I had the opportunity to go on a trip that I wasn’t 100% sure about to start, but turned out to be one of the best trips.
In recent years I have discovered that I enjoy hiking. Even MORE recently I’ve discovered that I actually enjoy camping! Who would have thought?!?! Ask my mom and dad…certainly I’ve surprised them with this new found love of the outdoors!
So I was invited to a road trip from Houston to New Mexico “somewhere in the mountains” for hiking and camping. The uncertainty of the exact location was honestly the most exciting part! You mean we are just going to drive until we find something we like? Cool! I’m in!!!!
So we started out early Friday morning and drove the most incredible vehicle (more on that later!) and made it all the way to Santa Fe, NM. The best part at this point was that in Amarillo the temperature was 100°, but as we got into New Mexico the temps dropped to 64°!!! As we drove in I remembered driving to Glorieta with my parents when I was a kid. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. I always think of Colorado as a beautiful place for mountain views, but New Mexico is gorgeous!
We got into Santa Fe kinda late and so we got a hotel and spent the night and got ready for the real fun the next day.
Saturday we got up, got some Starbucks (not roughing it yet!), and got started with our drive into the mountains. As we drove up into the Jemez Mountains (pronounced “HAY-mez”) we had the most mesmerizing view of both mountains and valleys. The temps were in the mid 50s and it was WONDERFUL!
We drove until we got to a road that recommended we park and hike. But we didn’t do that. The 4Runner kicked into action and we drove right on up that mountain! We drove about 5 miles and then did pull over and park because we got to a point where vehicles were not allowed. At that point we got our lunches and started a 2 mile hike up the rest of the mountain. When we got to the top of where we were going there was a gorgeous 3 level natural hot spring.
The hot springs were incredible. And a popular place! I think being there on the Saturday after a holiday was probably why. We didn’t let it stop us though. We kicked off our shoes and got in. It’s incredible to me that the water was coming from inside the earth and yet it felt like a hot tub! We started to hear some thunder and so we decided to hike down and back to the car so we could go find our camp spot.
We weren’t sure what we would find. We had no cell service, but we had a GPS system. We drove around looking and came upon a bunch of cattle on the road. I seemed to be the only amazed and baffled by seeing cattle IN THE MOUNTAINS! Somehow we came upon the most PERFECT camping spot ever. These pictures don’t even come close to doing it justice!
I need to pause here and point out something that I found a bit alarming! There were signs in the Jemez Mountains that warned of all kinds of things….animal crossings of all kinds, sharp curves, etc. It took awhile for me to recognize this one…
Look closely here….be careful of falling rocks…and…motorcycles?!?! Luckily we were not on a motorcycle nor did we actually see one fall, but it was a bit alarming to me!
We had a nice clearing to set our stuff up in. We weren’t within sight of any other humans. And…we overlooked the valley. So we were right on the edge of the mountains and it was breathtaking.
Because of the rain we had to set up tents instead of using hammocks. Hammocks are by far more comfortable for sleeping, but when it’s raining that’s not the best choice. So we set up tents and realized some of the true badass capabilities of this 4Runner!
First we opened up the rooftop mounted cover and set up the chairs under the cover. Then we went to the back of the vehicle and opened it up. We pulled out the drawer system to find a full refrigerator, a stove, and drawers to hold all of the dry foods, utensils, and other necessities. I was in awe of all the back of this car could hold!
We began getting dinner ready, played games and just enjoyed the silence. It was drizzling but honestly it didn’t stop us from enjoying every second of the evening!
As is common, once the sun goes down the day for campers comes to an end and we retired to the tents once it was dark. We were tired from the hike and setting up camp and it was in the low 50s and personally, I was glad to get under some blankets!
I never sleep well when I camp because I watch too much Criminal Minds and the cold didn’t help that. However, when the birds woke up in the morning, I woke up with them. I laid there for what seemed like forever and when I finally got up I thought it would be late….nope…it was 6:45am! Time to get started making coffee and hot chocolate. We sat and looked out at the scenery and drank our hot morning drinks. We made eggs and sausage and devoured it!
We discussed what Sunday would hold and decided that as amazing as the Jemez Mountains were, we wanted to explore more and see what else there was. So we packed up camp and headed out. We drove through the village of Jemez and then up to Taos.
Taos was a cute little town with shops and restaurants and lots of places to walk around and explore. So we explored and had lunch. Then we went to find a camp spot.
We quickly realized that we had hit the jackpot the night before and that Sunday night’s view wasn’t going to be as amazing! We drove around and discovered cows…everywhere!!! They had taken over camp spots. They were not worried about where I was going to sleep, they just roamed wherever they wanted!
In an attempt to find a spot to settle in for the rest of the day, we inadvertently found out the other truly badass part of this 4Runner! We started driving up the mountain and quickly found ourselves completely out of road but not yet out of mountain. So do we turn around and stay on the road? Heck no! This vehicle just plows on through – it needs no road! It was terrifying and thrilling all at once!
However, we found ourselves deep in the forest and that’s not what we wanted so we drove back to the cow infested area and found a spot with a clearing to set up and as few cow patties and possible.
We quickly got set up this time, there was no rain and we were getting the hang of it. Then we made steak, asparagus, and potato salad for dinner. It was DELICIOUS and all done out of the back of the 4Runner!!!!
It was cold still but I enjoyed so much being in nature and being in the quiet. It is relaxing in a different way from relaxing at home. There’s no texts or calls. No social media. No chores to be done. Just the sound of birds and wind and quiet.
Monday morning we decided we wanted to try Angel Fire. Angel Fire is usually a place people go to ski but in the off season they use the mountains for hiking, mountain bike trails and zip lines. We took the chair lift up to the top of the mountain and hiked a little and then took it back to the bottom. We discovered there wasn’t really any camping places and to be honest, I think we were all ready for real showers.
We drove all the way to Amarillo, checked into a hotel and SHOWERED! Like for real got clean! It was lovely. As much as I love being in nature and I don’t mind getting dirty, when it’s time to get clean it makes me soooo happy!!! We had dinner at a restaurant within walking distance and then went back to the hotel to crash!
Tuesday had us on the road back home.
I would be never have arranged this trip on my own. I don’t have the knowledge or the equipment. Oh man am I glad that SOMEONE knows how to plan these trips because it was a wonderful trip and the perfect way to spend a few days out of the Houston heat!
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