Santa Fe is the capitol of New Mexico and its’ fourth largest city. In 1846 the United States declared war with Mexico. New Mexico officially became part of the United States in 1848 by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Some could hardly understand why because the land was barren and the people were poor. Later, artists and writers were attracted to the area because of its dry climate and beautiful landscapes. It’s now considered one of the great art cities in America. It would have been nice to explore all the galleries. We will have to return after the coronavirus pandemic is over.
Santa Fe
From Eagle Nest, New Mexico it was a 2.5 hour drive though the mountains and then along the Rio Grande to reach Santa Fe. Unfortunately, the RV park in Angel Fire who canceled our reservation, received our mail, but didn’t inform us while we were still in the area. We ended up driving the 5 hour round trip back to Angel Fire to get our mail, which had our tax returns, ugh. At least the drive was beautiful.
Santa Fe Skies RV Park
Santa Fe Skies RV Park had full service and ok Wifi. They had less than 20% occupancy making the park feel uncrowded and relaxing.
Overall, it was a nice RV park with large sites, views of the snow capped distant mountains, a nice walking trail, and plenty of old retired vehicles and other equipment to look at.
The day after we arrived it snowed. Night time temperatures were 26 F. The lowest we have had yet. Thank goodness we had heated floors decreasing the amount of time the furnace had to be on.
Spring daffodils and tulips were just blooming, only to be covered in snow.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
We stayed in Albuquerque for Freightliner service. Fortunately, they were able to get us in and diagnosed a fuel filter problem. It was replaced a couple of months ago, so maybe we got contaminated diesel fuel when we filled up in Texas. We stayed at the American RV Resort because it was near Freightliner. They had full service but poor Wifi.
Petroglyph National Monument
This was a great way to kill some time while the RV was being serviced. Surprisingly, the trails were still open. It”s one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. We hiked the Piedras Marcadas Canyon trail which was also dog friendly.
Spanish settlers and Native Americans carved the images onto volcanic rocks 400-700 years ago.
The trail was about 1.5 miles long with up to 400 petroglyphs.
Other than petroglyphs, there were squirrels and rabbits to keep Jake’s attention. That dog is a serious hunter with very good eyesight.
Spring wildflowers were stunning too.
Elephant Butte, New Mexico
Elephant Butte is home to the largest lake in New Mexico. Unfortunately, the State Park was closed because of COVID-19. On the windy drive getting here, we witnessed a “dust devil” next to the highway about 1/4 mile ahead of us. It dissipated before we got there but we got sideswiped by a wind gust that felt like we were hit by a tornado. Scared the crap out of us and thank God we weigh about 40,000 pounds. It would have flipped a travel trailer! We always check the weather before heading out and high winds were not in the forecast.
We stayed at Elephant Butte RV Resort. They had full service and poor Wifi. Most of the people were long term rentals and it was nicely landscaped. The sites were large and it was ok to wash the motorhome, so we did.
The Geronimo Trail runs through the area. Geronimo was born in southwestern New Mexico. He was an Apache, part of the Chiricahua group. His early life was peaceful, but while trading in Mexico, the women and children of his tribe were massacred by Mexicans. He retaliated by starting a life of conflict.
Truth or Consequences is south of Elephant Butte along the Rio Grande River. It was named Hot Springs because of the numerous hot springs in the area.
In 1950, the city changed its named to Truth or Consequences after a radio show contest. The host, Ralph Edwards, visited the town every year for 50 years. The annual event was known as “Fiesta” which includes a parade, live music, a beauty contest and Hatch Chili.
