santa fe, nm

Our third stop on our epic road trip (first stop here, second stop here) was to Santa Fe, NM. The town itself was much smaller than I had realized, but it's very cute with a lot of character and killer food. The plaza is a great (albeit expensive) place to get SW gifts and jewelry, but what I really loved was everything there was to explore surrounding the city. Here is what we did:

 

We visited the Ojo Caliente Hot Springs about 50 miles north of Santa Fe. You can stay here (it's a hotel), but you can also visit for the day, which is what we did. They have 11 different pools (with 4 different minerals!) all of varying temperatures and they even have a mud pool, where you cover yourself in mud, let it bake on you in the sun and then soak in a mud pool. It's wonderful and relaxing

 

New Mexico is actually home to quite a few vineyards. We checked out the cute and quaint Estrella del Norte winery, where I fell in love with their dessert mole wine. It's spicy and pairs perfectly with chocolate.

 

We checked out Bandelier National Monument where you can see dwellings from the ancestral pueblo people dating back 11,000 years! It is truly incredible and can be easily seen with a short hike.

 

We hiked Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. This hike is fairly easy (it gets a little steep towards the end, but it's mostly flat) and takes your through unique slot canyons with views of the interesting cone-shaped rock formations. It's a must.

 

We visited the interactive art museum Meow Wolf. I don't even know how to explain this place. It's part art installations and part mystery solving and the whole thing is just a trip. The show changes from time to time, but regardless of what is currently there, I imagine it's worth a visit.

 

Take the Turquoise Trail south from Santa Fe to the cute town of Madrid. There is a small strip of road lined with the cutest art shops and restaurants. Check out Sugarman's Little Chocolate Shop for some amazing chocolate bark.

 

We ate at Jambo Café, a African restaurant by head chef, Ahmed Obo. The meal was one of the highlights of our whole trip, and we got to meet Ahmed that night who was so kind and humble and happy we were there. We bought his cookbook that night and have since made his chicken curry recipe, which turned out so flavorful! It is going on permanent rotation.

 

Our other favorite restaurant was Café Pasqual's located by all the fun plaza shopping. It's the best place to get your SW food fix!

 

I also have to mention that we had the best experience at the Santa Fe Motel and Inn. This motel was extremely affordable and walking distance from the plaza. The rooms were spacious and had so many cute details all over the property. The breakfast was free and plentiful and served in a little SW decorated space with a burning fireplace to keep you warm on cool desert mornings. We loved it and highly recommend staying here.

 

 Roadside stop for a treat when driving into Santa Fe

 

 Soaking in the Ojo Caliente hot springs

 

 Try their mole wine!

 

 Cute details at the Santa Fe Inn and Motel

 

 Visiting Bandelier National Monument

 

 Look closely. You can see a ancient parrot sketch (called a petroglyph)

 

 These circular "huts" were called a Kiva and used for religious ceremonies, family gatherings and making important decisions

 

 Hiking through the Tent Rocks National Monument

 

Always, always keep an eye out for rattlers

 

 Ancient petroglyphs can be found all over New Mexico!

 

 An original kokopelli! This area is known for the famous hunch backed flute player.

 

 The weird and crazy Meow Wolf

 

Inside Sugarman's in Madrid, NM



telluride, co

Our second stop on our big road trip was Telluride, CO, the cutest little mountain town. Of course, it's known for its epic ski hill, and we were there in the fall when there was no snow, but we still had a wonderful time. We rented mountain bikes one afternoon, which is the thing to do when there is no snow. Turns out, it's not my cup of tea, and I may or may not have walked my bike down the entire mountain. All well. The leaves were changing on all the aspen trees turning everything yellow (funny enough, there are no reds or oranges in Telluride, only yellow). We stayed around the Mountain Village, and used the free gondolas as transportation. The gondolas would take you all around the park and down to the town of Telluride itself. I have to admit, it was a fun way to travel for the few days we were there. The downtown is small but has cute shopping and restaurants!

 

Our recommendations:

 

Brown Dog Pizza - Probably the best pizza we have eaten anywhere in the world. Do not miss this place.

 

Baked in Telluride - A delicious and impressive bakery with everything from donuts to stuffed croissants. Great for a quick bite before hitting the hill.

 

Diggity Doggs - Located in the Mountain Village, this is the place to grab an awesome dog for the road! It has some crazy sauces, and they are all delicious. Load that dog up!

