July 2015: A Quick Stop in New Mexico Before Exploring Utah in Depth (page 3 of 15)

Hi Virginie,

Thanks for the info about the hotel. I’ll make a note of it.

See you soon! !

Hi Peggy

Sorry about that, but a little trip to White Sands is better than nothing at all.

Gilles

Hi, too bad about that evening storm—you could’ve gone back to White Sands for sunset, it’s magical, the colors. I also had a storm in the evening, but on my way back.



Bern

Hi Peggy!

We’re feeling pretty down after getting back!

Yeah, me too😉

You made the right call changing your plans.... magical White Sands.... it’s a place I’d love to discover someday!

Hi Chris,

We also passed through part of your itinerary this summer, but in August, and it was scorching hot.

Yeah, I’m following your travel journal too... but I think I haven’t left a comment yet... I’d left the floor to the motorcycle experts and enthusiasts at first, but the rest is more up my alley now! lol

Hi Virginie,

Seriously, every year I miss the start of your travel journal!!!!

Don’t worry, I’ve only been at it for a few days... if I don’t see you on my journal soon, I’ll send you a PM! 😉

This time, I’m just heading to the Bardenas Reales for a few days (we missed the desert this summer 🤪), and just like that, I’ve got 4 days planned!

Was it nice? We’ll probably go someday when we stop getting tempted by those irresistible flight deals to the U.S.! Will you post something on your blog?

Chiricahua looks great and very different from the other parks in the American West. But I’m really looking forward to your account of your trip to New Mexico to plan a future trip...

Our time in New Mexico was pretty classic for a first visit, I think. We’ll have to go back to explore off the beaten path. But it’s a state we really enjoyed.

So you’re heading back (again!) in 2016??? Are you finally going to make it a bit farther northwest? 😉

Yep, but we’re going to try not to rack up too many miles this time. We’re focusing on Grand Staircase-Escalante and a few other spots around there. Yannick wasn’t keen on going farther north for the next trip, but now that he knows we’re focusing on that area in 2016, he’s promised we’ll head to the Northwest the time after. Next time I’m aiming for 2018 (and we’ll have to stick to it for budget reasons—I want at least 3 weeks! 😉).

See you soon!

Hi Gilles,

Sorry for you, but a quick trip to White Sands is better than nothing at all.

Well, you know, aside from feeling bad for us about the missed sunset, you don’t need to apologize! As you read in my day’s summary, we were thrilled with our visit. Plus, we went back the next morning...

Hi Bern,

Too bad about that evening storm—you could’ve gone back to White Sands for the sunset. It’s magical, the colors.

Yeah, that’s exactly what we’d planned... but we’ll be back someday! :)

Was it nice? We’ll definitely go someday when we stop getting tempted by cheap flight tickets to the US! Will you post something on your blog?

It was really nice. A much-appreciated break for a few days! And for us, the advantage is that it’s not too far away. The desert just 5 hours by car—it’s surprising! Everything’s already on the blog.

You mentioned cheap flight tickets to the US... I only started looking a few days ago, and so far, it’s way more expensive than what we’ve paid before 🏴‍☠️ Even for Easter break, it’s the same price as what we paid in the middle of July!!!

Our trip through New Mexico was pretty classic for a first visit, I think. We’ll have to go back to get off the beaten path. But it’s a state we really enjoyed.

That’s usually how it goes: the classics first!

Hi Peggy,

Thanks for the link to Cendryon’s blog. I just read it—it was really interesting.

Good thing you checked the weather for White Sands NM!

Looking forward to the next part!

J5 Saturday, July 11

As usual isn’t the case, it’s Yannick who wakes up first at 6:30 AM. We get dressed, tidy up the room, and head down for the hotel breakfast. Everyone was quick this morning—by 7:30 AM, we’re on the road toward White Sands. And yes, despite the long drive planned for today, we decided to return to the park because the light is different this morning: yesterday’s storms have cleared the sky.

At 8:00 AM, we’re waiting eagerly for the visitor center to open so we can grab a sled. The kids can go down a few times while dad hunts for nice plants for his photos. Almost all our White Sands photos from today feature plants!

There are still a few without plants! Alkali Flat trail parking Start of the trail

As for the sled, you can buy a new one or a slightly cheaper "used" one if any are available. And if you bring it back after using it, they refund a few dollars. So the sled ended up costing us $8.5. They also sell wax to make it slide better. After this lovely moment, we hit the road again around 9:30 AM. We drive back through Alamogordo, then Carrizozo without hardly noticing. We try to count the train cars, but it’s too far away…

…and we arrive at Valley of Fires around 11:00 AM. We pay at the park entrance by putting our fee in an envelope and leaving the receipt on the car windshield. We didn’t expect to be dazzled by this park, but it’s on the way, so it’s a good spot to stretch our legs and eat.

We follow the Nature Trail, a concrete path winding through lava fields. We can read the explanations in a small English brochure at each numbered post.

To finish up, we have a picnic under a shelter with a great view overlooking the lava fields. Very pleasant!

