Spring Break 2016

For Spring Break this year, we were home and happy.  We decided to do some outdoors-y exploring in and around where we live.  I'd recently heard about a little hike called 'Carlito Springs' that's just up in the East Mountains, so we put that and Santa Fe on our list of places to hit.  We packed up snacks, backpacks and hiking sticks (the boys' persistent requests) and headed on our way!

Carlito Springs was very unique.  The hike is actually a hike/walk up a road to what was once a personal residence but is now owned by the County.  There's a natural spring right in the middle of the property that runs down and around to pools, little streams, etc and it makes everything REALLY green and lush in what is otherwise the typical high desert mountain surroundings.  It was beautiful! We really could not believe just how green it was.  On the way up we could see lots of daffodils and fruit trees lining the path too, making it more picturesque.  The boys had a great time exploring, watching skeeters and wondering if any bears would come say hello (there are apparently bears who visit the area from time to time).  From the main property (where there are also other buildings but it's akin to a itty bitty ghost town) we hiked some other trails that take you around the other side of the mountain where the terrain turned to reddish sandy trails, pinon and sage brush...more of what you'd expect to find in the area.  We enjoyed the uniqueness of Carlito Springs and will definitely go back again.

We also spent a day in Santa Fe.  We found a good hiking trail up past the main town area in the surrounding mountains and explored.  There were some amazing birds in the area, and we actually ended up circling up to an Audobon Society Building which was well off the beaten path but a very nice facility (finding a bathroom while you're out hiking is always welcome!).  We explored the complex of building they had and discovered that as part of their property there is a historical stone home (you can tour it during parts of the year, although not now), with a small orchard and some picnic tables.  The pretty little spot served our needs well for a nice place to rest and eat some snacks.  The kids were starving at this point!  It was a very nice hike and everyone did great, even our smallest buddy, Dawson.

 

After our hike, we drove down to Old Town Santa Fe and had a fun lunch on the plaza, followed by yummy gelato (Ecco is always a favorite).  We toured around old town a bit and decided to see the Loretto Chapel and the 'Miraculous Stair' inside.  The old Catholic chapel is creaky and interesting, as the ones around Santa Fe usually are, but the staircase inside really is special.  It's a helix shaped spiral staircase built in the late 1800's by an unknown architect.  It's 'miraculous' because it was made with wooden nails/pegs and meager simple tools and has no attachment to any walls or poles to hold it up.  The carpenter/builder's name being unknown adds to its mysteriousness.  We liked seeing it and thought it was a fun diversion.

Instead of going straight back to Albuquerque and after talking about never having been to the Santa Fe ski resort, we drove on up the mountain.  As it happens, that day was their last day of the season so we saw a number of people still skiing as well as a fair amount of snow the further up we went.  It was beautiful with lots of trees and a fantastic view to boot.  We keep talking about getting the kids out skiing sometime soon, so maybe this will be a good place to go that's not so far from home. 

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Spring Break was adventurous, fun and very relaxing!  We're so glad we could have this time to take a little break from the norm and enjoy being with each other.  We are looking forward to warmer weather and summer just around the corner!