Overall Summary

We had high expectations going in, and this trip surpassed them. Each day was a completely new journey. We believe we had such diverse experiences in one state that it rivals what one could experience traveling through several. The northern part of the state – Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos – was 180 degrees from the Southern part – Carlsbad, Truth or Consequences (T or C, as shortened by the locals), and the small towns in between. Not just landscape, scenery, and climate, but the attitude of the populace. More on this later. Given the vast difference in experiences between the five major overnights on our trip, let alone the small stops in between, it’s extremely difficult to succinctly sum up this amazing vacation. Let me just hit some highlights but I encourage perusing each of the sections below for a true understanding of a journey through New Mexico. Here’s some not to be missed attractions in no particular order – Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument, private tour of Ted Turner’s huge ranches outside of T or C, Taos Pueblo and generally the city of Taos. That said, numerous, delightful minor attractions and experiences abound. At first most people scratch their heads in disbelief when told of a 12 night vacation in New Mexico. Let me put that to rest – this was one of the better trips we’ve ever taken – and while not part of the equation going in, it can be done quite inexpensively to boot. Let’s walk through this journey!

General Itinerary

We started in Albuquerque as it is simply the easiest city in New Mexico to fly into, being, by far, the most commercial and having the largest population. After renting an SUV, we stayed two nights in Albuquerque before heading Southeast. Driving 282 miles we stopped in Roswell before hitting our main destination, Carlsbad to see the infamous caverns. After two nights in Carlsbad, we drove west, 282 miles across the state to the town of Truth or Consequences, stopping at the mountain top town of CloudCroft and the amazing White Sands national monument. We arrived late in Truth or Consequences, and after three nights there headed out early in the morning back North on a 221 mile trek to Santa Fe, passing through Albuquerque and then taking the Turquoise trail to our destination. Another three nights in Santa Fe brought us to Taos, a 70 mile journey Northeast on the infamous high road. We spent two nights in Taos before heading back to Albuquerque to catch our early afternoon flight home – for a total 12 night excursion through the Land of Enchantment .

Background

We plan on taking a major U.S. two week vacation every 18 months or so for a very long time, and this is the first of these planned outings. This is also our first time in New Mexico (other than a one night stop in Santa Fe during a cross country trip way back in 1992), coming from Southern California, and prior to this living in the NYC area. Looking to hit all the major attractions, and get a strong sense of the culture and vibe across the state. We are also mini-“foodies” and enjoy the nightlife scene to some extent. Thus we are also looking to partake in the indigenous foods, popular restaurants and bars, and local food and beverage hangouts. We try to avoid tourist traps, yet will not shun major, crowded sites, destinations and attractions. We also look to get in a fair amount of walking/hiking at least every other day. While we are certainly conscious of how we spend money, we are fortunately not on a tight budget, and can splurge occasionally, if warranted. As this was a major vacation for us, we began planning months in advance. Traveling hundreds of miles by car between various destinations has not been a typical excursion for us, so we planned even more rigorously for this trip as, in general, we are very conscious of not wasting time when on vacation. We did our research using the standard guide books, internet sites, city tourist offices, etc. and had a detailed outline of where we were headed and what we wanted to accomplish each day. That said, we are not that highly regimented and can easily deviate from plan on the go.

