Angel Fire, NM

SUN., AUG 7, 2022 thru SAT., AUG 13, 2022

Our pod of six (brother Andy, sis-in-law Linda, Cheryl, Joe and Gary & I) arrived at Monte Verde RV Park in Angel Fire, NM on Sunday, Aug. 7th. We only drove 30 miles from Taos… it just felt like more on narrow, winding 64 East, which is part of the 81-mile Enchanted Circle. Very scenic but a tad scary when towing! I only took a few pics because I was too busy gripping the arm rests. 

Me: “Gary, you can drive slower.” 

Him: “I am going slow.”

Me: “Go slower. Crawling would be good.”

We made it, and got set up, before thunder, lightning and torrential rain arrived. Monsoon Season. Temps started at 81 and within 20 minutes of the storm, it dropped to 58. But the storm ended and we were able to enjoy Happy Hour with everyone. 

By Monday morning we had the fireplace on as it was only 52 degrees. That day we met for an early lunch at El Jefe Mexican Restaurant with the six of us plus friends of Linda & Andy’s who were camping in a nearby resort. Delightful couple! We ended up going back to where they were staying and played Mexican Train in their fancy clubhouse with their family members who were visiting them. We had two large tables playing Mexican Train. Fun afternoon. Worked out perfectly… particularly since it was a rainy afternoon! 

Tuesday, Aug. 9th, we did an outing with the family pod along the scenic Enchanted Circle. First stop was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire. Completed in 1971, it was the first major Vietnam Memorial in the country and was created and paid for by parents, “Doc” Westphall, PhD and his wife Jeanne, who lost their beloved son David fighting in Vietnam. They had originally bought 800 acres in Angel Fire to build a resort. After their son’s death, their plans changed. They started with a Chapel which is a beautiful piece of architecture and soars into the sky. Then raised funds for the museum. Now the Memorial is a state park. It also served as inspiration for the establishment of the National Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. There is a Huey helicopter at the site. It was badly damaged with 135 bullet holes in 1967, repaired, returned to combat, then eventually retired. The NM National Guard donated the Huey in 1999 to the Memorial. A red brick walkway honors veterans with their names, military branch, and dates served as well as stars indicating if they returned home, were POWs, or killed in action. There are native plants, a Tranquility Fountain and sculptures. The setting is just magnificent, and the whole experience was extremely moving.

From there we visited Eagle Nest Lake State Park. It got its name after two workers discovered a breeding pair of eagles near the site. Absolutely gorgeous! Then on to “linner” in Red River at New Mexico’s highest elevation brewery at 8,700 ft. In addition to a large beer selection, they distill their own spirits. First time having cheese curds. Quite tasty. After dining, we were going to enjoy wandering around the town of Red River. Unfortunately that outing was cut short by torrential rain and small hail. A fun but moving day with gorgeous scenery throughout our drive along the Enchanted Circle with Cheryl behind the wheel. Plus a fabulous sunset in the evening!

Wednesday, Aug. 10th, we all took the chairlift to the top of Angel Fire Ski Resort. I’m afraid of heights and having my feet dangling (over what felt like a cliff) was a tad unnerving! The chairlift went up 2,000 ft and when we reached the top of the mountain we were at 10,677 ft elevation. Views during the chairlift ride were magnificent… once I opened my eyes! Afterwards we headed to Merde Verde Lake for a picnic and to walk around the lake. We even ID’d a new bird… a Black-billed Magpie. A fun day followed by a campfire in the evening before we had to say goodbye to Andy & Linda for a few days beginning tomorrow. There was a snafu with their reservation but we’ll re-connect with them again on Sunday.

Thursday, Aug. 11th, the mini-pod headed to the small town of Cimarron, NM. Absolutely gorgeous drive over. The New Mexico mountains and scenery are second to none! First stop in Cimarron was the “National Scouting Museum” where you can learn all things scouting! Lots of famous people were Boy Scouts… President Carter, Michael Jordan, and Astronaut John Glenn to name a few. A fact I didn’t know… Norman Rockwell paintings practically defined the Boy Scouts for more than 60 years. 

The museum is located on Philmont Scout Ranch. The ranch is 219 square miles. The land was donated by Waite Phillips of Phillips Oil. Since 1939 over 1 million scouts and leaders have hiked the trails here. After the museum, we headed to “The Villa Philmont” for a 1 hour guided tour of the beautiful summer residence of Waite & Genevieve Phillips built in 1927. It’s western themed but cozy… if a 28,000 sq. ft. home can be considered cozy. The home was built in 1 year with 100 craftsmen and builders working on site. 

