Long Time Gone: Day 16 — to Santa Fe. NM

My god, It seemed like it took us hours to break down camp this morning — such a tedious process, even with three minions who are supposed to know how to take down their own tents.

There are no good ways to get from Cortez, Colo., to Santa Fe, NM. The first leg of the five-hour trip took us on narrow, uneven highways that cut across dusty ranch land. I thought we were going to die every time a big rig came barreling toward us

We arrived at the Santa Fe KOA in the late afternoon. Honestly, I don’t remember what I was thinking when I booked this stay. I didn’t do a lot of research into Santa Fe campgrounds or accommodations, because we’re only here one night, and I guess the KOA seemed as good a place as any.

The campground is about 15 miles south of town, set back from the interstate on a parched brown chunk of land. It’s not the most scenic spot, by far. And it’s hot, hot, hot. But, it’ll do. We rented a Kamping Kabin for the kids, so we don’t have to go through the ordeal of setting up and tearing down camp again, especially since we’re here for just one night. Lucky for them, the Kabin is Air Konditioned.

We left the Teardrop at the KOA and drove into the historic city center for dinner — and it’s a good thing we left the trailer behind, because we never could have navigated the narrow old town streets with it still attached. It’s Friday night, so downtown was hopping. There was live music at the Santa Fe Plaza, which was strung with twinkling lights and packed with vendors and people of all ages milling about. The crowds and the noise and the intensity of the setting sun in our eyes overwhelmed and disoriented us, so we found a quaint restaurant tucked away in a lush courtyard nearby, behind shops and galleries, where we enjoyed sangria and margaritas with our lovely dinner.