Albuquerque

Landing at Albuquerque airport in the late afternoon, we had reserved the most luxurious SUV we could find, an Infiniti QX60 (there’s no Escalades or the like to be had in New Mexico), as we knew we were going to get intimately acquainted with this vehicle over the next two weeks. Heading to city proper, we checked into the Andaluz, a boutique hotel and one of the top accommodations in the city. We were super impressed with the check-in, large lobby area, and room. The place had an old world, yet hip feel. Not about to waste a minute, we headed to the hotel indoor/outdoor rooftop bar, Ibiza, for happy hour. Conversing with the bartenders, we received a short list of the local hotspots, restaurants/bars in the downtown area and after a few rounds of well crafted spirits, we headed out. First stop was a place called Sisters for what was touted as the best tacos in Albuquerque. Somewhat different than we expected, Sisters was a large, grungy bar, but that was fine with us. (They’ll be plenty of opportunity for fine dining ahead, or so we thought). After some very inexpensive yet superb tacos and a drink, we were on to the next. Back out on Central Avenue (the old Route 66 – more on this later) as evening set in, we couldn’t help but notice the seediness of the city, sprinkled with homeless lying around. Closer to the hotel, we stopped at Bar Uno, which had a definite local feel and grabbed a unique cocktail. Given it was just our first night of many, we called it and walked back to the hotel.

Day 2

After free breakfast at the hotel, we drove to the Rio Grande Nature Center to hike portions of the Bosque trail. This was a fun flat hike with portions paralleling the infamous Rio Grande river, where we also learned the history of the area and the river’s importance in early exploration times. With this consuming most of the morning, we then drove to Old Town, where we had lunch at the infamous Duran Central Pharmacy. Here we partook in very traditional New Mexican fare of green Chile cheeseburgers including soapalpillas for dessert. After walking around the small old town square and viewing the church, we had tix for the Turquoise museum tour in the early afternoon. While certainly not a major attraction the tour of this small museum, which houses the country’s largest collection of turquoise, was extremely entertaining. (New Mexico is “known” for its natural turquoise mines). After a respite at the hotel, we took in the Kimo theatre – an icon of earlier times. We were then off to the Apothecary lounge in the Parq central hotel for rooftop drinks and to meet an old friend an ex-colleague of my wife’s (the only person we know who lives in New Mexico). After this was a late dinner at the Standard Diner for more traditional New Mexican fare. Back at the hotel, we enjoyed the live music playing in the spacious yet very cozy lobby.

Let me pause here to provide a very brief overview of the Albuquerque area. It’s unique in that the old Route 66, now called Central Ave., actually runs through the heart of the city, both downtown and old town. (As an aside, while the downtown and old town areas are probably only a mile or so apart, walking between them is not appealing as you’re walking along a loud, dirty street and there is literally nothing of worth in between). What’s unfortunate is that there is only very small remnants of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s architecture of the old Route 66 tourist spots (hotels, diners, etc.) sprinkled about the city, and one has to squint quite hard to spot them. If the city had kept some of this nostalgia intact, it would’ve made Albuquerque a much more desirable destination. Please see the pictures below, where I went out of my way to capture some of what’s still left. One major attraction, The Sandia Peak Tramway, we missed. Going off-season is mostly a plus as one avoids crowds, the downside is sometimes attractions are closed, as was the case here. If we ever return, we would certainly look to add this to the repertoire.

Day 3

The day started with an excellent breakfast at a famous local place – Cecilia’s. On the way back we walked through the farmers market in old town, and picked up some traditional New Mexican bakery items and the like for the car ride to Carlsbad, NM later in the morning. Before departing, we drove to the Indian Pueblo cultural center just north of the city. This was a very well done “museum” of sorts, where we learned of New Mexican Native American history and Pueblo living, including a traditional Pueblo dance performance. Again, not a major attraction, but really good stuff, and we were glad we stopped by before leaving town. Now, its on to the 275 mile drive South to Carlsbad with a stop for late lunch in Roswell (yes, the touristy city where they see aliens).

We headed out on I 40 east before going south on Route 285 straight through to Carlsbad. Once off of the Interstate, the two lane highway in each direction – 285 – became instantaneously desolate. We were truly the only ones on the road for tens of miles. Coming from dense urban/suburban areas, this drive fascinated me. But the deserted highway was just the beginning. An hour or so down the road, the first two towns (where you know they’re approaching because the highway speed necks down from 75 to 35) were something out of a horror movie. Abandoned and dilapidated buildings on either side of the road, it looked like the towns hadn’t been inhabited for 30 or 40 years. Maybe there was one place to stop that was still open, maybe there wasn’t. We weren’t getting out of the car, for sure. (If you needed gas forget about it, the stations were long ago left to rot). These literal ghost towns were a completely unexpected experience and floored me because it was just so bizarre. I’ll never forget it. Words cannot truly express what these towns looked like and while the pictures below capture some of it, they do not do it justice.

