6:30 AM wake up due to a combination of a loud garbage truck, excitement, and a attention needing puppy dog. We started the day with a quick puppy walk to the little park up the street and with some free coffee in the hotel. We put Dakota back in the room with a big raw hide to keep her occupied, ran to the Starbucks up the street for a quick breakfast, and then took off to Ski Santa Fe! Reading online, time estimates to get from Santa Fe to the mountain for skiing are all over the place, so to set the record, it takes about 35 minutes. The path is winding up various mountain sides and all signal is lost almost immediately. The drive is very scenic and packed with look out points and trail heads for hiking.
We arrived at the ski center around 8 AM and got a primo parking spot right out front. The gear rental process was very streamlined and easy and the rentals ($32 per day) / lift tickets ($74 per day) are very reasonable. We got ready and headed to the slopes. There was no line for any of the lifts at all during our entire two days on the mountain. The runs are wide and really long so going from top to bottom took a nice amount of time. Being somewhat beginner skiers, we stuck to the green runs for the first hour but the blues were not intimidating looking at all so we adventured to them on the second half of the day. The skiing was just amazing and, even though the snow was a little icy and slushy, we had a blast.
There is also a little “Adventure Land” adventure park off one of the slopes in Ski Santa Fe. You ski into the forest a little way and there is a little “bear cave” made out of boulders, a tunnel to ski through, a teepee, and a few jumps which I was able to land! Really cool and good for both beginners and intermediates.
About halfway down the mountain, there is a “spiked” coffee shop and grill where you can have a customized coffee or hot coco with some Bailey’s and lunch. I had a ham and cheese Quiche and Ryan had a burrito – both seemed to be made by Chef Mic (aka the microwave). I brought a Quest bar and opted for that instead.
We skied for a little bit longer before the exhaustion of the late night drive / early morning kicked in. We skied back down to the Prius and took a hydration and 15 minute nap break in the back of the car. I have to say, I love the Pruis. SO comfortable and gas efficient! We hung out in the car for about 30 minutes enjoying the breeze and the view before putting the skis in the back and driving down the mountain to our hotel for a shower and a nap.
I woke up a little before Ryan so I harnessed up Dakota and we took off on a walk around town. She just happens to be a super cute dog and so we had to stop about every 5 paces for someone else to pet her! We walked up to the main square where lots of locals set out their goods for purchase. There was also a band playing by the fountain in the middle of the square and the 60 degree, sunny weather was just the icing on the perfect-walk cake! We made our way back to the hotel and I swapped out Dakota for Ryan as my exploring buddy. We went into some of the shops around the square, a few galleries, and grabbed a delicious latte at the Haagen-Dazs store before making the 7 block walk to our highly recommended local dinner spot.
Santa Fe is known for its green and red chilies which they mostly use on top of Mexican styled dishes. We opted to try them out at Tomasita’s restaurant which is supposed to be where all the locals go. It did not disappoint! The place was packed and so we busied ourselves drinking some absolutely delicious margaritas and making friends at the bar during our 45 minute wait. I do have to say, the people in Santa Fe are so friendly and fun!
We were sat at a table in the back and didn’t have to salivate long over the menu before ordering a tamale and enchilada plate that incorporated both styles of chilies. Our dinner also came with puffy sopapillas and honey butter which were delicious. Needless to say, we were stuffed by the end of our dining experience, and headed straight back to the hotel with our food babies to hit the sheets.
The Impatient Traveler 