When I have the opportunity to get in a beautiful hike – especially in 70 degree and sunny weather with no humidity – I jump at it.
When we were planning out our travel for the Brooks Altitude Camp trip (<—check out that post first if you missed it), a few of us decided that rather than flying home first thing on Sunday, we’d stick around, rent a car for the day, and hit the New Mexico trails. Getting home after midnight wasn’t ideal, but I knew it would be worth it. :)
But first, on Sunday morning, I met up with the Brooks gang for one last quick run before saying farewell to a bunch of people who were flying out early. I ran about 3 miles with a few of the others – it was in the 50’s and sunny, so basically my perfect running weather! Here’s an awkward mid-run selfie for your viewing pleasure. Shout out to Janae for showing me that you can take a picture on an iphone by pressing the down volume button on the left side of the phone – way easier than trying to push the button on the screen!
Post-run refuel back at the hotel (cottage cheese + fruit + cereal + a hard boiled egg):
After a quick shower and getting all packed up, it was time to hike! Lora, Meghann, Emily, and I piled into our rental SUV (a huge thank you to Lora for organizing that for us) and headed to the trails!
We decided to do a hike called Travertine Falls in Cibola National Forest, which was only about a 20 minute drive from Albuquerque. I wish I lived so close to such amazing trails – I’d be on them all the time!
This hike was so worth staying extra for. It was perfect hiking weather – not too hot, especially thanks to the lack of humidity, and I loved the extra time to catch up with my friends, too.
There were a ton of trails in this area so we ended up extending our hike and going on some of the offshoot trails. Gorgeous views as we climbed! We started the hike at 6,200 feet and at our highest point we were around 7,500 feet – whoa!
Happy place. :)
The below view with the mountains in the distance was my favorite – so pretty!
Our shoes were so dusty when we finished! Still really loving these Caldera trail running shoes that Brooks gifted all of us – so comfortable! #twinning
We hiked for about 2 or so hours, and afterward we all agreed that some authentic New Mexican food was in order! We headed back to Albuquerque and hit up a spot called El Patio. True to its name, they had a lovely patio so we sat outside. :)
We started by sharing some chips and guac, which got annihilated immediately – we were all hungry!
Then, we all got different versions of the enchiladas – I had the cheesy green chili chicken enchiladas, which are apparently their best seller! Yummmmm!
Everything also came with sopaipillas, which I’d never had before – they are apparently a fried quick bread. We were instructed to top it with raw honey, which was available in a squirt bottle at the table. Soooo delicious – it tasted kind of like a donut!
As you can imagine, we were quite full and happy when we headed to the airport to fly home. Such a fun day – I’m so glad I stuck around a bit longer for this fun adventure! Thanks for the great day, ladies – missing you already!
Have you ever tried sopaipillas before?
Have you ever been to New Mexico? This was my first time, and I was so impressed by its natural beauty!