After this thrilling addition to our ride and a drive through a few more nondescript small towns, we stopped in Roswell (because one just has to). Once again the highway goes straight through town, which is so alien (no pun intended) to us. No exit required, the speed limit starts dropping, and then traffic lights and the town begins. Unlike other small towns in New Mexico, this town was filled with big box retailers of every ilk, literally a who’s who of chain retail probably due to the unique super touristy nature of Roswell. Through our research we found a local spot for lunch – Big D’s downtown dive (we just weren’t going to be in strange towns in middle America and eat at a chain restaurant). Before this, however, we had a choice of two museums – the infamous Alien museum or a highly touted museum of contemporary art – yes, quite surprising, we thought so too. We chose the later, as the alien stuff just seemed too hokey, even for us. We had this small museum almost to ourselves, the displays were fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed. Big D’s downtown dive looked just like it sounds, we shared a hamburger and fries and we were off.

Carlsbad

Before getting to Carlsbad, the drive went through Artesia, NM. Just a few miles before approaching both Artesia and Carlsbad we couldn’t help but notice “adult entertainment” establishments – that’s curious? – more on this later. By the way, Artesia was a typical very small town, no big chain stores here. Upon arriving in Carlsbad, we checked into the Fairfield inn using our Marriott points. The “premium” hotel in Carlsbad is the Trinity, and we went here for dinner, as it was getting late and there was very little else open. Sitting at the bar, we shared some quality food and had a few cocktails. Chatting with the bartender, we discovered the restaurant was closed the next day (Sunday). Oh well, we’ll have to find another drinking/eating place tomorrow. The gentlemen sitting next to us was in the oil business and was a frequent traveler to Carlsbad. Why mention this? I’m foreshadowing here. Then it was back to the hotel for the evening.

Day 4

We went all the way south to Carlsbad for one reason – to visit the caverns, and the next morning after free breakfast in the hotel, we headed straight there. Well almost, we first had to wait for an extended line of pick-up trucks to pass the hotel driveway before we could merge onto the one main road through town. Traffic in Carlsbad, New Mexico – that’s odd? (More foreshadowing). Carlsbad Caverns National Park in White’s city just South of Carlsbad is, simply put, a not to be missed attraction. Upon entering the cavern, one descends down ramps approximately 70 stories to one of the many cavern floors. Here you explore the mind boggling formations inside the cavern via both park ranger and self guided tours. It’s amazing how water and acid can make this kind of giant hole underground. While many are familiar with the terms stalactites and stalagmites, these words and nothing I can write here will capture this one-of-a-kind visual. The pictures below are just a hint of the amazing scenery, and do it no justice. It needs to be seen live, in person. A bucket list item, for sure. On a side note the elevators were inoperable during our visit as they are being completely replaced and we were well warned of this ahead of time, both on-line during ticket purchase and signs all around. Hence, we hoofed it back up the ramps, where normally there is an elevator to take you up. We were happy we started walking as part of our exercise routine almost a year earlier, elderly people were struggling. If you go and don’t want to walk up 70 stories, please ensure the elevators are operational. That said, it was almost impossible not to know that they weren’t. After some time in the educational portion of the exhibit and the gift shops, we headed back to the hotel.

