Timeless Journeys

Timeless Journeys with Sage The Land of Enchantment: Santa Fe – Part I by Kimberly “Sage” Pridemore

Welcome to Infinity Magazine’s exciting adventure feature, “Timeless Journeys with Sage.” Sage has been with the Infinity team for several years, her wisdom, knowledge and experience makes her a perfect fit as Infinity’s Travel Editor for this special feature.

Each issue will be a wonderful adventure with Sage as she travels to amazing destinations. Sage will share her travels with helpful tips, interesting facts about her fun filled and relaxing get-aways!

The Land of Enchantment ~ Santa Fe, New Mexico. Part 1 (series of 3 trips)

2019 was a very special year for me in regards to traveling.

I had the amazing opportunity to explore Zen moments in many amazing places. A road trip to west Texas’ Big Bend and Marfa started the journey. Three trips to Santa Fe - and each uniquely different. I have fond memories of trips to NYC, Ft. Lauderdale, South Padre Island, Washington State, and the coast of Oregon. The highlight of the year was an Alaskan Cruise.

The year 2020 has been extremely different. Ray and I, however, truly enjoyed the “down” time and created new ways to experience and enjoy travel.

I am going to share our first trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico in August of 2019. It was filled with such cool experiences. Ray, my son Ari, and son-in-law David and I, made this trip together. It even sparked Ari and David to make a move to New Mexico in October of 2019. My son is a bit like his mother: a gypsy soul.

We flew into Albuquerque and rented an SUV. We

choose to drive the scenic route, the Turquoise Trail. The Turquoise Trail in New Mexico is a picturesque highway linking Albuquerque and Santa Fe though rolling hills with mountain views and historic mining towns.

Tips for enjoying the Turquoise Trail:

• Gas up. There are no gas stations along the rural parts of the trail

• Plan to stop in Madrid to eat - You won’t regret it

• Allow a half-day, if you are driving with just a few stops in mind, or a full day, if you’re going to enjoy exploring the historic towns.

We decided to take in the scenery and enjoy lunch and shopping in Madrid. Once a coal mining town, Madrid’s streets are lined with former miner’s homes now converted into shops and galleries. Our choice for lunch was an adorable and delicious restaurant called, The Hollar. We sat outside and enjoyed the cool mountain air and some great food. Between the four of us, we sampled a variety of great dishes. We enjoyed the house specialty of Fried Green Tomatoes: green tomatoes battered and fried served with a lavender béchamel sauce. We also ordered the chili Rellenos, a Nicoise Salad and Seared Ahi Tuna served with fruit and wasabi mayo. After lunch we strolled the streets of Madrid for shopping and sightseeing.

We rented a fantastic house in Eldorado, located just south of downtown Santa Fe, near the base of the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The amenities included a great kitchen, outdoor space and the privacy of country living, while still being quite close to all the activities we planned for our stay.

Over the course of the week, we enjoyed horseback riding, the Santa Fe Opera and a road trip to Taos. Ari arranged for us to go horseback riding and it was a blast. I would highly recommend it if you decide to make a trip. We went with a company called Vision Quest and the owner, and our guide, is amazing. Joaquin Gonzales is a professional horseman and stuntman/actor with over thirty years of experience. We enjoyed a two hour private ride that exceeded our expectations. For more information: visionquesthorsebackrides.com

The Santa Fe Opera House is a world-renowned venue that plays host to a variety of operas each summer. The venue itself is an open-air theater surrounded by both the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountain ranges, which means it offers some gorgeous views. Ari and I have been going to the Opera since he was a little boy. In fact he sat through a 3 1/2 hour production of Faust at five years old and was more attentive than most adults. David and Ari treated us to a performance of La Boheme. And this was Rays very first Opera. What a spectacular place to view your first performance. The show was breathtaking, right along with the sunset and scenery. For more information: santafeopera.org

Next was our day trip to Taos. We decided to take the High Road to Taos and return to Santa Fe along the scenic Low Road (Approximately 165 miles roundtrip).

