Bandelier National Monument is a Gem

Rinar worked all morning, but he was home by 11am. It was perfect timing because Eli was just waking up from a very long morning nap. Everybody is happy when the baby gets a long nap. Then we were ready to go and we hit the road for Santa Fe and all of the surrounding areas. We didn't know what we would find, but we were ready for the adventure.

On the way, Rinar and I got into a discussion about hot air balloons and what they actually cost to own. I was thinking $10,000 - $20,000, but Rinar said $250,000. That made me up my guess to $50,000. Then I told him his guess was completely ridiculous because a Lambroghini costs that much and a balloon is just fabric and a basket and some sandbags, basically. I had to look it up and see who was right. Luckily Rinar has a Blackberry, so I was able to have instant satisfaction with his internet connection. For the record, a commercial made balloon costs $20,000-$30,000. Plus, if you put a business banner on the side, it would probably lower your cost by about 10-20%.



But I digress.


Santa Fe was okay. We ate lunch at a little place called the Atomic Cafe. It was really good and I had a classic enchilada dish with the famous New Mexico red chile sauce. It was delicious.




Afterwards, I went and looked in some shops. If you love jewelry, especially Southwestern style, this is the place to go. Of every store, approximately 60% were jewelry shows. It was really crowded and pretty much the same store over and over. We didn't stay very long because we didn't want the meter to run out and get a parking ticket. But when we got back to the car a ticket was waiting to greet us. We had enough time left, but apparently Rinar had double-parked. Sound familiar Melanie? $27. The lines for the parking spot were practically invisible and it really ticks me off and I should fight it, but I am not going to. It will probably just drive me more crazy than I am willing to go.




We got out of there quick and then headed north. Luckily my obsession with getting stamps in my National Parks Passport led us to an amazing find... Bandelier National Monument. This place is AWESOME. It has pueblo remains, a beautiful trail that is very easy to just a little bit challenging to navigate, and beautiful foliage. There were lots of hardwoods, classic cactuses, and wildflowers. It smelled a little smokey, piney, and fresh. You can climb up ladders to look in some of the pueblo dwellings stacked up on the side of the canyon wall. It was so relaxing and rewarding. We just loved it.


If you are ever in Santa Fe, take a little drive to this place. You won't be disappointed. Bandelier is near Los Alamos so we drove through the town on the way home and it is a very pretty little city. I think I would love to live there, but I know that will never happen.