My husband and I recently traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico – our first trip together just the two of us since our honeymoon in 2018! And when I say we went to Albuquerque, we made Albuquerque our home base, but we drove all around the state in the five days we were there and even crossed the boarder into Arizona.
When our flight landed in Albuquerque on Thursday, we picked up our Turo rental car from the lovely Raquel, and checked into our Airbnb (The Enchanted Sage) near the Laurelwoods and West Mesa neighborhoods. After a getting settled in and taking a little siesta, we went to the River of Lights holiday display at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden.
It was an impressive display, and while it was definitely geared a bit towards families with kids, we enjoyed walking through the lights and felt it was a festive welcome to our time in the Southwest. We also popped into the aquarium on our way out and watched sharks and stingrays swimming right in front of us for probably about 20 minutes. I was totally mesmerized.
The next morning we got up around 4:00am and took Route 66 west to Gallup, NM to watch the mass ascension of hot air balloons at the 40th annual Red Rock Balloon Rally. It was definitely worth it for these views:
It was less of a touristy event, and seemed more for the actual balloonists themselves, but hiking through Red Rock State Park surrounded by hot air balloons was a truly magical experience. We sadly did not get the balloon ride I was hoping for, but there were very few spectators and event attendees aside from the balloonists, so we were just glad to be able to see the vibrant balloons floating all around us.
We hiked for a couple of hours and slowly the balloons started to land. It looked like they were coming down to break for lunch, and we were starting to get hungry too, so we headed into Gallup and stopped for a bite to eat at Fratelli’s Bistro.
Gallup is only about 20 miles from the Arizona boarder and Scott had never been, so we knew we had to make the drive. Raquel, our Turo host, had given us a National Park tag to use for the week, so we decided to spend the rest of the day at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.
There were so many miles of park to explore. They said you can drive the whole park in about an hour if you make minimal stops, but we spent around three hours exploring and ended up stopping at around half of the trails and overlooks. After several hours of exploring, I was feeling exhausted and out of breath which I think was partially due to a mild case of altitude sickness, so we called it a day and hopped back on Route 66 to Albuquerque.
The next morning, we enjoyed sleeping in late. Once we were feeling fully rested, we made our way to Tia B’s La Waffleria. I highly recommend spending your Saturday sleeping in, finding a cute Waffleria, and fueling up with berry lavender waffles. Would you believe me if I said I ate the whole plate? I was pretty darn close.
Scott rolled me to the car, and then we drove to the base of the Sandia Mountains to ride the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top. This was an incredible experience, although totally terrifying if you’re not a fan of heights (like me). Crazily enough, just a week or two after we rode it, the tramway got stuck and more than 20 people had to be rescued by helicopter!
At the top, we walked along the crest for about a mile or so to the Kiwanis Cabin, and were surprised to see snow on the ground! Didn’t we head south to escape the snow for the winter?
Thankfully, we didn’t get too cold and we made it safely back to the ground. We then made a last minute decision to go to El Pinto for dinner, which was a great decision if I must say so myself.
The photos really don’t do it justice. The patio was actually so magical, with plants all around and even a black cat wandering the space and saying hello to guests! And the food was so good, I forgot to take a picture until it was already halfway gone! With full bellies and tired legs, we went back to our Airbnb and enjoyed a cozy night in for the rest of the evening.
On day four, our second to last day, we drove north to Jemez Springs to explore some natural hot springs. There were a few in the area but some required long hikes to reach, so we opted for Spence Hot Springs. It still required a short hike on an unmarked trail to get to the springs, but was easy enough to find, and totally worth it. There were a couple of different pools of varying temperatures and even a steamy hidden cave that we sat in for a while. We chatted with a couple of travel nurses who were out exploring and enjoying their weekend, but it really wasn’t very busy otherwise.
After a nice relaxing soak, we hiked back to the car and drove to Santa Fe. We went downtown and explored lots of cute little shops for a while. Okay, so maybe I shopped and Scott just tagged along, but we found some fun souvenirs and treats to bring home for family and friends.
As with every vacation, the days flew by and before we knew it, it was our last day in Albuquerque. We brought the trip full circle by spending the morning at the ABQ BioPark Zoo looking at the animals. We were impressed by the zoo’s upkeep and the variety of animals that were there. A tiger roared for us as it paced its enclosure, penguins swam overhead and underfoot in the Penguin Chill exhibit, and we even watched a baby hippo play with mom and dad in their family’s little pond.
After the zoo, we went to Sawmill Market for lunch. Sawmill Market is a collection of restaurants and bars under one roof (more or less an upscale food court!), to allow everyone in your crew to find something they love no matter their mood. I opted for Hawt Pizza Co. (don’t sleep on the Lavender Lemonade!) and Scott had a burger from Dr Field Goods. Sadly we were there too early in the day for the adorable Botanic Bar to be open, but hopefully next time!
After lunch, we met up with Raquel to drop off the rental car, and then it was time to head back to Wisco. It’s always bittersweet when a vacation comes to an end, but we’re both grateful to have had the chance to visit New Mexico and Arizona and experience the welcoming Southwest culture and beautiful desert scenery. Can’t wait for our next adventure!
Exploren with Lauren 