It was Sunday and dinner time was nearing. There are only a few restaurants in town, and many are closed on Sunday. Our earlier research pointed us to Danny’s BBQ, which was open. Interestingly, it didn’t serve alcohol. After dinner, and not ready to hit the sack at 7:00 or so, we thought it would be nice to talk over the wonderful day and what was to come tomorrow over a cocktail/wine/beer or the like. This simple request turned out to be a major undertaking. Waitresses and others at the restaurant couldn’t think of anyplace open serving adult beverages Sunday night. Finally, the only chain restaurant in town came to mind – Chiles, and it just so happened, it was right near our hotel. So we drove back to the hotel weighed our very few options, and took a short walk to Chiles. The bar was completely full with all guys in baseball hats. We thought about hovering for a while, but it didn’t look like anyone was leaving anytime soon, and for the first time this trip felt a bit like an outsider, as we got looked up and down. Slightly disappointed, back to the hotel we walked.  The next morning we checked out, and in small talk with the front desk associate learned what’s going on in Carlsbad, New Mexico. This town is in the midst of a shale oil boom. We were told the hotels are sold out or expensive (good thing we booked early and used points), and there are “man camps” just outside of town to house the huge influx of oil workers to the area. Ahh, hence the traffic, hence all the pickup trucks, hence the bar filled with all guys ….. hence the adult clubs on the way into town. Now it all makes sense! Mystery solved we were on to our next adventure.

Day 5

On the way out of town we stopped at a local place – Blue house Bakery and Cafe, a charming old house converted to a breakfast cafe. A great way to start the day, we then headed a bit north than due West to the other side of New Mexico. Truth or Consequences (T or C) was our next overnight stop. Let me pause here and address the elephant in the room – why in the world are you going to Truth or Consequences, NM? In our research, we discovered that Ted Turner owns two giant ranches outside of T or C comprising hundreds of thousands of wild, unspoiled acres. He recently began giving private tours of his land and upgraded a “premium” hotel in T or C – Sierra Grande Lodge – for potential visitors.  This is not widely known even to the people of New Mexico, especially those up North. Given we were already in South New Mexico, this could be an “off the beaten track” adventure. In addition, on the way there, we would pass the somewhat famous White Sands of New Mexico. All told this would be a 282 mile drive, a good portion of which would be on a 1 lane or at most 2 lane road climbing a mountain. Once on route 82, we did pass a town or two that we thought we’d stop at, but it wasn’t clear exactly where to exit and was not worth backtracking. At the very top of the mountain was the town, Cloudcroft. This was an unexpected surprise. The town has one small yet wide main gravel street that could easily be mistaken for an 1800’s spaghetti western movie set. We’ve tried to capture this in the pictures below. We stopped at the local bakery, and then were compelled to enter the Noisy Water wine store, where we partook in tastings of New Mexican wine and various olive oils. The lovely associate educated us about the wines and the area, and we were happy to purchase our favorite wine for our upcoming hotel room as well as a few novelties. We lunched at Dave’s cafe at the other end of the street where it was obvious we were out-of-towers as everyone else who walked in was on a first name basis.

After local New Mexican fare, it was off to White Sands National Monument. Driving back down the hill we finally made it onto a multi-lane highway, passed a large military base and soon thereafter pulled into White Sands. At the visitors center, the geology is elucidated where it is made abundantly clear that it’s not really sand but gypsum (still don’t know why that’s so important). Adjacent is the gift shop, where they sell sleds to ride down the white sand slops. There’s a few mile drive into the heart of the sands and various areas where one can park and then explore on foot. This place is truly remarkable and breathtaking. Once again, the pictures do not capture the magnificence of the scenery, nor can words describe views of pure ultra white hills and slopes over 360 degrees across the horizon. While its quite difficult to recommend a special trip to literally the middle of nowhere New Mexico, if one ever finds themselves in this state an overnight trip to South central NM and the white sands is well worth the time. Due to scheduling, we were here in the afternoon, but it’s our understanding that the moonrise on the white sands is the bomb! We found walking out from the parking areas deep into the white sands a bit disconcerting as there are no permanent markers and if one losses sight of the parking lot and maybe is not completely clear on direction, there is NO distinctive scenery – everything is stark white rolling hills. We trekked out about a half mile but didn’t want to chance it anymore than that. The sledding was just ok, but we found out when returning them to the gift shop that we were doing it all wrong (so much for urbanites knowing how to sled). We spent about two hours in the white sands but my one biggest regret of our entire New Mexican vacation was not spending an extra hour or so here. Given the location, it’s difficult to imagine how we would ever return. A truly one-of-a-kind place.

