the second one in Denver (2020). 

For additional information including hours of operation, go to www.meowwolf.com. 

Cliff Dwellings in Bandelier National Monument, 4/30/2018

About 48 miles northwest of Santa Fe, is the Bandelier National Monument (established in 1916). It proved to be our first opportunity to see cliff dwellings built by Ancestral Puebloans. Be forewarned, I loved this place!

When driving to the Visitor Center, be sure to pull over at the Frijoles Canyon Overlook. Over 1M years ago, two massive volcanic eruptions occurred (each 600 times more powerful than the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980). Hundreds of feet of ash were compressed into a soft rock called tuff. The canyon was carved by the waters of Frijoles Creek. Native Americans were able to build dwellings into the canyon walls. The Pajarita Plateau (in the far distance) was home to Native Americans from Ice Age hunters (10,000 years ago) to pueblo dwellers (800 years ago).

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the road, trails, visitor center and lodge at Bandelier in the 1930s. Thank you and well done! We are continually amazed (and appreciative) of the great work they accomplished for our country. The Visitor Center should be your first stop to pick up a map and check out the exhibits. Unfortunately, pets are not permitted on the trails. 

Exhibits in the visitor center provide background on the cultural history of the site. 

A model of Tyuonyi (the pueblo built here in the 1200-1300s) was on display and provided context to the nearby ruins. 

We picked up a trail guide (nominal fee) for the 1.2 mile, Main Loop Trail to Tyuonyi and cave dwellings. I was immediately mesmerized by “Swiss cheese” rock formations. 

As we began walking the trial, we saw the Frijoles Creek (that provided water for the community) and, in the distance the ladder to some of the cliff dwellings. 

The trail goes through the Tyuonyi ruins including a kiva and foundation ruins. 

Climbing the steps to the cave dwellings, we were able to sit inside some of them. Evidence of long-ago fires could be seen in the small caves. 

From the cave dwellings, we had a great view of the ruins of Tyuonyi. 

The trail continues to provide access to cave dwellings. I couldn’t resist climbing through them to imagine what it must have been like to live here so long ago. 

The trail continues up narrow steps and a ladder to more cave dwellings. 

Structures, sometimes several stories high, were built against the cliff caves and walls. 

In addition to the hand-toe holds in the cliff walls, we began to notice petroglyphs above the dwellings. 

Native American wall art is preserved behind this plexiglass panel (very cool!) Other cave dwellings also have remnants on their walls. 

We crossed the creek and continued on the 1-mile, round trip hike, to the Alcove House. The trail follows the creek through the bottom of Frijoles Canyon. More cliff dwellings can be seen in the distance. Serious flooding in recent years is evident along the canyon floor.

After a .5 mile, we came to Alcove House, 140’ above the canyon floor. To reach the alcove, there are four ladders and stone steps against the cliff wall (with railings, thankfully). 

There is a reconstructed kiva (where the original one was located) and viga holes and niches of former houses. About 25 people lived here.

As you can imagine, the views from the alcove were fantastic. 

While descending to the valley floor, I could not help thinking about the Ancestral Puebloans who carried food, supplies, babies, etc., to their lofty home every day. Wow! We hiked back to the Visitor Center along the trail that follows Frijoles Spring. 

We drove to the Cottonwood Picnic Area to eat our lunch. The wooded area has picnic tables next to parking spaces. Dogs are not permitted on paths, but our Sadie enjoyed some play time during lunch. 

We found this place so interesting! I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. Seeing these cliff dwellings up close is such a rare treat. For additional information about the monument, go to www.nps.gov/band.