View from the dome car

While in Santa Fe, we took a second train ride on the Santa Fe Southern Railway. Our first choice was the Friday evening High Desert Highball but that didn't work out. We didn't want an all-day ride either, so we ended up on the Hot Shot- the afternoon train ride.

We arrived early enough to snag one of the few parking spots right in front and to have lunch at the Cowgirl Restaurant. We later found out the Cowgirl's specialty is chile rellenos and huevos rancheros. My lunch was fine, but I wish I'd known about the chili rellenos. The rest of the family had barbeque there one night and enjoyed the ambiance and the food.

The Santa Fe Southern Railway is a diesel-powered train that runs about 20 miles out to the little town of Lamy. That 4 hour ride has a built-in time to get off and get something to eat. The Hot Shot stops short of Lamy, waits a few minutes, then comes back. That ride takes about 2 1/2 hrs.

The dome car was fun, though hot! Even with the air conditioning, the sun beating down through all those windows kept if several degrees warmer than the lower part of the car. (My sister and I are pictured.) Those who had seats for the dome cars could sit anywhere - downstairs, in one of the regular cars or out on the platform car. (George and I on the platform car.) One of the coach cars had a docent providing narration.

After the Cumbres and Toltec, I was disappointed in the scenery. The area alongside most of the tracks has been developed so we usually looked out on houses, though they were spread out. However, the rabbit brush was blooming and a few saw a coyote. The narrator said a herd of pronghorn antelope frequent one open spot, though no one spotted any on our trip. You did get a good idea of what the high desert looks like and a view of the mountains surrounding Santa Fe. I'd recommend one of the specialty trains like the Friday Highball or a holiday train or even with a meal in Lamy over the Hot Shot train.