Truth or Consequences

From here we traveled further down highway 70 towards las Cruces, NM where we picked up Interstate 25 North – destination Truth or Consequences. In an hour or so we arrived. This is one small town with one main road. A half block from Main Street was the Sierra Grande Lodge & Spa – not nearly as grand as we envisioned, but after all we were far from any major city/town. The hotel not only housed the only fine dining restaurant but also several hot spring baths – the area has geologically natural hot springs.  Indeed, the towns original name was Hot Springs, NM (more on this later). Importantly, most everything can (and should) be booked ahead of time. We were here for three nights and booked the two ranch tours, three dinner reservations, the daily hot spring soaks (which is included with the room), and even the boxed lunch choice (given as part of the tours) with the hotel well before we left home.  We checked into the Ted Turner suite on the second floor and while costlier than a standard room, given this is South New Mexico pricing and off-season, rates were quite reasonable. Knowing we were eating here for three nights, we had perused the dinner menu well ahead of time. It’s higher end dining featuring locally caught fare. Our first night, we chose antelope chop for the main course – it was amazing! Also our anniversary, we ordered a nice bottle of wine with dinner, and were happy to see a decent wine list in this remote New Mexican town.

Day 6

After breakfast at the hotel restaurant (which is also included in the room charge), we met our guide in the lobby for an 8:00am tour of the Armendaris ranch. We hopped into his Suburban and off we went. On the way to the ranch we stopped at the elephant butte dam, reservoir, and lake – one of the oldest dams in the world and an engineering marvel for the time. Cool stuff as the pictures below show.

Once well inside the ranch we swapped out the SUV for a four wheeler to better handle the dirt tracks. Even spending 5 hours here, we saw a small portion of this vast 362,000 acre ranch, and it was super fun. We saw some amazing rock formations and vegetation, did some hiking, walked on dinosaur remnants, and viewed wildlife in their natural habitat, including bighorn sheep, oryx, and a few bison. Snapshots below highlight some of our morning, but this was more about enjoying pristine wilderness almost as it was 400 years ago before the Europeans arrived.

Arriving back at our hotel in early afternoon, we decided to walk down Main Street T or C.  Again, the small town atmosphere is all encompassing. As a side note, its fascinating to see every small town has its post office. There’s only a handful of buildings, but the post office is always one of them – so important back in the day as a link to the outside world. On our way to the local market to grab a few supplies, about half way down Main Street a bee flew at my wife and she had to swat it out of her hair several times before it left her alone. Leaving the store, she realized she lost an earring. Walking back down the street, she thought that maybe she lost it swatting at the bee. In a testament to how deserted this town was, we retraced our steps and there was the earring in the middle of the sidewalk!  We had our first hot springs soak scheduled late in the afternoon, and the staff had the private room and large spa ready for us – it was an amazing half hour.

After another quick excursion onto main street where we took this photo at 5:00PM, we chilled for awhile then had dinner back at the hotel.

This time we chose the signature dish, Bison. A first for us and it was mind blowing – more tender and flavorful than beef. No wonder why the early settlers hunted it to extinction. We thought we’d go out for an hour or so after dinner – we were wrong! There is one bar in town – fantastic – it’s only open Thursday through Sunday – what! We were in T or C, Monday till Wednesday. Shut out in Carlsbad on Sunday, no bars/lounges in T or C for three nights thereafter – not that we’re looking to imbibe every night, but a smidgen of nightlife wouldn’t be too much to ask? As a side note in talking with the waitresses as to what life is like here, we found that they travel to Las Cruces to do their main shopping – this is 75 miles away. Small town life.

