Happy Friday! This last week here in Arkansas was exciting because we had an eclipse! Even though I had to work in the emergency department that day, I still was able to go out and see it at its fullest, which for me was 97% totality. I saw an eclipse here in 2017 on one of my first dates with my now-husband, Keith, and it was very cool to see it again this time.
Today’s blog post is a recap of the second half of the New Mexico road trip we took back in October. A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about the first part of that trip and the three national parks we visited, which you can read by clicking here. After visiting those parks, we spent the next few days in Santa Fe. Neither of us had spent time in Santa Fe prior to this trip, and I definitely want to go back! There were so many places we weren’t able to visit but that looked incredible. If you love art and music, Santa Fe should definitely be on your list of places to visit!
Alamogordo to Albuquerque to Santa Fe – October 18, 2024
After leaving Alamogordo, NM around lunchtime, we headed to Albuquerque. Some of our friends live there, and they offered to host us for supper that night on our way through town. It was so fun catching up with them for the first time since our wedding in 2019 and meeting their children! After supper, we drove on to Santa Fe while watching a beautiful sunset.
The hotel we stayed at in Santa Fe was Coyote South. We loved how clean it was and that it was very dog friendly. Also the decor was classic southwestern and really beautiful.
Santa Fe – October 19, 2024
There are definitely two types of people on vacation: there are those who set their alarm super early so that they don’t “miss” anything, and then there are those who sleep until noon. Unfortunately, I am a really fun third type who doesn’t need to set my alarm because I wake up early all on my own. I blame it on the fact that I have to get up at 4:00 am on the days I work as a nurse (however, I’m not sure how valid that excuse is because I only work part time as a nurse which is two days a week, so …)
Anyways, after I read on my phone for a while waiting for Keith to wake up (I’ve been really loving reading on the Libby app, especially at work or on vacation when I don’t have a physical book with me. I’ll always love holding and smelling and reading real books, but sometimes reading on my phone is just too convenient!), we made our way to Crash Murder Business, a coffee shop that was recommended to us by some friends. It was really good and so cute! Unfortunately it was not dog friendly, so we took our orders to go.
Next we walked around downtown Santa Fe. I am obsessed with southwestern art and architecture, so I just loved it there. One of the places we stopped in was San Francisco St. Gallery which was beautiful and dog friendly (obviously I wouldn’t recommend taking a boisterous dog inside an art gallery, but Luna did great!). Another place I went into was The Shop A Christmas Store, which is not dog friendly but does have some really cute Christmas ornaments. I have pretty specific taste when it comes to Christmas decorations, and I was able to find an ornament there that I love.
Sidebar (because I always like to know where the nearest bathroom is): if you’re visiting Santa Fe, the best public restroom is inside La Fonda on the Plaza hotel. We used the entrance across the street from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, and it was very easy to find.
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi was so beautiful! We didn’t go inside, because, Luna, but seeing the architecture and hearing the bell ring on the hour and walking through Cathedral Park was a lovely experience. I also enjoyed watching a family with small children do the Labyrinth Walk in the courtyard.
For lunch that day we ate at The Burrito Company and it was delicious. They have a lovely patio dining area that is dog friendly, and they even brought Luna her own water bowl while we dined. I love any restaurant that serves (good) pupusas, and this one definitely delivered for me. After lunch we took Luna to Frank S. Ortiz Dog Park so that she could get some energy out, and then we headed back to the hotel to rest for a little while.
For sunset we headed up to Cross of the Martyrs park. If you’re interested in watching the sunset from there, be prepared for a ten to fifteen minute walk up several stairs (not including how far away you had to park) to reach the cross at the top. The views of Santa Fe from that vantage point were spectacular, and I would definitely do it again. Be sure you get there at least 20 to 30 minutes before sunset because it can get crowded, even on weeknights. I took one of my favorite photos ever of Keith and Luna while we were there (below).
Santa Fe – October 20, 2024
This ended up being our rest day. We were both tired from our national park adventures earlier in the week, and Keith was preparing to drive several hours back home the next day (listen, I always offer to drive on long road trips, but he rarely lets me. We both get car sick very easily, but I’m usually able to handle it a little better than he is).
We ate a leisurely breakfast at Plaza Cafe, which has two locations. We chose to eat at the Southside location rather than Downtown, which meant that we a) didn’t have to pay for parking, b) didn’t have to wait for a table, c) had the patio completely to ourselves, which was good for Luna, and d) got to eat an amazing breakfast!
After that we went to check out Fashion Outlet mall. We ended up getting a few things from the Merrell outlet for Keith (also dog friendly!), but other than that most of the storefronts were empty or closed. All in all, not worth the trip. On the way back to the hotel, I had Keith drop me off at Savers thrift store, since it was right next to our hotel and I can’t say no to thrifting. I ended up buying a brass cake stand that goes perfectly on this bookshelf in our home.
Later, Keith napped while I met up with one of my friends who I’d worked with when I was a travel nurse in Farmington, NM. When I first met her she was a tech in the emergency department, and currently she is in nursing school in Albuquerque. She reached out to me the day before when she saw on social media that I was in Santa Fe and offered to meet up with me. So we met at Iconik Coffee Roasters and caught up for a few hours. It was lovely.
Santa Fe to Northwest Arkansas – October 21, 2024
You know that moment when you reach the end of your trip, but you still have 731 miles, 10 hours and 30 minutes left to drive home? Yeah … road trips are no joke. We ended the trip with 2,316 miles on the odometer and 49 hours and 10 minutes spent in the car together over eight days. It was an amazing trip, but it was so nice to get home and sleep in our own bed.
I hope you enjoyed reading all about our trip to New Mexico! I love sharing my adventures and travels on this blog, and I also think of these more personal posts as short of a travel journal that I’ll be able to share with my kids someday.
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