300 Days of Sunshine

We were looking for a new area to hike outside of Santa Fe this past weekend, so our friends brought us to the Jemez mountains.   Our morning started off with breakfast burritos from Santa Fe Baking Company followed by a lovely, scenic drive to Los Alamos.  Kua and her new friend, Osa, could hardly contain their excitement as we ventured toward the mountains.    I had never been to Los Alamos and I enjoyed riding past the laboratories on our way to the trails.   It turned out that our first planned hike was part of Bandelier National Monument, and therefore No Dogs Allowed.   Well, the dogs were even more excited to hike than we were, so we had to make a Plan B.   We decided to hike Las Campanas. This was a relaxing hike that followed the Jemez River.   The trail was surrounded by massive, green pine trees and outdoor rock climbing routes.   Kua didn’t know what to think of the water, but Osa was having the time of her life!   When the trail ended, we hiked

My mom and sister flew in from Minneapolis and New Orleans to visit me for Easter Weekend.   I was so excited for them to come see my city for the first time.   I think that hosting guests and showing them the highlights of Santa Fe makes it feel more like home to me.   We had a busy few days and I think they were able to get a good taste of this amazing city! Mom and Katie were both eager to experience Santa Fe hiking that I talk so much about.   Our first hike was Atalaya.   I chose this hike because it would be challenging but not too long and would provide spectacular views of the city.   It was hotter than we thought it would be that day – we didn’t even need jackets or shoe chains – and the hike was more difficult than I remembered, but we made it to the top and felt very accomplished as we picnicked at the peak.   View from the Atalaya summit Our second hike was Borrego/Bear Wallows.   We were looking for a less challenging hike that would allow my sister to do some trail r