We recently got back from a trip to New Mexico, aptly nicknamed the “Land of Enchantment.” Enchanting it is; it has a real sense of place. New Mexico has always been on my list of places to see (along with a few hundred others.) I honestly never thought I’d actually ever make it there. Well, check it off, and it was well worth the wait and the effort to get there. (All hail those frequent flyer points!)
When we walked out of the airport to get our handy-dandy rental car (with Arizona plates), the temperature was 103. Sure it is only “dry heat,” but no matter how dry the heat, 103 sure is hot, energy-sucking hot.
Headed to Santa Fe with the air conditioner blasting, we took the windy and rural “Turquoise Trail. ” Since we arrived right at Friday evening rush hour, the scenic route was actually much quicker than the highway, taking us only an hour or so.
Embarrassing to admit, but the route reminded me a bit of the movie “Cars.” Unfortunately there were no Lightning McQueen or Mater sightings to be had. Aw, no tractor- tippin’! Maybe they were on vacation, too.
When we arrived in Santa Fe, we found ourselves at a whopping elevation of 7,000 feet. The temperature had dropped to 72, which was truly hard to believe. Holy cow, a forty degree drop in just one hour! (Needless to say it was quite refreshing there in comparison.) Right away we realized that Santa Fe really is quite a magical place.