 

New Sheridan Hotel - This hotel was built in 1895! We did not stay here, but they have a rooftop bar, which is a great place to grab a drink. The hallways of the hotel are framed with old pictures from Telluride back in the 1800s. We loved it.

 

Mountain Lodge - This is where we stayed, and it was great. To be honest, the rooms were a little lack luster, but the hotel itself was wonderful. They have a incredible restaurant, a steam room, heated outdoor pool and hot tub. It's also walking distance from the gondola, which will take you down to the village.

 

 Our hotel's pool and hot tub with a view of the mountains and the gondola

 

 Mountain biking

 

 So happy to 1. not be mountain biking and 2. eating a Diggity Dogg!

 

 View inside the gondola headed to town

 

 The cute town of Telluride!

 

 



moab, utah

Anders and I just returned from a two week road trip through the SW. We started in Moab and made our way to Telluride, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Page, Las Vegas and Palm Springs. It was an incredible trip with a lot of different landscapes. I thought I would post some of the photos here (I know! It has been awhile! Hi!) starting with our first stop, Moab, Utah.

 

We were only there a short while (two days to be exact), but we managed to cram a lot in. While the town of Moab doesn't have a ton going on, the scenery is breathtaking and it was one of my favorite places on the trip. Here is what we did:

• Hiked to Delicate Arch Rock in Arches National Park
• Drove to Dead Horse State Park at 6am to watch the sunrise over the Canyonlands
• Visited Castle Creek Winery. They have a movie museum that showcases all the films that have been made in the area!
• Drove the scenic Hwy 128 and pulled over to check out the incredible Fisher Towers
• Hiked to Morning Glory Arch, one of the longest natural bridges in the world!
• Ate a delicious breakfast at Eklecticafe

 Hiking to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park

 

 Delicate Arch

 

 Scenic Hwy 128

 

 Visiting Castle Creek Winery

 

 More from Hwy 128 with a stop at Fisher Towers

 

 Sunrise at Dead Horse State Park

 

 Overlooking the Canyonlands

 

 The red rocks during our hike to Morning Glory Arch

 

 A bit of color in all that desert

 

 A desert hare!

 

 It's a bit hard to photograph, but Morning Glory Arch is one of the longest natural bridges in the world.

 





where have I been?

I haven't been on my little blog site in quite a while. It's not that I don't have stuff to share...I do! We went to Argentina and spent a weekend in Vancouver, B.C. I'm making a new quilt and have been dog sitting a lot. We did some awesome landscaping to our yard (including a fountain!) with the help of my generous Mom who flew in from Illinois to help. I hope to update this page with all that stuff soon.

The reason for my absence is that I've been working on a very special project called Rain or Shine Guides, which is a blog that focuses on everything there is to eat, see and do around the Pacific Northwest. I'm writing the site with my good friend, Kristina Knaus. We are both lovers of travel and of trying new things and getting out and experiencing life. We decided other people could benefit from our knowledge (we will eat for you!) and thus Rain or Shine Guides was born. We are very proud of our site and are having a blast writing content. We have a few other fun things in the works, which hopefully I can share soon.

I would love it if you checked out my new project. You can follow along by email (sign up at the bottom of the homepage), and we are also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! We also accept guest bloggers and would love for you to contribute to our site if you have a great idea or topic! You can email us at rainorshineguides@gmail.com!

haunted coke machine

My friend, Kristina, and I had some time to kill the other day, so we went and tracked down the mystery coke machine in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Some people like to joke that it's haunted because nobody knows who actually fills it. You also don't get a choice of your soda...hence the "mystery." We ended up with a cherry Dr. Pepper. Nicely played, haunted coke machine.

dogs in the back

Just wanted to share these two funny photo from Anders and my dog sitting adventures...dogs are seriously the best.

cat cafe

Last night I went with some friends to Wallingford's new cat cafe called Meowtropolitan (worst name in the history of cafe names). It's exactly as it sounds...a cafe...with cats. You have to have a reservation to get in, and you are limited to 1 hour with the cats. The shop regulates the number of visitors, so the cats don't get over stimulated. The best part is that only about half of the cats are residents where as the other half are from the shelter and up for adoption! I highly recommend checking it out whether you're in the market for a cat or not. 

Prepare to be bombarded with cat pictures!

Who wants to go back with me?!?!