At 12:45 PM, we’re back on the road for just over 2 hours toward Albuquerque. When planning the trip stages, I’d thought about staying in Albuquerque Old Town, but we wanted to be in Taos for the Pow Wow on Sunday. So the route was flipped around a few times, and we finally decided to just make a quick stop in Albuquerque before continuing.

Around 3:00 PM, we’re there. We were a bit worried about traffic getting there since it’s a big city, but we were pleasantly surprised—it was pretty easy. We hesitate at the parking meter because we don’t have enough change and don’t want to use a credit card for such a small amount. Luckily, a kind American stops to give us his ticket, which is valid until midnight. We’ll pass it on to another couple when we leave. There are two rates for this parking: $2 per hour or $5 for the day.

We spend two good hours strolling around Old Town, browsing shops, and enjoying an excellent iced smoothie. It’s very touristy, but it’s nice to walk around—we had a great time.

After 5:00 PM, we’re back on the road for the last leg of the day. Now we need to reach Ohkay Casino Resort, 30 miles north of Santa Fe. It’s not the kind of hotel we usually prefer, but we got a good deal, and it’ll save us some driving tomorrow morning. We run into rain again on the road—it seems to be our daily lot here!

When we arrive at the hotel, check-in takes a bit longer than usual: our Booking reservation wasn’t recorded. We have plenty of time to watch the players hypnotized by the slot machines and smell the cigarette smoke lingering in the lobby. We get a room at the price we booked on Booking and can finally go get our things. The hallways smell like cigarettes too, but luckily, the room is fine.

A quick dip in the pool later—which, by the way, isn’t great and is packed—then a shower, and we’re off for dinner. It’s already 9:00 PM, and we can’t agree with the kids on which fast-food place to choose. Everyone’s grumpy—it must be the fatigue! We grab takeout from Taco Bell, head back to the hotel to eat, and lights out right after!

Hotel: Ohkay Casino Resort Hotel in San Juan Pueblo 51.25 € Valley of Fires SP: $5 Day’s summary: Lots of driving today, but it went pretty well since it was broken up (20 minutes to White Sands, 1.5 hours to Valley of Fires, 2 hours 15 minutes to Albuquerque, and 1.5 hours to the hotel). We didn’t make any major discoveries today, but the day was full and enjoyable.

Next part here!

We’re crossing Alamogordo again, then Carrizozo without hardly noticing

Oh! That mention of Carrizozo makes me happy! 🙂

We didn’t make any major discoveries today...

Maybe that *was* the major discovery! 😉 Joking aside, I’m following your route closely and taking notes on your stops (hotels, restaurants, etc.) because this is a region I haven’t explored yet and it really appeals to me... 😇 😎 Great job on the White Sands photos with the plants—they really stand out!

Hi Peggy,

A huge thank you for your travel journal. I really love it. The photos are amazing and make me want to visit White Sands so much (to add to a future trip). I can’t wait to read the rest! See you soon! !

Hello

I really love the photos of the plants at White Sands.

Special, isn’t it—the Valley of Fire?

Hi Virginie,

It was really nice. A much-appreciated break for a few days! And for us, the advantage is that it’s not too far away. The desert just 5 hours by car—it’s surprising! Everything’s already on the blog.

I finally got around to reading it! There are some great photo opportunities, and it definitely makes for a nice break like you said. Too bad the hikes and points of interest aren’t better marked...

You mentioned flight tickets to the US at tempting prices... I only started looking a few days ago, and so far, it’s way more expensive than what we’ve paid before 🏴‍☠️ Even for Easter break, it’s the same price as what we paid in the middle of July!!!

We bought our tickets in August (never booked so early...) and got them even cheaper than last year: 654 € per person, and to Las Vegas on top of that! We couldn’t reasonably pass that up...😎 But now it’s the hotels that are giving us a hard time—prices are skyrocketing everywhere! We’re seriously reconsidering the camping option, even though Yannick was always dead set against it until now...

Joking aside, I’ve been following your itinerary closely and jotting down your stops (hotels, restaurants, etc.) because this is a region I haven’t explored yet and it really appeals to me... 😇 😎

Yes, it can give you some hotel ideas, but as I already told Christine, some hotels have really hiked up their rates for 2016...😠 The Quality Inn in Deming seems to have kept the same price range for now—it had a great value for money (even without taking advantage of the nice pool !😉)

Great job on the White Sands photos with the plants—they really stand out!

Thanks, I’ll pass that along to the photographer!

Hi Joëlle,

Thanks so much for your travel journal. I love it! The photos are amazing and really make me want to visit White Sands. (I’ll add it to a future trip!)

Thanks for your comments! Yes, White Sands is definitely a must-do, and I’ll even have to go back someday, hoping for better weather...

I can’t wait for the next part!

It’s coming in just a few minutes...😉

Hi Gilles, Glad to read your comments!

I really love the photos of the plants at White Sands.

Yannick says thanks! 🙂

Special, isn’t Valley of Fire?

Yes, but it’s definitely worth a stop if you’re passing through the area.

