1. Art: Santa Fe is a haven for artists and art lovers. Everywhere you look there are galleries, shops or even street vendors promoting art. The feeling in Santa Fe is very welcoming and people are very proud of their artistic self. You'll find people from all walks of life, and you can splurge as much as you want or enjoy a local artist painting a desert rock. The Railyard district is where most of the galleries are located, but in downtown you'll find many shops that sell interesting pieces. Everything is very close so you can easily walk to most points of interest.

2. Margaritas: You cannot leave Santa Fe without having at least one margarita. We think it's the US capitol of this cocktail and there is even a margarita trail that one can attempt (if you can get past the second bar). One evening we dined at Maria's and they had 150 types of tequila on the menu. The waiter was very knowledgable, so we learned a lot and now we know which type of tequila we like!

3. Chili Peppers and Chocolate: Another staple in Santa Fe are chili peppers. You'll see dried chili peppers everywhere and our favorite way to eat them was with chocolate. Chili pepper and chocolate go together so well that in Santa Fe that combination is present in many food items. We were a bit disappointed about the food scene though. We had heard that Santa Fe is a culinary mecca, but to us it was very much American Tex-Mex style, which in our opinion is very hybrid. It just didn't do it for us, but many people enjoy it.

4. Meow Wolf: did we say that Santa Fe is very artsy? If you like art, a trip to Santa Fe is not complete without spending a few hours at Meow Wolf. Meow Wolf is an interactive art exhibition that feels like an escape room. We had so much fun in there. Tip: they often run shows or concerts in the evening, and the ticket for the show is often cheaper than the entrance fee. The exhibit remains open when the show is going on so we suggest to purchase a show ticket so you can experience 2 things for the price of one. The Meow Wolf concept is now expanding and they were set to open an exhibition in Denver in 2020 (not sure if it happened due to the pandemic, you should check).

5. Sunsets: every single night we were treated with an amazing mix of colors in the sky and we were astonished every single time. Make a point to step outside, even if only for few minutes, every day at sunset time. You will not regret it.

6. Taos and Rio Grande gorge: about 1.5 hour north of Santa Fe you can visit the town of Taos. Just like Santa Fe, Taos is also very artistic. We enjoyed walking downtown, sampling the artisan chili hot chocolate drinks and just admiring the adobe architecture. In Taos, the Taos pueblo (a UNESCO site) is still an active community and people live here just like their ancestors in adobe type buildings. You can visit the pueblo but we got there too late and the visitor hours were already over. Check before going because now there may be restrictions due to Covid. Just a short way (10 miles) to the east, you'll get to cross the Rio Grande Gorge. The arch bridge that connects the two sides of the gorge is impressive. You can park your vehicle at either end and walk on the bridge to the middle point. The drop is 600 feet to the bottom. When a truck drives on the bridge the whole bridge shakes and it can be a bit unsettling on foot. Incredible views though.

7. Earthship community: This was such a good find. Continuing west past the Rio Grande Gorge you come by the Earthship community. Here architect Michael Reynold decided to create a self sustainable community by building houses that are completely created from recycled materials. Each house has its own self sufficient system and you can live here conformably completely off the grid. We fell in love with the concept (the houses look very artistic also) and maybe one day we will become earthshippers (upon more in depth research because living in the desert is not our first choice). If you are in Taos, go visit the Earthship community; it will make you realize that we can all do much more to do right by the planet.

8. Aliens: It seems that many desert places attract alien sightings and stories, and New Mexico is one of them. On our trip to Colorado from Texas, we stopped in Roswell, NM. This town's entire economy is based on a story about a 1947 alien incident. Everything (from the McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts to the little gift shops) are alien related and a total tourist attraction. In one of our bike rides in Northern New Mexico (near Aztec), we came across a plaque in the middle of a trail. Apparently here a spaceship crashed in 1948 with 6 aliens on board. If you are a fan of alien stories, you can find some interesting places in New Mexico.

9. Billy the Kid: We drove by Lincoln, NM, which is a very small town where apparently Billy the Kid escaped for the last time. That day we ended up doing dispersed camping just a few miles up the road from the town. A magical experience. There wasn't a person around but we spent the night in the company of some curious cows and coyotes. The stars in the sky that night were something we rarely experience. Breathtaking.

10. Near Los Alamos: After seeing the desert landscape for the majority of our time in New Mexico, we were pleased to to find the area near Los Alamos was just out of this world. For a moment we thought we were transported to the Pacific Northwest. Rivers, forests, and beautiful vistas make up the Valles Caldera National preserve. It was definitely a great change of scenery. We ended up biking there and had a blast.