Our trip to New Mexico, WHO KNEW?

We took our first trip to New Mexico, Angel Fire to be exact, a week or so ago.  The cabin we stayed in was a lovely log cabin with a loft.  Very comfortable.

And yes, that is snow on the ground.  We had over 4 inches of snow on the way up to Angel Fire, and while there it snowed the first night.  It melted during the warmth of the day, though.  The weather was quite cool overnight with the daytime temps in the 60's and 70's--very spring-like and comfortable.

Angel Fire is at about 8500 feet, with surrounding mountains achieving over 10,000 feet; snow was on the higher elevations continuously.  There were breathtaking views in every direction.  One day trip took us to the Rio Grande Gorge, with a view from the bridge that was heady, to say the least. 

The city of Taos was fun, with wonderful restaurants and numerous art galleries.  (And a couple of fabric shops with quilting, silk fabrics and hand-dyed silk ribbon)

Another day trip took us to the city of Raton, where we discovered an extinct VOLCANO (WHO KNEW???) in the nearby burb of Capulin, wisely named the Capulin Volcano!  The trip up to the top of the volcano was nail-biting, with me driving and definitely NOT looking down over the side of the road where there were NO roadside rail guards. 

We bravely walked the tiny paved trail to the top of the volcano rim (with several breathing breaks!) and the view was truly spectacular, you could see for miles.  The volcano erupted about 56,000 years ago and volcanic rocks are visible all along the highway leading to the volcano.

Wildlife was plentiful everywhere you looked in northeastern New Mexico.   We had mule deer feeding on the grass in the front and back of the cabin almost every day, and a resident bunny was also observed.

On the Enchanted Circle drive, we observed mountain sheep

and also saw prong horn antelope (more difficult to photograph from the moving car) when we drove to Raton.    It was almost like going to the zoo.  All the animals we saw were completely nonchalant and just looked at us curiously as we drove by.  Definitely not like our local Oklahoma wildlife.  Our trip came to an end, as all vacations do, but we plan to return to the area again, or perhaps stay at Santa Fe next time to take in some of the sights around there.