Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico has long been on my bucket list of places to visit in the American west. I finally planned ahead enough to score affordable plane tickets, lodging and car rental. We spent the week in an adorable adobe studio home a few blocks from the main plaza. Perfect for a quick walk to dinner after a long day of hiking.
Day 1 – Visit Georgia O’Keefe Museum, lunch on the patio at The Shed & afternoon hike at nearby Dale Balls Trail (3 miles).
Jemez Springs, New Mexico
Day 2 – Perfect way to spend Easter together… hiking to a warm spring for a soak on top of the mountain (2 miles).
Taos, New Mexico
Day 3 – Off to Taos to hike along the Rio Grande and visit the town. The highlight in town was the beautiful work in the Artist Cooperative.
We hiked a loop along the rim on the Rift Valley Trail, down Picuris to the Slide Trail (6.3 miles). Friendly locals pointed out landmarks along the way like the unmarked petroglyphs.
My second attempt at gouache went much better. I used 300 lb Arches paper which was sturdy enough to paint on with no support and survive my backpack.
Bandelier National Monument
Day 4 – Even with a late morning start, we had a great day exploring at Bandelier National Monument (6 miles). We left the school trip crowd at the welcome center behind and hiked to the end of Falls Trail. The upper falls were amazing (see my video on instagram here), then we continued to the lower falls where you can sit right at the top of the falls.
I tried a quick sketch in watercolor of the stream feeding the falls. With the blasts of wind driven spray and quickly changing late afternoon light, I ended up overworking it. However, the effort set the image of the sunlit glowing canyon walls and glittering water in my mind for a future painting.
After the park closed, we walked the loop around the pueblo in quiet solitude – a lovely experience.
Tesuque Creek Ridge, Santa Fe
Day 5 – Are we tired yet? Nope – 8.5 miles loop hike that was one of my favorites. Up to the ridge via a creek trail with many stream crossings along rocks or logs. Then along with ridge with stunning views into the interior mountain valley, and back through the desert. Loved every minute of this trail and was super glad I didn’t fall in the stream (hiking in wet boots is no fun).
I went with another gouache painting at the ridge crest and enjoyed the rest in the shade.
Blue Dot Trail, Los Alamos
The blue dot to red dot trail loop was simply amazing. A variety of habitats and incredible views the entire way. It was hard to limit myself to two paintings!
