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The One Room Challenge is over and, after dedicating myself 110% to renovating the nursery into a big girl room, I was more than excited to pack us up and head to Taos, New Mexico for a week! 

Up until recently, I had mostly experienced Taos in the winter, aiming to get away for some adventurous skiing in the rugged mountain range – Taos Ski Valley is a small resort that offers a more intimate experience to skiing. The crowds really aren’t too bad and the opportunities to improve your skills are all around – blues that seem like black hills and moguls galore! 

The resort area is going through a sort of “renaissance” period as the new owner, Louis Bacon, aims to curb the decline in business that threatened this jewel of a ski destination just a few short years ago. With $300 million invested to update the resort, they have focused on getting better not bigger. A focus on modernization and improving the experience brought the Kachina lift, the ski school, children’s area and a gorgeous luxury hotel, The Blake – which offers a European alpine feel throughout. They are also the first major ski resort to achieve the status of B Corporation, using their business to affect positive change to our environment while still fostering vibrant connections to their local communities. 

As much as I would love to go on and on about the winter, SUMMER IS COMING! 

So, please bear with me as I deviate a bit from my DIY renovations and real estate and let you in on why this destination should be on your bucket list for both winter and summer!

6 Days of Magic in Taos

A big landmark of this trip was E’s very first flight! I was so nervous, expecting it to be the worst thing ever, but it went so smoothly and she was the best little traveler – making friends up and down the aisles of the airplane and basically everywhere we went. I was able to cart her through the airport, for the most part, using the Go-Go Babyz Travelmate Car Seat Luggage Strap. This thing was awesome. I could just strap her in and off we zipped through the airport. No tantrums about walking “such a long way” or running late for flights. When I got to the gate, I checked the car seat and, voila! We were off and running.

We flew into Albuquerque, which is about 3 hours from our final destination – a cabin tucked away high up in the Taos Ski Valley. My mom and sister came to pick us up, but there were plenty of rental options available.

Day 1: Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

This was our first adventure – to walk along the rim of the enormous Rio Grande Gorge and peer into the depths from the bridge. The middle of May was pretty perfect – there were minimal crowds and the weather was nice and cool. This time of year is also perfect for all of the gorgeous lilac bushes and cottonwood trees!

First, we hiked along the rim for a bit. E was just coming off of a stomach bug, so she wasn’t at her best – we (my sister mainly) ended up being the “chosen one” to carry E along the path. This path is an easy hike, but it gives you a lot of opportunities to get right up to the ledge of the gorge – with no barriers. So, if you have small children who are prone to being reckless, use caution!

After we wrapped up our hike, we headed to the bridge. On our way, we ran into the three amigos – 3 bighorn rams just hanging out in the park. Their ladies were further down in the gorge, but it was so neat to see these guys up so close. One guy got a little too close for comfort, though. Remember – these are wild animals. If they feel threatened you could find yourself having a very bad day. Those horns are meant for head-butting and I don’t think your body is!

Day 2: Taos Plaza Fun

Venturing into the historic Taos Plaza made for the most magical day. The cottonwood is falling like snow in the middle of spring while the folksy music is playing all around you. It was straight out of a dream!

The first place on our itinerary for the day was Twirl, a completely free outdoor/indoor space for children to learn through creative play. I will let the pictures do most of the talking on this one, but I’m sure you can imagine E’s joy!

Most of our day was spent here, but once hunger set in, we didn’t have far to go. Right next door was the Alley Cantina, Taos’ oldest surviving building. Built in the 16th century by the Pueblo Indians, it served as an outpost along the Chihuahua Trail. It was later occupied by the Spanish government for a time before eventually becoming the office of the first US Territorial Governor of New Mexico – Governor Bent. There are rumors that Gov. Bent’s daughter haunts this homey restaurant’s halls, but I didn’t get the chance to meet her.

The patio experience, though, was out of this world.

We wrapped up this day with a huge meltdown on a playground, but that’s what 3 is all about sometimes, right?

Day 3: Fly Fishing the Canyons

This was a day I got to experience on my own while my sister watched little one. I love to fish, but having just renewed my spark for it, I still need a lot of guidance! I am especially new to fly fishing, but absolutely love it. It is so engaging and always keeps you unraveling the mystery of the fish just beneath the surface.

I booked a half day with the Taos Fly Shop and one of their well-versed guides took me out to some small streams and rivers just outside of Eagle’s Nest – mainly the Cimarron River. Here, there are multiple species of trout – rainbow, brown, cutthroat, brook and cutbow. It is a catch and release area that provides a really fun, more technical approach to fly fishing due to the constrictions of the surrounding brush and debris in the river.

The fish we caught were fairly small, but it was so calming being surrounded by all of the natural scenery, listening to the river bubble all around you. Plus, the education I received was invaluable and I can apply it to the rivers right here in South Texas!

