The Highlight of New Mexico

When I chose to add New Mexico to the trip, I thought it would be similar to the styles of Mexico and the Native Americans back in the day. My thought process surely was what I expected it to be. New Mexico has its own style of homey, cabin feel in the pueblos. It reminded me of a modern day Flintstones movie.

While our stay was short, we tried to make the most of what we had by eating our way through the state and adventuring in the dark somewhere. Prior to traveling here, we wanted to know what Santa Fe was known for. Surely enough, it is their hot springs. During our research, we looked at how many miles it would take to arrive to the spring, how many snacks we should bring, and what type of items we would need.

We obviously did not pack enough. But our phones were fully charged… you’ll know why soon.

Choosing a hot spring was important. We wanted to go to one that was worth it and reputable. After our long drive and possibly too much rest, we took a hike. Our drive was about an hour or so to where we couldn’t go further. As soon as we started our walk, we saw a few hikers walking back. Made some conversation and one of the girls mentioned it would take about 2.5 hours to hike the five miles to arrive. She bragged about her being an avid hiker too. So in turn, we got a little scared, but no need to fear!

It was getting late at night, we were walking together, possibly running at times, and we arrived at the hot springs. It was dark, SUPER dark out. We probably enjoyed the hot spring for a good five minutes before we had to walk back in extreme darkness. When I tell you that my friends and I were shitting bricks, we were doing it.

Flashlights were not purchased prior to this hike, nor were extra clothing to change into after our sweet bathe, and not enough mental motivation to keep moving forward. Some of us wanted to run, some couldn’t. We probably heard all kinds of animals in the rain, with lightning, and our phones barely working for flashlights.

Half way back, I realized I had dropped the pin before heading to the hot spring and used that as our mile marker to get to the car and out of the park. Was there a park ranger? No. They obviously don’t exist at night. We were terrified and trying to walk as fast as we could to the car.

Don’t let the photos deceive you. The story behind it was an adventure I’ll probably never relive in the dark.

After 10.32 miles, 3:07:25 hours of walking, 1,080 calories, and probably no dehydration in our legs (thanks to my backpack with water) later… we made it back to the car, safe and sound.

Satisfied Our Cravings Quick

Around where we were staying, we stopped by some food trucks that would hit our tummies nicely. There was a Craft Donuts and Coffee food truck, as well as a Fushion Tacos food truck to satisfy our cravings. We basically ate breakfast and lunch in one sitting.

Who doesn’t love a good local spot?!

Kakawa Chocolate House was one of the places Amber wanted to explore while in New Mexico. The chocolate is purely made there and it was so good. We shared some sweets and made our tummies happy, especially after the adventures we had in New Mexico. #NeverForget

Adventure is out there… but not in the dark anymore.

So we passed by the Four Corner‘s Monument before heading to ARIZONA!!!

Side note: it was a bit under construction, so that’s the most we could see.

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