Gary did a short video of the player piano at The Villa Philmont. Our tour guide, who was the curator, was so sweet to play it for us so we could all hear it. Once a year they bring someone in to tune it and the other 15 pianos on the Philmont properties. Wow. That’s a lot of pianos! 

Our tour guide was delightful. I tried to tip him at the end, and he said “no, he couldn’t take it, but we could make a donation if we wanted.” Afterwards I told Joe who was once a boy scout. He already knew that he wouldn’t take a tip… doing a good deed etc. Those boy scouts are good people!

After that we headed to the historic St. James Hotel in downtown Cimarron. Built in 1872 at a cost of $17,000, its saloon, restaurant and 43 rooms were witnesses to at least 26 murders during Cimarron’s wilder days, most committed in “self defense.” Annie Oakley, Wild Bill Cody, and many others stayed there. It’s still a hotel today, and if the bedrooms aren’t reserved, they have the doors open so you can peak into the historic rooms. We got to glimpse several on our visit… including a bullet hole in a painting. They had the prettiest stained glass windows above the hotel room doors. Charming. 

From there it was a stop at the Aztec Grist Mill, which is now a museum. Built in 1864, it was to provide wheat and corn flour for local residents and soldiers. But the Indian Agency was moved from Taos to Cimarron and the Aztec Mill then served as a staging ground for dispensing blankets, meat, flour and other rations to 1500 Ute Indians who had 1200 acres of grant land “reserved” for them. Ultimately over time relations between the Indians and the Indian Agency deteriorated and the Indians were eventually moved onto reservations in northwest New Mexico and Colorado, which is another sad story in the plight of Native Americans. 

Then it was homeward bound with one final stop at the scenic Pallisades Sill, which are spectacular cliffs cut by the Cimarron River. Whew! A full day! Cheryl was our fearless driver going thru more-than-a-few scenic switchbacks!

Both Friday and Saturday mornings, Aug. 12th and 13th, we enjoyed an amazing experience here in Angel Fire! It was “Balloons over Angel Fire.” An event that was postponed due to wildfires in June was re-scheduled for this weekend. Approximately 25 balloons lifted off at 7 AM on Friday and Saturday much to our delight! We were able to walk across the street from the campground and enjoy it all at the small regional airport! We are fortunate to have many one-of-a-kind experiences in our RV adventures… this is one of them! An absolute thrill to see these colorful balloons rise in the air and hear the whoosh of the propane as it lifts them higher. So fun to be able to share this unique experience with Cheryl & Joe!

The rest of both of those days was given up to chores… laundry, grocery shopping and Gary doing a repair to our RV roof. We also managed to get a campfire in with C&J on Friday night to see the rise of the Super Moon or Sturgeon Moon as it was called. Once we saw it rise, we oohed and aahed appropriately then headed off to bed since we’d been up early watching balloons.  

Sunday morning, Aug. 14th, was the final day of “Balloons over Angel Fire.” Since the four of us had been up early 2 mornings in a row to see the balloons and today was a travel day, the original plan was to let it go and sleep in and focus on departure. But… when we saw 25 balloons in the air and many over the RV Park, we headed out with iPhones in hand to get some photos. Some of us still in pjs! Two of the balloons actually landed in the campground. It was a hoot! And we still were able to leave the campground at their 11 AM check out time!

After 9 weeks in New Mexico, we are set to leave this beautiful state which has stolen our hearts! With our ‘family’ pod, we’ve explored Carlsbad, Roswell, Alto/Ruidoso, Cochiti Lake, Santa Fe, Taos, Angel Fire and lots of towns in between. We saw wide open vistas as well as mountains that took our breath away. We saw wild horses, elk, and mule deer making themselves at home in front yards. We saw lush green forests and areas destroyed by wildfire. We learned about Billie the Kid and about Native American Culture. We explored countless museums and galleries and walked miles of trails huffing and puffing with the elevation. We had days that were a blistering 108 degrees (thankfully not too many) and nights that were a chilly 47. We saw more sunflowers and hummingbirds than we’ve ever seen before. We experienced monsoon season in all its glory…. torrential rain, thunder, lightning… and rainbows and sunsets that stopped us in our tracks. We would return to this Land of Enchantment in a heartbeat but in the meantime Colorado is calling to be explored.