Earthships and Beautiful Art in Santa Fe
Santa Fe delighted all of my senses!
Early May 2021
I have always wanted to visit Santa Fe, so after it warmed up, we went there to explore. I’ve read Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and she has written about Santa Fe and Taos, so going there was a dream come true. In fact, there are many famous artists who have lived there and still do. See interesting facts about Santa Fe.
We signed up for a North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) membership which got us into a lot of museums for free. Love that! I wanted to see the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, but we weren’t able to because they offered a timed entry and I didn’t get our pass in time. We checked out the New Mexico History Museum and the New Mexico Art Museum. It was delightful, from the paintings to the wonderful sculptures to the turquoise jewelry.
Being there made me feel a long way from home which was great. I was really enjoying our adventures, but I was also adjusting to the dry air. I bought a humidifier to help me adjust.
We rode our bikes for 16 miles to get acclimated to being 7,000 feet above sea level. We checked out various thrift stores looking for art, even though sales tax was 8.5% so things felt a little pricey. I bought a small art piece and Jeff hung it on our camper. We loved how Santa Fe comes complete with lots of vegan options, amazing bike trails, and lots of art.
It was the most COVID-conscious location we’d been to. When we were there, New Mexico had a high vaccination rate yet still wore their masks outside even while exercising (biking, running, etc) in 80-degree weather.
The desert biking was all new to us! We discovered that tumble weeds are a real thing and not just in the movies. LOL.
I experienced the best Thrift Shopping and there were impressive vendors in downtown Santa Fe.
One day we drove up to Taos, NM for a day trip and checked out Earthships! These are interesting-looking buildings that are self-sustaining and off the grid. They are made from tires, glass bottles, and dirt. You can find them in every state and in almost every country. The owners keep their homes 72 degrees warm all year round and they grow their food in greenhouses. This place had a community of about 200 homes.
On the way back, we saw a herd of Big Horn Sheep at a rest stop near one of the longest bridges, the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. I'm so glad I brought my telephoto lens to capture the male sheep.
This Big Horn Sheep male was looking at me pretty intently. I was glad he didn’t decide to ram me with those horns.
Earthships in Taos, NM - they pride themselves for being totally self-sustainable. This is the original Earthship community.
We came across these Tee-Pees on our way up to Taos. Seeing cactus was all new to us.
We bought Jeff a hat in Taos and so we took a picture of us. It was interesting to see an alligator 🐊 skull in the desert decorated. We spotted that in an art gallery in Taos.
My friend Hope came up to visit us while we were there. We became friends in Richmond, VA and now she lives in Santa Fe. After dinner, we found this cool dessert place where they dip your popsicle into all kinds of yummy ingredients. It is called the Paleta Bar.
Another day we biked 27 miles at 7,000 feet above sea level. There were also 30 mph winds so our hands got tired from keeping our bike handles in a tight grip. We came across some stunning views along with some intense climbs. We were loving the wonderful biking infrastructure Santa Fe has: wide bike lanes and great trails.
After we cleaned up, we climbed a mountain to get a close up view of the sunset.
We managed to bike to see different Thrift Stores and beautiful Turquoise stones. Sometimes, Jeff waits patiently for me in the shade, watching the bikes, while I go inside.
On our last day there, we took one final spin around Santa Fe. We checked out Canyon Road which is filled with amazing art galleries. Santa Fe smelled incredibly good because there were lilacs blooming everywhere!
Next we headed to Denver where the high was 42 degrees. Quite a difference! But I was really looking forward to seeing one of my best friends from high school, Christy.
Lilacs were blooming and Santa Fe smelled so fragrant.
Seeing fellow nomads and how they decorated their home.
The famous Canyon Road bike sightseeing.