Colorado to New Mexico … Travel Day

Wednesday, 8 July 2015
Santa Fe Skies RV Park — Santa Fe, New Mexico
Temps: Hi 80F (27C) / Lo 52F (11C)

Colorado to New Mexico — a new-to-us state … with or without the Phaeton.  We drove through New Mexico on the way to our month-long stay in Colorado Springs, but since we didn’t overnight, that passage doesn’t count in my book.

Our 342-mile (547 km) travel day brought us from Colorado Springs to Santa Fe.  I know, I know … that’s longer than what most of you like to drive on a travel day.  It’s a little more than what we prefer to drive as well, but it really was an easy one … a straight shot down I-25 South; with only one “real” pass — the Raton Pass — just before entering NM.  I even managed to wrest the wheel from Mui for a while and drove 60 miles (96 km) from one rest area to the next ;-)

To be honest, I much prefer being a passenger — in any vehicle, not just the Phaeton.  You see, I simply do not like driving.  But I want to feel comfortable driving the coach in the event of an emergency, or simply to give Mui a break on longer driving-days.  To do that, I need to sit in the Phaeton’s pilot seat every once in a while.  It’s been two years since I last drove our condo on wheels, so today’s drive was long overdue — and earned me the “60-mile woman” moniker from Mui.  A few more straight-shot drives, and I’ll be ready for something more challenging … like driving on curvy roads ;-)

OK, so the map doesn’t show a straight shot, but it was an easy drive today.
The inset shows our summer travels to date … we’re at the point beneath the “T” in United.

Travel days tend not to be too exciting.  In fact, we want them to be that way — exciting equates to challenging when on the road.  We left the USAFA famcamp in Colorado Springs at 7:30a as planned, and with a few stops en route, pulled into the Santa Fe Skies RV Park about seven hours later.  By 3:15p, we were settled into our site, and Mui was off to pick up a few groceries from Walmart.  On our way to Santa Fe, we saw storm clouds dumping on the area.  The gravel roads at the RV park were dry, but Mui reported when he returned from his shopping trip that the roads elsewhere on the outskirts of downtown Santa Fe were quite wet.  As long as the wet stuff stays away from us, I’m all for rain ;-)

We're assigned site Y-A ... “Y” meaning we’re on the Yucca Loop.

I have to admit that my first impression of Santa Fe Skies was mixed.  While we found site Y-A (50 Amp FHU) to be plenty spacious, it is on a slight rise and we had to park as close to the concrete patio as possible to get level.  The layout of the loop seemed rather helter-skelter, too.  Looking at the nearby sites, we felt like we’d been assigned to the “resident” loop — you know what I mean.

Site Y-A is on a slight rise, with a spacious concrete patio.

But the place has grown on me since.  I especially like that the site is elevated, giving us a wide view of the expansive open range with mountains in the distance.  Another advantage … plenty of space between us and our closest neighbors.  The $38.74/nite rate (Good Sam rate before taxes) is on the pricey side, but our decision to come to Santa Fe last minute left us with few choices for a stay over a busy summer weekend on which the International Folk Art Market is being hosted by the city.  That said, the monthly rates aren’t too bad for a place on the outskirts of the state’s artsy capital; we would definitely keep it in the running for a long-term stay in the Santa Fe area.

[Disclaimer: photos taken on 9 July; the sun sets behind us, so photos of the site weren’t possible today.  But this does mean we get the shade in the late afternoon; so no complaints.]

A closer look at site Y-A.  Even as close as we parked to the concrete patio to get
level, we still have plenty of room.  The top of the picnic table was cracked,
with big dents in it, but when we advised the office, it was replaced immediately.

At the end of the 3/4-mile (1.2 km) perimeter walking trail is a collection of “antiques.”

Our wildlife welcoming committee — there are plenty of cottontail rabbits scampering about.

Mui returned from his fresh-produce replenishment trip with a pizza from Pizza Hut.  A couple of beers; a cool patio with a view … a great way to wrap up our day.  And … this being a travel day and all, no dishes to wash since we ate straight out of the box ;-)

Haven’t gotten takeout pizza in ages — it was over-salted, but we
overlooked that as we enjoyed al fresco dining on our patio.

Not sure what we will be doing while we’re in Santa Fe.  We have four days here before we move on.  Our stop here is a filler between longer, planned stays.  We’ll just play it by ear, likely staying in the immediate vicinity rather than wandering too far off.

© 2004-2015 Two to Travel's Phaeton Journeys.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by ERIN ERKUN.