Santa Fe: Give It the Mud Treatment

You will be forgiven if your first impression of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the springtime doesn't quite match the postcards. The sun does not blaze in March or April. The turquoise paint, so popular here, does not pop against the adobe the way it does in June or later. It is mud season, and although high, broken clouds and temps in the 50s and 60s hardly qualify as dreary, it's as close as Santa Fe gets. The reddish ground is wet, sometimes slippery-wet. The winds blow strong and steady. Locals like to complain about it.

But if your aim is to blend in with the populace and get a feel for what it would be like to live here, this is the time to visit. The winter snowbirds are loading the RV and heading back north. The summer vacationers haven't arrived yet -- because the kids are still in school and the high-altitude roads are iffy. Lodging is plentiful, and the pricing almost passes for reasonable. If fine cuisine is a passion of yours, you can get a primetime reservation at just about any popular restaurant. And if art's your thing, it's more accessible than ever. There are gallery openings on Canyon Road almost every weekend, and the vibe is more low-key than it is at high season. In mud season, you can actually go to an opening to see -- not just to be seen.

To avoid the driving that becomes so problematic in spring in the high country, take the train into town. Amtrak's Southwest Chief serves Santa Fe from a station on the southern outskirts of the city. Upon arrival, take a cab to a centrally located hotel -- like the quaint casitas of Las Palomas -- and park yourself there for a few days. You'll be only blocks from almost everything downtown Santa Fe has to offer.

And what would that be? Lots of southwestern ambiance, that's for certain. This is a low-slung town whose natural browns are trimmed brightly with paint, ceramic pots of flowers, and fences festooned with bougainvillea. When I walk the side streets of Santa Fe, I take far too many pictures of doorways and windows, just because each seems more individually expressed than the next.

If there is one can't-miss sight to see in Santa Fe, it is the historic Plaza downtown. Hunkered down under wide awnings, Native American and Latino vendors offer their hand-crafted goods. There are treasures to be found here, often at good prices. In nearly crowd-free mud season, you've got plenty of elbow room to try things on and strike a bargain.

But, if it's superior quality you're seeking, check out one of the many established retailers to be found around the Plaza. You'll pay more, but you'll also be certain of what you're buying. New Mexico is perhaps best known for its turquoise jewelry, carved figurines, and ceramic "storyteller" dolls.  There are many variations on the storyteller theme, but most feature a female character surrounded by tiny child-like figures, presumably there to hear a story. My mother the birdwatcher found the perfect storyteller for her interests -- one that had birds instead of children.

Two more must-see's are Santa Fe's centrally located Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, the "O'K," where the painter's highly evocative florals practically jump off the walls at you; and the Rancho de las Golondrinas (Ranch of the Swallows), which offers a recreation of early New Mexican life so realistic that movies are filmed there. The Rancho opens in April of each year, and it's located just outside town. You'll need to arrange transportation. And, if you do end up mobile, another couple of destinations to consider are the Shidoni Foundry and Tesuque Glassworks, located side-by-side in the town of Tesuque north of Santa Fe. Both the foundry and the glassworks offer tours and public demonstrations of their arts.

Still, do not despair, there's plenty to be done without wheels. Check out Museum Hill, where four of the city's 16 museums are co-located. You can wander through the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts, the Museum of International Folk Art, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. With a café and plaza onsite, and gorgeous views of the city to boot, it's a day trip in itself.

If the weather begs for appreciation, walk artsy Canyon Road up and out of town, then take one of several hiking trails off into the sagebrush. Or, find your way to the hilltop that is home to Cross of the Martyrs, and just soak up the view. When it comes right down to it, the best of Santa Fe is most available to those determined to do little more than hang around and dine out. Do only these things, and you will leave a happy and well-fed traveler.

A word to the wise diner: Approach New Mexico's famous green chile with caution. It's a tongue-torcher, but that's maybe not all. The first time I visited Santa Fe I became ill, presumably food-poisoned, but locals insisted it had to have been the green chile I consumed the night before. "It wasn't that hot!" I protested. "It's not the heat," they replied. "It's the acidity." I've always doubted their explanation, but I've stayed away from New Mexican green chile just the same. I choose the milder anchos instead.

When you leave your restaurant some evening during your stay, warmed by the southwestern flavors you've sampled and perhaps enlivened by the tequila you've sipped, you will look up at a sky studded with stars and feel the urge to walk off that repast. But if you're like me, you'll find that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak -- and downright cold! By day, Santa Fe in mud season is a delight. By night, it's better to tuck into your casita with a good book -- or a map with which to plan the next day's adventure.

Ellen Wojahn is an award-winning journalist and travel writer based in the Pacific Northwest. Read more of travel stories in the All Aboard! group on Gather, presented by Amtrak.