Sunday morning (August 28), a couple of us decided to try out the zip lining available at the resort, so we bundled up and headed out into the early morning fog.

The base of the resort was around 8,500′, but the top of the mountain was over 10,000′ so we took the chair lift up to the top. It was a fun ride and we could see a lot of the Red loop that we had all run in the days before. There were mountain bikers on the trails for their own race and we got to see them flying down the hills. At first the chair lift was a gradual climb, but as we got closer to the top, it got steeper and steeper.

There were 4 guys in our zip lining group and we got to tell them about our running adventures after they told us they had seen lights running up and down the mountain all night and wondered what that was all about. They were definitely impressed that we had been part of that. A little less so when all 3 of us had to stop to catch our breath as we were walking from one area to the next. They asked, “didn’t you just run up these hills?” Well, yes we did – that was part of the problem! There were 2 small lines around 200′ each, a few in the 600-700′ range and a really long one at 1600′ where we were told we would hit speeds of 50-60 mph. I definitely believe that as my eyes were watering on that one! Overall, it was a great choice for a random event on a Sunday morning.

After we checked out of our condo and said goodbye to the resort, we headed down to Taos for lunch and to wander around the city for a bit before heading to the spa for some much needed relaxation after our race. Looking back at mountains as we were leaving was even more impressive and you can see why this is a popular ski area in the winter.

On our way to the spa, we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.

Seeing the Rio Grande reminded me of my trip to the Grand Canyon a few years ago. It’s hard to fathom how these areas were created, how long it must have taken and how much of our world is always changing.

It was a beautiful day and even though it was late afternoon by the time we got to Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort it was still pretty warm and we all took advantage of the mud baths and various hot springs available. It was a really pretty area. The spa was built into the side of the mountain, so all you could see is beautiful scenery all around and the entire spa was a “quiet zone” where you had to whisper, so it was very peaceful. 

The spa did wonders for our aching legs, but the early start to the day and warm water made me very tired. We still had a couple of hours to go before we got back to Albuquerque, so we got a great sunset view over the mountains as we traveled.

We finished off the night at Marble Brewery before we all headed our separate ways. Some of the team was heading back to Charlotte on a red-eye and the rest of us were heading in opposite directions for our last day or so in New Mexico.

One more day in New Mexico for me before I head off to Oregon!