By the way, if you are a woman who is into wade fishing at all – you need to check out these sweet waders. They have out performed the ones my dad purchased at Bass Pro and (bonus!) they come in a nicer color. 🙂

Day 4: Warm Up Hike at Williams Lake

If you want to go from summer to winter in the same day, just head up the mountain. A hike at 10,191 feet certainly might not be most people’s choice for a warm up hike, but I wanted to acclimate myself to the elevation a bit more before attempting the following day’s activities (spoiler alert – llamas!!). Plus, I promised E we could see some snow and we were for sure not disappointed.

Our trek started out hesitantly. E didn’t really care for the idea of walking in the cold, so I brought out my bag of tricks extra preparations. I dressed her exactly as I would have for skiing – warm underwear first, jeans next, snowsuit third. Big fluffy socks were under her snow boots. Long underwear, a sweater and her big snow jacket were on top with hat and mittens to top the whole ensemble off. Sunglasses on, and she was ready to roll. She still asked to be carried probably at least 1/2 mile of the 2 mile trip. We did not make it the entire 3.7 miles (nor was I expecting to), but we really had a fun day.

The way up was slow and accomplished through a strategic incentive plan (goldfish). We stopped frequently to examine the very fresh bear prints and stripped branches from where the bears had eaten some of the sap and communicated with the other bears in the area. I made sure we made plenty of noise and kept my eyes peeled the entire hike – we were in their house.

The way down, though, was way more fun. We rolled down a lot of the mountain and when it got slippery, we ran and thoroughly enjoyed falling down into the snow multiple times. On our way down, she didn’t want to be carried until we got to the ski valley roads again! Exhausted, we enjoyed a low key evening at the mountain cabin.

Day 5: LLAMA HIKE!

E’s words: Best. Day. Ever.

Stuart from Wild Earth Llama Adventures met us around 10:30 up in the Columbine Canyon near Questa, NM. We were immediately greeted with the sight of a small herd of llamas gathering strength before their 5 mile hike up into the canyon.

Stuart set out to make E feel comfortable and included right away. As a parent introducing my child to outdoor adventures at the tender age of 3, this goes so far.

He introduced her to her new friend for the day, Picchu, telling her she was responsible for him. Her face says it all – she was so proud of her new responsibility!

After the other guests arrived, he quickly gave us a run down of the rules and safety guidelines. Then, we headed out – Picchu and the other llamas carrying our lunch and gear and me carrying E.
For five miles.
Up into a canyon.

My legs being on fire was a small price to pay for the best day ever. We hiked up to a meadow and Stuart prepared a delicious lunch – teaching us about the wild herbs that grow on the mountainside. Freshly picked parsley and oregano were sampled and sprinkled on top of our vegetables.

Once lunch was wrapped up, we headed back down – but not before stopping over at an abandoned mine shaft from the New Mexico gold rush. Stuart told us the engaging story of the miners in the area as we gazed into the dark abyss of the 1,500 foot shaft.

Then, we entered and wandered about 300 feet in to test the acoustics. It was the neatest thing and I am so proud of E for jumping into the darkness with me!

Once safely back in her pack, we gathered the llamas and wrapped up the hike down to the campground. E said goodbye to Picchu (sadly) and we drove back to Taos, determined to take E out on more hikes here in Texas. I decided on this child carrying hiking backpack so we can keep up our hiking adventures. It is lightweight, comfortable and has a visor for her, since we are pretty prone to sunburns in this family. We wrapped up the day back in Taos , enjoying a warm and inviting dinner at Common Fire.

I could go on and on about Common Fire! The food was spectacular, but for me the best part was how welcome they made us feel. They treated us like family, even leading E to get some toys from their back room.

Armed with a great glass of wine and a phenomenal flat bread pizza, we relaxed after our hard day’s hike and felt like we fit right in.

Day 6: Santa Fe

And MEOW WOLF!

This interactive art exhibit slash mystery house was so incredible, I decided to dedicate an entire post just to it. I have never in my entire life experienced something like this!

The lines between reality and imagination are blurred as it takes you through an unsolved mystery room by room and dimension by dimension.

I could not get E out of here!

Once we finally did pry her away, we dodged the winter storm that was heading in and ran into a place called The Pantry. All day breakfast was the perfect solution for sleet and cold temperatures, so we supplied E with a Mickey Mouse pancake and some milk and set upon our own meals. I had stuffed french toast with a blueberry compote, and it left me perfectly happy until we finally made it back to Taos in the evening. As we were winding up the mountain, we saw that we were in for a surprise! Old Man Winter had come back to visit and the entire Ski Valley was covered in a beautiful, clean blanket of snow. We had gone from summer to winter in a single day.

Flying back to Texas the following day, took me back from winter to Texas summer in a day as well. I can tell you that I’ll take Taos Summertime over Texas Summertime any day!

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