Stop #9: Roadrunner RV Park, Santa Fe, NM

This stop got off on the wrong foot. We screwed up. Big time. On travel days we sometimes need to stop for gas and this was one of those occasions. We usually look up gas stations on the Mudflap and Gus Buddy apps to find one with the cheapest price. We identified one and when we pulled up we realized it wasn’t very RV friendly. This should’ve been the point were we simply drive on to a more spacious gas station. This is just one of the should haves….

There was a UPS truck on the outside pump, which would’ve been easier to access of the two, but rather than waiting for the driver to return we opted to try the other pump. At this point I should’ve insisted on getting out to spot… Paul thought it was all good and I didn’t insist. It was a tight squeeze but we made it just fine only to realize the pump wasn’t working (there was no sign to alert us). Here comes the big should’ve… To get out, there was a tight turn (for an RV) and at this point I SHOULD”VE gotten out of the car to spot. As we made the turn we heard a loud noise. Once we pulled out we got out to see the damage. [Insert a sick to our stomach feeling. :( ] The left corner of the back panel had been torn open by a pole we hit on the way out. The bottom left corner of the side left panel had also ensued some damage. This damage exposed the kids’ bunkroom and we could see some of their items falling out. It was bad. Once we accessed the damage, Paul took out some straps and attached them to the RV to hold the panels in as much as possible so we could continue our drive to Santa Fe.

Thankfully we only had one hour left and we made it to our RV park without further issues. On the way over I searched for RV bodywork shops in the area but no one was immediately available. Once we got to our campground Paul took out his tools and got to work - to do this RV life it’s so helpful to be handy because s**t will happen. In a couple of hours, with my help (it was a all hands on deck situation), the back panel was closed in. There was more work to do to fix the structure of the lower bunk which he tackled on the next morning following a trip to Home Depot. In the end, there are only a couple of telling signs that point to our incident. This was a learning experience. We got too comfortable with towing the RV and forgot that it is still a 41’ trailer behind us which requires a lot of caution when moving through tight spaces.

Once the gut wrenching feeling subsided we were able to focus back on our destination. We booked at tribally-owned Roadrunner RV Park. A basic campground with no amenities onsite but close enough to the city and the sites we wanted to visit. While staying there, guests also have access to Tribal amenities nearby including a wellness center with basketball, racketball, workout rooms, a swimming pool, sauna, and an outdoor track. Sites are all pull-through but campground is all dirt which makes for a very dusty stay.

Since we felt a bit worn out from our ‘unfortunate adventure’ we took it slow on our second day and visited the wellness center to enjoy the pool and sauna. The wellness center is a bit outdated. Pool is big, great for laps which we did, and has a slide for kids to enjoy. There’s also a smaller/shallow kid pool which our kids played at while Paul and I went into the sauna - there’s a lifeguard on duty. The pool is enclosed with not much light coming in which added to the outdated look of it all. We enjoyed our time but we would’ve returned if it was better maintained.

On our third day we were ready again for adventure. We headed to Bandelier National Monument and on the way stopped at Bradbury Science Museum, and the Nature museum to make it a complete homeschooling field trip. :) The science museum was more substantial than the nature museum but both were nice stops for the kids.

Bandelier is a must when in Santa Fe. We did the main loop trail which allowed us to climb into two cavates (Talus House and Long House), saw the remains of Tyuonyi, a two story building used for storing food, kivas, and petroglyphs on various sties. Walking into the dwellings allowed us to really imagine how life was for those that inhabited this area 11,000 years ago. The visitor center has a nice museum that brings to life how people lived in these dwellings and what each building was used for. We spent a bit of time in the museum while the kids completed their junior ranger booklets in oder to get a badge. On our way back we stopped at White Rock Overlook Point which provided very scenic views of the mountains and the river below.

Our last day in Santa Fe was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures forecasted to warm up midday. We started off our day by attending the City of Santa Fe Egg Hunt. You see, RV life doesn’t mean you have to miss out on traditions you usually enjoy as a family.... you just have to do these while on the road. The Easter egg hunt was very well put together. They had thousands of eggs on different fields, which were divided by age range so the little ones didn’t have to fight with the bigger kids. But even if that where the case, there was no fighting needed as there were more than plenty of eggs to go around. Our kids left with huge smiles on their faces, having collected the most eggs they ever had. Their bags were filled to the rim and even had additional eggs stuffed in their pockets. The Santa Fe police was present, handing out goodies and they also had trucks and a firetruck for the kids to see up close. Well done, Santa Fe and thank you for having us!

After the egg hunt we drove over to Diablo Canyon, which was on the way, for a hike in the lovely weather. This canyon is beautiful and great for a family hike. We hiked between the towering rocks towards the river bed and stopped to watch the many rock climbers on the cliffs. We ended our day out at Santa Fe Railyard where we had lunch at the nearby Dumpling Cafe which was delicious. It’s a small restaurant offering authentic Chinese/Korean food. Within the restaurant there’s a small glass enclosed room where you can see one of the chefs making their famous dumplings. Everything we had was outstanding. Well worth a visit if you like that type of cuisine.

Following our satisfying lunch, we walked back towards the REI store where we stocked up on hydration back packs for all, as carrying water bottles was taking a toll. The kids got super excited picking out their own backpacks which would make it easier for Paul and I on future hikes. They had a great selection at this store, in addition to all other gear/apparel. A good store to stop at when in need of any camping/hiking/anything adventure items.

There are plenty of restaurant options along the Railyard, if you prefer not to walk further as we did. After the REI store we walked over to Second Street Brewery at the Railyard for beer and desert…. and then over to La Lecheria Railyard for ice cream. We all left with happy tummies. :)

Stop #9: Roadrunner RV Park, Santa Fe, NM

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