Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe was the trip to close out the year of travel 2017. This trip we decided to drive from Denver because the trip is a little over 5 hours and it is a wonderful drive. We went I-25 south through Colorado Springs, through Pueblo and over the Raton Pass (7,834ft) into New Mexico. We stayed in Santa Fe in a very nice hotel next to the Plaza area. At night we enjoyed the wonderful dining in the plaza area and during the day we toured art museums including Meow Wolf.
For the return trip to Denver we decided to go through Taos, and made a stop at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. The bridge is 565ft above the Rio Grande river and is the 7th highest bridge in the United States. As an aside I have been over the Royal Gorge Bridge, highest bridge in the country, and the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, the 2nd highest bridge in the country. The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge was great and a little spooky because of its’ height above the river below. I was pleased to see emergency call boxes located on the bridge for people who contemplate ending their life, I sincerely hope people use it if they need it.
Originally we had planned on staying our last night in Taos but we decided to drive on and find something else. We ended up staying in Pueblo and Pueblo was a pleasant surprise.