February is a crappy month for travel. We keep a “high season list” based on weather for nearly every country in the world, and there are remarkably few ideal locations in the month of February.
This is unfortunate because those of us who need to escape from winter’s dismal skies have little to choose from, and for Amanda, it means her birthday month can rarely be celebrated in the sun.
This year we decided on a long weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A quick glance at February’s weather showed Santa Fe to have cold nights (just above freezing) and warmish days (sweatshirt weather). That, and the potential for clear sunny skies meant it was a decent place for our vitamin D deprived skin to recharge this winter.
Heading into Tent Rocks National Monument
While it’s not exactly high season as far as tourism goes, we managed to uncover some terrific excursions using Santa Fe as a base – minus the crowds, of course.
Here’s our honest advice if you want to plan your own three-day weekend.
Day 1: Get Your Bearings
We’re not really city people, so our “get to know ya” day in downtown Santa Fe felt kind of a touristy and meh-tropolis. Still, it has a few things going for it. Most of the downtown is walkable, and the city has a cool southwest adobe vibe to it.
Start off at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum near the central plaza. O’Keeffe marched to the beat of her own drum and became one of the most influential American artists during her prolific 81 year career. Eventually she ended up living near Santa Fe and many of her original works are on display (along with as a good collection of Ansel Adams prints). The $12 entry fee is a little steep for this smallish museum, but we were inspired by her stubborn individuality, and it was a small price to pay to be reminded that life is better when you follow your own path. And you can see the painting they turned into a stamp!
A Few of the Hundreds of Thousands of Toys in the Museum of International Folk Art
On Museum Hill (a 30 minute bus ride from downtown) check out the eclectic Museum of International Folk Art. Vast rooms are filled with traditional folk toys from around the world. It’s kind of like It’s a Small World meets a dollhouse collection on steroids. In an hour’s visit, feel like you’ve traveled around the world in a creepy “Toy Story time travel” kind of way.
Santa Fe seems to have three art galleries for every resident. The huge concentration found on Canyon Road hints at the swarms of visitors that arrive in the summer. We found most of the artwork to be overpriced and gaudy but it’s still worth a stroll, if for no other reason than to see the fascinating spinning metallic windmills whirling outside many galleries.
Canyon Road Galleries, Santa Fe
Day 2: Road Trip
This is when the real fun begins. Rent a car and head for Bandolier National Monument about an hour and a half from town. The hikes in Frijoles Canyon are an excellent place to witness the remains of the Ancestral Pueblo civilization that began thriving in the region for more than 10,000 years ago.
Playing House in the Cliff Side Homes of Bandolier NM
From the visitor center, take the Main Loop Trail (1.5 miles) that will take you on a hit parade of prehistoric ruins. Climb wooden ladders into restored cliff-side homes where the ceilings are still stained with wood smoke. Along the trail you can try your hand at deciphering petroglyphs (a dog, a turkey, a really hot stick figure lady).
Eleven miles away, the Tsankawi section of the park had a few things that will blow your mind. For starters, the landscape is comprised of volcanic ash called Tuff that’s soft enough to carve with stone tools. Thousands of years of walking have created well-worn trails. As you explore the ruins, it’s fun to imagine you’re actually walking where the ancient people walked. At times, the 1.5-mile loop was worn down to miniature waist high canyons.
Well worn foot paths in Bandolier National Monument
Second, the main pueblo area is littered with shards of pottery. We expected to find a few pieces here and there, but you couldn’t look down without spotting a thumb-sized piece of pottery left behind by the former residents.
Pottery shards in Bandolier National Monument
When you’ve had your fill of ancient civilizations, drive Highway 4 to the Valles Caldera. On they way pass through the spooky X-files property of Los Alamos National Laboratory (where nuclear weapons were invented – hurray!). Be prepared to show photo ID before entering the property.
Valles Caldera near Los Alamos, NM
Fourteen miles into the mountains, another unexpected wonder awaits you. Out of nowhere you’ll reach an enormous grassy expanse, void of any trees. It’s the caldera of an ancient volcano – the remnants of an eruption that was 600 times greater than Mt. St. Helens. When it blew it covered 400 square miles with up to 1,000 feet of ash.
Don’t linger too long, because you’ll want to reach Spence Hot Springs before dark. Between milepost 24 and 25 on Highway 4 you’ll see an unmarked pullout. A 10-minute walk later you’ll arrive at the clothing optional (and weed probable) natural hot springs. A small cave emits magma-heated water that fills two large bathing pools. The pools aren’t maintained (think slimy rocks and garbage left behind by asshole locals) but watching the sunset as you soak is a nice way to finish out the day.
Spence Hot Springs
Day 3: Tent Rocks & Spa Treatment
An hour south of Santa Fe is the unheralded Tent Rocks National Monument. While small, this park packs a big punch when it comes to scenery. Unique fairy chimney rock formations will keep your camera clicking as you wander the 1.2 mile Cave Loop Trail.
Tent Rocks National Monument
Tent Rocks National Monument
The best part of this hike is the Slot Canyon Trail (1 mile) that detours off the main route. At times, the canyon is so narrow you have to turn sideways to fit through – an impressive experience especially when the layered walls rise several hundred feet straight up to either side.
Two days of desert hiking will put you in the mood for some good old-fashioned scrubbing. To end your trip with a pampering bonanza, there’s not better place than Ten Thousand Waves – a Japanese style spa where kimono clad visitors enjoy a veritable Disneyland of spas. Smooth, organic woodwork and delightful details (like hidden Buddha statues) litter the property, setting the tone for hours of tranquil relaxation. Reservations are recommended for massages, facials, and the like, but many visitors simply linger around the communal baths, saunas, footbaths and meditation rooms.
Ten Thousand Waves Spa
Finally, you can’t talk about Santa Fe without mentioning the food. Bundles of red chilies drying outside every shop and restaurant in Santa Fe should clue you into one of the town’s main ingredient. Yes, heat is a valued element in New Mexico cooking. But so are the Spanish, Mediterranean, Mexican, Native American and Cowboy Chuckwagon concoctions that lends to Santa Fe’s culinary reputation. Pasqual’s has been churning out Santa Fe fusion food for more than thirty years and might be THE place in town for mouth-watering Tres Leches cake.
For more photos, visit Married To Adventures’s Facebook Page.
(Disclaimer: in the winter, it can snow at any of these places, so check the conditions before heading out. Residents tell us that whatever snow lands during the night is usually gone by mid-day. If it does snow there is good skiing to be found nearby, but we didn’t cover that because the current drought has left the slopes around Santa Fe pretty barren).