Following Colorado, my travels took me down to New Mexico. New Mexico was new to me, and I was overly excited when I actually realized this. I love mentally crossing off new destinations, even when that destination is in my own country. Also, because of this, I had no idea what to really expect out of a ski hill in New Mexico. It probably would have helped if I took 30 seconds to research the area the night before, but on road trips (and in life), I can’t say I plan my stops very thoroughly. Instead, while driving, I opened up a snow app on my phone and quickly determined where the weather looked promising. I decided on Taos.

When I was approximately 1 hour away, I called my mom and asked her to look up hotels. She’s used to me, so she obliged, most likely while rolling her eyes. She called back, and I decided on the Powderhorn. It claimed quick lift access, which is all I really wanted. However, upon check-in, I was very pleasantly surprised. Not only was the hotel completely convenient to everything, it also featured very friendly and helpful staff, a fireplace, a kitchen, and views of the mountain. I had to force myself not to hibernate over the two night-stay.

There’s a reason why I like Montana so much, and Taos has some of that same appeal. Colorado ski areas are very convenient, but a good amount of them are situated right along the interstate. This makes access easy, but you lose some of what makes being in the mountains great. Big Sky and Taos both feel like you’re away from the outside world. In each town, you drive along a two lane road to eventually land in a little oasis between peaks. I dig this. Furthermore, the locals in Taos were nice and accommodating. I was shown the highlights of the village within minutes of arriving at a local bar by myself.

The skiing isn’t too shabby either. I challenged myself on some of the steepest runs I have ever attempted. The snow was great, and the lift lines were minimal. I was feeling all confident about my successful day on the mountain, when the universe decided to knock me down a notch. Literally. I completely ate it while walking to dinner on my last night. My right butt cheek is boasting a mural of swirling blues, greens, and yellows that honestly belongs in a modern art museum. Either that, or a meditation center. I hear blue is calming.

I learned in Taos that this is exactly the kind of press they don’t want. So, all-in-all, Taos was awful. Don’t go there (wink, wink). Save it all for the poor souls who have to work and play in this mountain sanctuary. However, just to double-check this assessment, I’ll probably make a return trip in the near future.

Places I went:

Martini Tree Bar: Cool locals that are willing to talk to tourists and show them around. Fun après spot, as well.

St. Bernard: Cosy bar. Apparently, it’s also a great place to eat, but I didn’t make it there for lunch or dinner. I believe dinner is usually only open to hotel guests.

The Bavarian: Great on-the-mountain spot for food and beer. It’s located at the bottom of lift 4.

I love dive bars when I’m in the mountains. While I’m always up for an after-ski beer, I also really like to take photos in these establishments. For some odd reason, I enjoy the way the lighting and the ambiance come across on camera. This also makes me the non-local weirdo taking pictures of seemingly nothing with a large camera. It doesn’t really help that I’m also usually the non-local weirdo drinking completely alone, while taking these pictures.

Fancy lodges are also nice after skiing, but I love to hang out with the non-tourists. It’s always interesting to hear what brought them to that particular place. It’s usually something like, “I woke up one morning, packed up my car, drove, and decided to stop here.” I can totally respect that.

I’m currently in the midst of yet another road trip. This time, my final destination is California. At the moment, I’m somewhere in Arizona. To make this easier, I’m going to segue from my previous trip to this current trip in a single post. My previous trip ended in Colorado, and this trip began in Colorado. I don’t really feel the need to reminisce on time spent in Nebraska, as driving through that state already threatens my sanity on a regular basis.

Anyway, my brother recently moved to Fort Collins. He grew up at a mountaineering camp near Estes Park, so he’s pretty attached to that area of Colorado. Luckily, I now have a place to crash when I’m out that way.

A few photos of Horsetooth Reservoir in the Fort Collins area:

After this trip to Fort Collins, we drove to the mountains during a much needed snowstorm. We skied Loveland and après-skied in Vail. We also came very close to sleeping in our car, which seemed like a solid idea after a few rounds of Rumplemintz. In retrospect, it was probably a very squishy idea. While I do like traveling, I don’t think I want to become a car-living vagrant. I quite like hotels; I am in one now. So, yeah, there was no overnight car-inhabiting in Vail, but it’s probably just a matter of time. I actually just typed that sentence and shook my head in disgust at my lack of disgust at the thought of living in my vehicle. There is something wrong with me.

Vail:

I’m not finished with Colorado, but after another post or two, we’ll be heading to Taos, New Mexico, where I continued to not sleep in my car. Instead, I stayed in an awesome condo overlooking the slopes. It’s been a great few days.