With the extended mud season in Park City this year, we decided to head south. Moab was a mob scene and Colorado was a relief from Utah but still too groovy. The roads got rough when we crossed into Enchanted New Mexico where the Green Chile got hotter but our dog was allowed to sit at the bar with us and they rewarded us with a healthy, unmetered pour. Abiquiu was too artsy and authentic, Chama too clunky and funky, so we wound up staying for a while in one of our favorite little towns, Santa Fe.
The New Mexico capital city at 7,000 feet and 35 degrees latitude sits at the morning sun, southeastern edge of the Mountain Time Zone. With only 50,000 residents in town, 100,000 including the sprawling suburbs, it is a human size capital city like Helena or Boise. Founded in 1610, 10 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, this place is old and has some wicked history.
Today Spanish, Mexican, Native and white Legacy Americans round out a diverse population that is unpretentious and mostly inclusive. The varied but blue legislature is mostly women and so is the governor. The bad thing about NM is that it is part of the USA but the good thing about NM is that it is part of the USA. ew Mexico is a little bit like Old Mexico but slightly cleaner, ostensibly safer, and not as cheap. You can go out to eat for $20, gas is less than $4 and you can buy a nice house for less than half a million dollars.
There are empty hiking/biking trails right from town, up to the surrounding forest, and leash free dogs are welcome. The mountains outside of town rise to 12,000 feet and there is a clean little ma-and-pa ski resort 15 miles up the road with some fine touring and downhill skiing. Santa Fe has four seasons, but winter is mild in the valley, being this high but this far south. Snow comes and goes quickly with all their magical sunlight. I’d say the climate is a cross between Park City, Salt Lake and St George. Just right.
Spring had sprung in early May, when we arrived, with the trees leafing out and spreading seed. The ravens seemed to be pairing up loudly for mating season, but the town was empty of tourists and travelers. The vibe was chill. The temps were in the 40-70s but the relative humidity was 2-5% and the dew point was -25F, but with the spring winds gusting to 60 it is no wonder that half of this state was already on fire! New Mexico is half again as big as Utah with plenty of varied places to explore. With mountains in the north and deserts in the south, the east seems like Texas and the west like Arizona.
New Mexico seems to be off the radar, like Utah was, and Santa Fe seems to be the city-that-time-forgot, like Salt Lake used to be. In these days of reservations at national parks and paid parking at trail heads and ski resorts, there are too many people – everywhere. Whatever the cause, we have been out to beat the crowds by cowboy-camping down old forest service roads, eating at taco trucks or just zigging when most are zagging. We are on a mission to get away from the maddening throng, temporarily or permanently. We are stickers and stayers for 40 years in our lovely little mountain town but we are always searching for the next great undiscovered American town like Park City. I think we may have found it in Santa Fe.
Matt Lindon
Snyderville
What do you think? Send your thoughts to [email protected], include your name, your neighborhood/address, and we’ll publish them as soon as we can.