Our first stop was Chimayo, a small village located 25 miles north of Santa Fe. This quaint northern New Mexico town is also the home of the famous Santuario De Chimayo (a National Historic Landmark). Built between 1814-16, the church remains a pilgrimage destination for devoted Christians each Holy Week. And many attribute the red clay of the Santuario with miraculous powers of healing. There is a local bakery in the village and we grabbed some Mexican coffee and little apple pies and biscochito cookies. Delicious! The High Road to Taos reminds you of Old Spain, still evident in the religion, architecture, history and people along the route. The drive also included 30 scenic miles through Carson National Forest.

After arriving to Taos, we took a walk through the historic Towne Square as well as an authentic New Mexican lunch. After lunch, we visited the Taos Pueblo, a living Native American community. We chose to take our time in this special place and not go on a guided tour. It was amazing feeling the energy

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throughout the village. The Pueblo is made entirely of adobe. Approximately 150 people live within the Pueblo full time. For more information on the Pueblo: www.taospueble.com

Returning from Taos we traveled The Low Road (NM 68) along the Rio Grande for part of the journey. Traveling the Low Road you can experience New Mexico’s northern wine & distillery trail. This is also a fruit-growing area and roadside stands offer the season’s freshest produce. On our way back to Santa Fe, we saw plenty of kayaks on the Rio Grande and made a note about having to enjoy that at a later date.

Two of my favorite dinning experiences are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Compound restaurant, is a formal, fine dining establishment (www. compoundrestaurant.com) and Shake Foundation, is a vintage-style hamburger stand with picnic tables (shakefoundation.com).

The Compound is located in the Canyon Road art gallery district. Ray and I treated ourselves and the boys. It is an elegant restaurant with excellent service and divine food. First courses included: a Summer Sweet Corn Soup served with Crabmeat-Coleslaw, Tuscan Lettuce Salad with candied walnuts, breakfast raids and danish blue Cheese Creme Fraiche Dressing. Our entrees were an Alaskan Halibut with corn succotash and lobster bisque and Main Lobster tails with Bucatini Pasta. Amazingly, we had room for dessert. We shared the Compound Classic Dark Chocolate Opera cake with Espresso Mousse and Espresso Sorbet and the Big Cherry Tart with Pistachio Ice Cream. Magnificent!

The Shake Foundation is vintage-style walk up hamburger stand. Their motto is “Dedicated to the Preservation of the Original Green Chili Cheeseburger. We, of course, all ordered Green Chili Cheeseburgers and fries. Also on the menu is a Fried Oyster Sandwich, New Mexico Shepherd’s Lamb Burger and Green Chili Stew! We also enjoyed their famous shakes. The flavors change daily, ranging from the standard vanilla and chocolate, to lavender and salted caramel.

I cannot end this journey without mentioning one of my favorite places in Santa Fe, Kakawa Chocolate House. (www.kakawachocolates.com) This is a stop I make on every trip! Kakawa is a specialty chocolate company whose passion is historic chocolate elixirs. This includes traditional Pre-Columbian, Mesoamerican, Mayan and Aztec elixirs. Their oneof-a-kind creations include truffles, agave caramels, solid dark chocolates and delicious homemade ice cream. My favorite mid-afternoon pick-me-up is called the Mayan, which is brimming with herbs, flowers, nuts, spices and chili. Add a couple pieces of specialty chocolates and you’ll be energized for shopping at Historic Santa Fe Plaza. Don’t forget to pick up some piñon coffee, southwestern blankets and a special piece of turquoise jewelry.

More on the Plaza and shopping in series two.

My Zen moments were our quiet evenings together as a family in our adobe AirBnB, enjoying David’s cooking and fine conversation, our time at Taos Pueblo.

Stay tuned to my “Sisters” getaway weekend to Santa Fe in the next Infinity Health Magazine issue.

Blessings and Gratitude,

Sage

About the Author: Sage Woman is an Intuitive and Spiritual Life Coach. Contact her to schedule an individual session with her. Her passion is to assist you in empowering and co-creating the life you desire with tools and practical applications along with intuitive messages to guide your journey. For more information, contact her at 512-234-2075, or email sagewomen61@gmail.com.