Day 7

We booked an afternoon tour of the Ladder Ranch (Turner’s other ranch), so we could be there at sunset when more of the wildlife tends to come out in the open. This was another spectacular ranch covering 156,000 acres. But first, we had the morning free. After an early breakfast at the hotel restaurant, we hit the Geronimo Springs museum in town. Not knowing what to expect, and certainly not expecting much, this museum turned out to be a fun experience. There are basically two parts to it. One was a history of the town, including its interaction with the infamous game show and the subsequent changing of the town name from hot springs to Truth or Consequences. The second part of the museum housed ancient artifacts and relics, mostly pottery, found in the area from 500 to 1,000 years ago. These were not chards, but fully intact large pieces of pottery from Native American Pueblo’s. True museum quality pieces and quite astonishing to see that fine of a collection in this small town, “ragtag” type of museum. After a stop at the local grocery store on the other side of town (a 5 minute walk), we chilled on our deck outside the room and I hit the gym on the hotel property.

At 2:00 we met our guide at the hotel for the short drive to the ladder ranch. Once again, well inside the ranch this time at the office area, we swapped the SUV for a four wheeler, drove past Ted Turners house, and off we went. We were able to view much more wildlife and animals at this ranch as the pictures below detail. The hiking here was exhilarating as well. Herds of bison with their newborns, packs of antelope, even javelinas (wild pigs) with their young came out at sunset. Overall, we felt the ladder ranch was a bit more spectacular than the Armendaris ranch as far as visuals, hiking, and animal sightings. But this could have been because of the time of day and our more keen focus on finding the wildlife. Overall, touring both ranches was an amazing experience that will stay with us. Getting back in the evening, we had a late dinner reserved. This night, the local choice was trout and quail. Again, nothing we’ve ever consumed previously, and it was delicious. Important to mention, we repeated the appetizer on all three nights – Pecan Chile rellenos – because it was that good. After dinner, it was a late night outdoor hot soak – again everything was prepared and waiting for us upon our scheduled arrival.

Day 8

Staying three nights at the hotel came with three half hour hot spring tub soaks. So we scheduled our third one for first thing in the morning before departure. A soak, then shower, then breakfast at the hotel, and finally packing the car for our 225 mile drive to Santa Fe. Before leaving T or C, a few remarks on the hotel and restaurant are warranted. While the Sierra Grande Lodge is by far the best hotel in town, its getting dated and needs a complete refresh/remodel, especially the bathroom. While the accommodations were absolutely fine, and the staff was friendly, for the most part, this is not a five-star resort by any means, and housekeeping left a lot to be desired. Do splurge on the one suite that’s available. That said, the hotel restaurant was outstanding, and in our book the food is worthy of a Michelin star. Splurge here as well.

The drives first leg was simply the 25 North to Albuquerque, subsequently the more interesting route is to take the turquoise trail – picking it up just east of Albuquerque off the 40 to Santa Fe, and that’s exactly what we did. Once on the turquoise trail (route 14), the must stop is the super kitschy tinkertown museum. Hard to describe, it’s a museum of old time miniature displays that are animated and do various tricks when you put a pre-purchased token into the slot. A great diversion along the ride and just a bizarre place.

Back on the turquoise trail, next stop for lunch was an abandoned old mining town, Madrid. Here we ate a New Mexican signature dish – Green Chile cheeseburger – at the surprisingly crowded Mine shaft cafe.This restaurant looked more like a dark, giant dining hall with a bar along its length, but fit the area just perfectly. We ate at the bar which we usually prefer and the bartenders and food were great. After lunch we walked around for ten minutes, took some pictures and bought some local chocolate. These once thriving, now abandoned mining/gold rush towns seem to be scattered about New Mexico and I find them absolutely fascinating. Back on the road – next stop Santa Fe.

