Taos/Angel Fire, New Mexico – More Mountain Roads!

We are on the move again to Angel Fire, a northern New Mexico resort area after a very nice nine day stay in Santa Fe. Our RV resort is located in Angel Fire, New Mexico (pop 1,000 at 8,400 elevation!) that is about 30 minutes east of Taos, New Mexico. The tricky part is that we have a direct route via a narrow and twisty two lane road that is a 100 mile relocation. To make it even trickier is that snow and a frozen mix was in the weather forecast. Uh oh…

The Relocation

That combination of mountain roads plus bad weather did not sound good to this conservative accountant. So, after some research and discussion with others who have made the route, I opted for the longer 200 mile drive. It is mostly by interstate with only about 40 miles of the twisty roads from Cimarron to Eagles Nest.

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It was a rather long relocation day for us at four hours with the last 40 miles the narrow two lane twisties at about 15-20 MPH. I don’t worry at all about traffic backing up behind me, but focus entirely on the tight corners and making sure to swing wide enough that a trailer tire does not drop off the side on right hand turns.

We safely arrived at about 1:30pm and I made all the set up connections in a fierce blowing rain and snow mixture. The temp was about 25 with wind chill factored in. The coldest that we have ever been since we began this journey two years ago. Gotta love this life!

Angel Fire RV Resort

Our good RVing friends, the Roseberrys, found this place and suggested we stay at the Angel Fire Luxury RV Resort to begin our month long travels together. After arriving in a blizzard of sorts, I wasn’t sure if our northbound timing might have been a little off. One of our travel goals is to stay in 70-80 climates by moving north or south at the correct times of year. The good news is the weather became much better during our week here.

Okay, on to the RV resort. This one ranks right up near the top of any that we have stayed. Maybe at the top or at least second place. It is only 2-3 years old. The interior roads are all paved and each site in concrete with a concrete patio and a picnic table. The landscaping is incredible. And at just over $500 for the week, was also one of the most expensive.

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They have an activities director (Sally), who plans 4-5 things to do per day. Some activities are pickleball (I love), putting greens, horseshoes, free ice cream, and special dinners with music.

I played pickleball a couple of times with park work campers Richard and Debra. They were very good and as part of their duties is to play pickleball with the guests. Nice gig!

The clubhouse reminds me of a 5-star hotel crossed with a ski lodge. Many fireplaces, lounge chairs, game tables, and a ping pong table. They also have a large hot tub, laundry, and provide free access to the country club.

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One of the best features is the panoramic view of the mountains from this valley retreat. Including a couple of 13k foot snow covered peaks. Majestic!

Taos and Angel Fire, New Mexico

My brother-in-law Mike and his wife Lorna also made the move over the Angel Fire Lodge so that we could continue exploring the area. It is great to be able to hang out with family. Our first night, we went to the Pizza Stop, one of the few restaurants open this early in the season. Imagine an older, rustic building, with old wooden floors that creaked. The booths were large enough for 6-8 people and were also well worn in. All adding to the ski town ambience.

The pizza and beer were tasty and the well worn place definitely had a ski town feel to it, including 2-3 inches of snow on the ground! The large, thick crust was the perfect size for the four of us and we each selected one topping.

The next day, we drove over to Taos (pop 6,000 and at 7,000 ft elevation) to check out the art galleries. There are literally hundreds of galleries and all within walking distance. I could spend all day browsing these places. Unfortunately, the cold sleet followed us making the walking around part not so pleasant. We had a nice lunch at Lamberts in Taos and then came back to the base camp.

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The Enchanted Circle

The following day, Wednesday, we all decided to drive the entire “Enchanted Circle,” including the Rio Grande Gorge. This drive may have been the highlight of our stay here. And Mike and Lorna’s last day before heading back to Plano. The snow capped mountains, wide open mountain valleys, aspen trees mixed with pines, and the quaint little villages (Red River) to get out of the car and stretch our legs.

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We packed a lunch and found a fantastic little place to enjoy it. A rustic campground next to a stream nestled between some mountains. Followed by a hike down by a lake that was actually roped off due to flooding concerns.

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The 83 mile loop drive was all mountain roads that had their share of twisties and was centered around Wheeler Peak at 13,159 feet, the highest point in the state. Just some incredible views!

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Rio Grande Gorge

Nearing the end of our drive was the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge located along US Hwy 64 a major east-west route. At 650 feet above the Rio Grande, it is the fifth highest bridge in the United States. The span is 1,280 feet; two 300-foot-long approach spans with a 600-foot-long main center span.

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The views down into the gorge are quite amazing and kind of spooky. Who would have thought this mountain region would also have something like the Grand Canyon?

Calvin and Sue Roseberry

Three days into our stay, our good friends Cal and Sue arrived along with their two sweet little dogs. They are in the RV spot right next door. Cal was an accountant before retiring, is originally from Virginia and they have a large Bighorn coach similar to ours. Some things in common. We met them in Destin Florida in Nov. 2017 and have been meeting up with them when we can since then.

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Goodbye For Now

Saying our goodbyes to Mike and Lorna on Wednesday is always difficult. Their travel day was the next day, on Thursday. For our last evening together, we dined at Zebs, a casual place in Angel Fire. Three of us had their margaritas, while Mike had a beer. Kind of a celebration of our time together.

It was really great that they drove the 10 hours to spend some time with us. We have enjoyed their company for about 45 years now, starting out by tent camping at Shakamak State Park (in Indiana) and also to the Rockies and Tetons. During my working years, we would see them just at infrequent family reunions.

That’s all for now! Thanks for following along. Make sure to subscribe to receive an email for all future updates. Our next relocation is to a remote mountain town called La Veta, Colorado right next to the Spanish Peaks on southeast Colorado.