Historic Santa Fe, New Mexico

On June 25, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn New Mexico10 Comments

If you want to visit a place that has a thriving art scene, some of the best food in the country, and a relaxing atmosphere, then Santa Fe, New Mexico, might just be the place for you. It isn’t all just art and food, though, there is plenty of history as well with both the oldest church in the United States as well as the oldest, continuously occupied public building in the United States. There is also a house that claims to be the oldest in the United States, but if nothing else, it one of the oldest houses depending upon the information that we have seen.

Santa Fe is about a five hour drive from Colorado Springs, so we decided to go on a quick weekend getaway and enjoy a couple of days there. Since the elevation of Santa Fe, which is about 7,200 feet (about 2,200 meters), is very similar to where we live, we didn’t have to worry about acclimating to the altitude, but for those coming from sea level, drinking plenty of water is definitely advisable. Even though it is mountainous, it is still a desert region, so expect high temperatures if you visit during the summer months. Although we didn’t have the opportunity on this trip, there are a lot of trails for hiking if you want to get out and explore the natural surroundings.

The historic downtown region is in the heart of Santa Fe and is where you will find a lot of art galleries and restaurants around almost every corner. The city was first established in 1610 by the Spanish, which also makes it the oldest state capital in the United States. You will find a lot of tourists wandering the streets, which all meander somewhat haphazardly around the central plaza where you can find some shade and grass to escape from the summer heat. In the late afternoon on weekends, you will likely find live music to enjoy as the temperatures start to become more tolerable. The historic area is also where you find the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, which is one of the must see sites in Santa Fe.

There are other churches worthy of visiting as well, including the Loretto Chapel, which is home to the Miraculous Stairway, the San Miguel Church, which is the oldest church in the United States having been built in 1610, as well as the Santuario de Guadalupe. Sitting along side of the plaza is the Palace of the Governors, also built in 1610, which is the oldest public building in the United States and where you can find vendors selling jewelry and other art in the shade of it’s roof. Not far from there is the building that claims to be the oldest house in the United States, which was built in 1646.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Whatever you do in Santa Fe, take your time and relax, everyone else will be. Whether walking in and out of the many art galleries or having a drink on one of the rooftop restaurants, no one is in a hurry to rush around as they visit the various sites. Not far from the downtown plaza is the Railyard Arts District where you can find many local artists, more breweries and restaurants, as well as catch the Road Runner Express, which is an active railway that runs between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We certainly enjoyed our time walking the historic streets and stopped in several restaurants to have locally brewed beer, New Mexico’s southwestern food favorites, and people watch as tourists meandered the streets. We will likely return soon to enjoy one of the many spas in the area as well as get out and do some hiking.

Walking Through Ancient Ruins

On October 26, 2015October 26, 2015 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado8 Comments

Whenever we travel places, regardless of where it is, we tend to try to imagine what it was like hundreds or thousands of years ago. Fortunately, there are a few places where you don’t have to use your imagination, but they have been preserved or unearthed by archeologists. In the four corners area, where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona meet at a single point, there are two excellent ancient ruins that you should definitely visit if you’re in the area. There are the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park, which is located near Alamosa, Colorado and the Aztec Ruins National Monument, which is in New Mexico. We visited them several years ago with the kids and it was a great experience.

One of the great things about Mesa Verde National Park is that you’re able to climb up to and walk through the cliff dwellings located there. The ancient Pueblo people inhabited the dwellings for about 700 years between 600 and 1300 AD. Some of the most interesting buildings are the Kivas, which the Pueblo people used for ceremonies. There is a whole in dug into the center of the floor of the Kivas called a sipapu, which represents their belief that their ancestors came to the surface from the underworld. It is well worth taking a tour while you’re there so that you learn about the ancient Pueblo people as well the current efforts to preserve the ruins. The kids really enjoyed the fact that they were able to walk through the ruins, through the doorways, hallways, into the Kivas, it is a true hands on experience.

Mesa Verde is the most well-known ruin in the area, but take the time to visit the Aztec Ruin National Monument. These aren’t cliff dwellings, but the more typical ruins of the ancient Pueblo people. A smaller version of the ruins found at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, this not as well-known ruin is another great place to explore the history of the Southwest. You are able to walk through these ruins as well, although not as well-preserved as the ruins at Mesa Verde, it is still a treat to visit. Understanding that there was a civilization building large cities here in the United States over a thousand years ago is often a surprise to people as we always think of Europe and the Middle East as the cradle of civilization.

Visiting ancient ruins in the United States is truly a special experience. Obviously going to Greece or Italy to visit ancient ruins is a classic experience, but you don’t have to fly overseas to see ancient ruins. It is well worth taking time to visit our own ancient ruins and learn about the people who inhabited North America so long ago. Thanks to the hard work of the archeologists, we’re able to step back in time and imagine ourselves in an ancient city bustling with hundreds of ancient Pueblo citizens.

Making the Most of a Road Trip

On August 19, 2015August 21, 2015 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn New MexicoLeave a comment

Several years ago, we had taken a road trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and when taking long trips by car, we will often stop at places of interest along the way. On this particular trip our journey took us past Fort Sumner New Mexico, which is the location of the tombstone for the infamous Billy the Kid, as well as Roswell New Mexico, the site of a supposed UFO crash that the government is covering up. We knew that we wanted to stop at Roswell, but stopping at Billy the Kid’s tombstone was a spur of the moment decision when we saw signs on the road for the attraction. While visiting the caverns was definitely the purpose of the trip, those added stops made the entire trip that much more interesting.

There isn’t much else to see in Fort Sumner other than Billy the Kid’s tombstone, but for a quick detour while traveling through New Mexico, it was fun to see. With all of the technology that surrounds us in our modern world, it is somehow relaxing to reflect on just how recent it was that our world was not so complex. According to legend, Billy the Kid shot and killed twenty-one men, although current belief is that it was only eight men, before being gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881. From Fort Sumner, we continued on to Roswell and we went from life in the old west to space invaders in the span of less than an hour.

Do aliens really exist? We’re not sure if they do, but we are positive that there are more than enough unique individuals on earth that we don’t need to import them from space. As it turned out, it was the annual UFO Festival when we arrived in Roswell, so the town was crowded with enthusiasts. After spending a few hours surrounded by people in costume, wearing tin foil hats, ufologists, and vendors trying to sell us UFO memorabilia, we were ready to jump into a spaceship and head to the rugged terrain of Carlsbad.

We were just there for a weekend trip, so our time in Carlsbad was fairly short, but we definitely enjoyed the caverns and the town. One of the more unique things, other than touring the caverns and learning about stalagmites and stalactites, was learning about the bats. Hundreds of bats make the Carlsbad Cavern their home and at sunset they all fly out over the heads of the tourists seated in the amphitheater to watch the spectacle. It is quite impressive to see as there are so many of them that they literally look like a swirling black cloud as they zoom off to feed. The kids enjoyed making bat guano jokes throughout the return trip home, but at least they listened to the ranger talk during the tour.

So, whether making a drive across country or just getting away for the weekend like we did, it is certainly worth making little detours along the way. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination” and so should your travels. Make the most of the journey and you’ll enjoy the destination that much more.