J6 Sunday, July 12



We’ve got a big day ahead of us today. We planned to leave the hotel at 8:30 AM and hoped to arrive at Ranchos de Taos around 9:15 AM to visit the San Francisco de Asis Church. There’s a mass starting at 9:00 AM, so we aimed to get there closer to 9:15 to avoid the crowd of worshippers attending the service.

In the end, we left the hotel a bit late, and the delay just kept growing…

As always, Yannick was driving, and I was checking the GPS. At one point, I saw the little village of Embudo on the GPS. During our trip prep, I’d noted that we should stop at the Classical Gas Museum in Embudo, but for some reason, I hadn’t written down its exact location. No big deal, Embudo’s a tiny village—we’d find it quickly! Well, no! After a good 15 minutes of fruitless searching, we finally gave up and got back on the road. Imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon it by chance a few kilometers later… It’s right by the road—you can’t miss it! (Now that we’re back home, I looked it up on Google Maps, and it turns out the spot Sygic GPS had marked as Embudo wasn’t the right place! No wonder we couldn’t find it with directions like that! 🤪).

Here are a few photos of the Classical Gas Museum, which is a museum in name only—it’s more like a collection of random objects, a hodgepodge of stuff where everything’s for sale. But it’s interesting!

Alright, time to hit the road again. We arrive in Ranchos de Taos, quickly spot a cardboard sign pointing to the church, follow it, and… we get lost! But that little detour wasn’t totally useless since we discovered the cute little San Juan de Los Lagos Chapel in Talpa.

After a quick stop at the Visitor Center, which gave us the exact location of San Francisco de Asis, we finally made it around 11:00 AM. It was a bit tricky to find because when you drive by on the main road, you actually see the back of the church. Here’s the church from the front, along with the little garden leading up to it:

The parking lot was full, and the service wasn’t over yet. We listened to a song—it was so beautiful, it really got to me (I’m pretty emotional, okay?). Standing at the back of the church, I felt like I was part of this shared moment with everyone there. It’s a memory I’ll never forget. After the service, we were invited to help ourselves at the pastry stand. At first, we weren’t sure, but one of the sisters explained that it happens once a month and that all visitors are welcome to join in. Never seen anything like that back home…

After that beautiful moment, we headed to the Taos Pow Wow. I’d planned to get there by 10:00 AM, when it opened. But our plans had gone a bit off track by then, and we didn’t arrive until noon. Someone pointed out where to park, but that was it—no one asked us anything else. Since it was late, we didn’t see the competition, but we got a little taste of what a Pow Wow is like: The central area surrounded by chairs for spectators (usually friends and family), more or less in the shade.

The paths where you run into competitors.

The stalls selling handmade crafts and food.

We couldn’t find a single shady spot, and it was *really* hot. We ended up going back to the car to eat. When we got out to head back to the central area, a Native American guy stopped us and asked where our bracelets were… Since we didn’t have any, he kindly directed us to the booth selling them—for a pretty hefty sum, of course. We hadn’t even noticed the booth—it wasn’t on purpose!

Continuation of Day 6, Sunday, July 12

At 1 PM, there’s the Grand Entry, followed by some long speeches about veterans that we don’t fully understand.

Then there are dances where the public is also invited to join in.

A Native American posing for a photo and a cute little Native American girl.

We leave around 2:30 PM because I’d noted that Taos Pueblo closes at 4:30 PM, and we want to spend at least a little time there. It’s a really interesting visit (we follow the little brochure we were given for explanations), and the place is photogenic, but the tour isn’t very long. Many streets are closed—probably because the locals are tired of tourists—but they could at least lower the price!

With this shorter-than-expected visit, we end up leaving before 4 PM. We don’t take the same route as this morning—we take a gorgeous mountain road that leads us to the Santuario de Chimayo, crossing lands that look fertile. Life seems good here! On this road, we reach the highest point of the day: 2,580 m.

The Santuario de Chimayo is a beautiful, peaceful, and energizing place. We spend another lovely moment there.

After this spiritual break, we tackle the last stretch of the day’s drive to head back down to Santa Fe. We’re staying two nights at the Lodge at Santa Fe. When we arrive at the hotel, their computer system crashes, and they can’t check us in. They offer us two choices: either wait for it to reboot or send us to the Eldorado in downtown. We initially accept the second option but then back out. What were we thinking? Fatigue? Didn’t feel like getting back in the car to go downtown? Scared off by a deal that seemed too good to be true? Anyway, the system finally reboots, we see our room—which is nice (but no fridge or microwave)—and we look up photos of the Eldorado online… and realize we were total idiots for letting such a great opportunity slip by! Oh well, our loss!

After all the excitement of the day, we get back in the car one last time to grab dinner at Denny’s. We get caught in a big storm on the way and while we’re eating. Oh, well! It didn’t rain yesterday—we missed it! Back at the hotel and in bed by 10:30 PM.

Hotel: The Lodge at Santa Fe in Santa Fe 83.55 € Pow Wow: $45 (15 $ per person, free for kids under 10) Taos Pueblo: $46 (16 $ per adult, 14 $ per teen, free for kids under 10) Day’s summary: A fantastic day, packed with visits, travel, and emotion—one that leaves us with great memories. If every Sunday of the year could be this interesting…

The rest is here!