Angel Fire

May 31 – June 26, 2019

Where Is Angel Fire?

The town of Angel Fire is in the north central section of New Mexico close to the Colorado border. It sits on the Moreno Valley floor at 8,420 feet surrounded by mountains rising to over 11,000 feet. At the northern end of the valley, is Wheeler Peak at a majestic 13,161 feet (New Mexico’s highest). In spring, summer, and fall, the mountainsides form a backdrop of colorful meadows or brilliant golden aspens. The summertime weather is mild with average June highs in the low to mid 70’s and lows in the mid 30’s. We chose this destination as a great place to escape the south Florida summer heat.

How Did We Get Here?

The question of how to get here from Albuquerque was somewhat problematic. The shortest route was through Santa Fe and Taos and then up US 64 – a narrow, twisty road climbing through the mountains into the Moreno Valley. An alternate but longer route was to take I-25 to NM 58 and catch US 64 out of Cimarron. After studying the map, Bill decided the longer route might be better since it avoided the stretch of road between Taos and Angel Fire. Even this alternate route included a lot of twists and turns along the Cimarron Canyon but we made it OK. The scenery along the route was quite beautiful and varied, from sweeping valleys with snowy mountain backdrops, to dense forests (some with evidence of recent fires), to craggy ridge lines.

Where Are We Staying?

Our campground of choice in the area was Angel Fire RV Resort – part of the Angel Fire Resort. The Resort began in 1966 as a small ski destination but has grown into a four season destination.  It features 79 ski and snowboard trails, behind only Ski Santa Fe and Taos Ski Valley among the local slopes, as well as multiple hiking and biking trails, tennis, golf,  restaurants, and more.

The 35 acre multi-million dollar RV Resort was added in 2015. It is rated in the top 100 RV resorts in the United States. Amenities at the RV Resort include a gate house with office and store, club house with meeting spaces, bath house with hot tub, laundry facilities, community fire pits, pickle ball courts, a putting green, and weekly organized activities.

With all of these activities, it’s a good thing we planned a longer stay here. Naturally, we couldn’t stay away from the pickle ball courts. We had the pleasure of playing with Mike and Denise Dildy who were learning the sport and Ann and Lin Bishop (RVFitChicks) who repeatedly gave us stiff competition.

We also had to try out the Tuesday night Taco and Tunes and Thursday night Burgers and Blues. We had a great time at Taco and Tunes, enjoying the company of Mike and Denise Dildy and another couple. Live music was provided by a gentleman with a guitar who did a fantastic job singing everything from pop to country to contemporary Christian. Since our table was the last to leave, we had a private concert during which he took requests and even sang a duet with his 7 or 8 year old son.

It was chilly the night we tried Burgers and Blues so we sat inside while the entertainment and most other participants sat outside. Although the burger and fixings were good, the evening was kind of a let down.

What Else Is There To Do Here?

To avoid an extremely long post, we’ll answer that question in a series of follow-on posts.  We love when you follow along.