Santa Fe

After carefully researching from among the top 4 or 5 hotels in Santa Fe, we picked The Inn at the Five Graces. Once inside the room, we realized we chose correctly.  In one of several buildings scattered over the property, we found our accommodation for the next three nights.  At first sight this room blew us away – see the pictures below. Large living room area with fireplace, separate bedroom, giant colorfully tiled bathroom, champagne waiting – wow! Motif is hard to describe – maybe African – doesn’t matter, it works. We then simply took some time to enjoy the room while sipping champagne.

Can’t linger in the room too long though, Santa Fe has so much more to offer after dark and is so much more cosmopolitan then the small towns we just came from that we wanted to hit a few that first evening, especially in light of the fact that we had been shut out of nightlife the previous four nights. It was late afternoon, and we strolled the central plaza hit up some minor sights and got our bearings on the city. Happy hour was at the Anasazi bar, and then we hit the Secreto lounge for drinks and apps. Anasazi was fairly empty. Secreto was relatively packed. Very lively scene at Secreto and we thoroughly enjoyed the unique, creative cocktails. As is typical, we met another couple at the bar. The gentleman and my wife discovered they were both from Buffalo, NY and now are meeting on vacation in Santa Fe – big coincidence. Not typical, they recommended we join them for dinner at a relatively new restaurant, Eloisa, in the Drury hotel. The restaurant was quite good, but in retrospect, probably would not have been my first choice. We basically closed the place, and Uber’d to the hotel as the Drury is off the central plaza, it was late, and we weren’t 100% sure of exactly how to walk back.

Day 9

After breakfast at the hotel (The Inn at the Five Graces is an Amex platinum fine hotel, and comes with free breakfast when booking through the card), we started our day visiting Santa Fe’s main tourist attractions – Loretto chapel, St. Francis basilica, and Georgia O’Keefe museum where we took the docent tour. The San Miguel mission was right across the street from our hotel, so we toured that as well on our way back. The religious buildings have interesting histories going back to the Spanish settlement era in the 1600’s, and are some of the oldest buildings in the West. Though, much of course, is redone. The Georgia O’Keefe museum was outstanding and a highlight of the morning. She visited Santa Fe in her middle years and moved there from New York after her husband died in 1949. Her artworks mimic her life’s progression. Starting with the famous flower paintings early on to landscapes later in life showing her love for the New Mexican wilderness (and a bunch in between).

Outside of Santa Fe is Bandalier National Monument – canyons and mesas of land that contains archaeological ruins of Native American pueblos and settlements going back over 500 years. We arranged for a private guided hiking tour ahead of time. While the main entrance is somewhat of a drive, an offshoot called Tsankawi ruins, is a good deal closer. We simply didn’t have enough time to head to the main entrance, and as our tour guide called it – Bandalier light- is as good or close enough to the main portion that one isn’t really missing anything. In addition, its much less crowded – we were off-season, and didn’t see another person on the 1.5 mile or so walk/hike. Driving up, one passes the road to Los Alamos, the home of the first atomic bomb, and where defense research is still ongoing. We were told that a museum attraction and tour is in the works, but not yet completed. That could be quite entertaining for future New Mexico jaunts. Once at “Bandalier light”, the hike began almost immediately with a climb up a log ladder. Now that got the adrenaline flowing and we were excited for what was to come next. The photos below depict just a sprinkling of this picturesque, majestic, solemn land. Furthermore, we were simply blown away to find oodles of pottery shards and other Native American artifacts circa 500 years old strewn about the plateau. We felt like amateur archaeologists. Finally in natural caves, we gazed upon ancient petroglyphs. Our guide Scott from Outspire was friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and easy going, and we would recommend him highly for this excursion. This was the highlight of the day, and those going to Santa Fe should absolutely put this tour outside of the city on their agenda.

Once back at the hotel, we decided to enjoy the luxurious room with a fire and some cheese, crackers, and jelly bought along the way. After freshening up, it was time to hit the Santa Fe nightlife once again. Rather than frequent touristy establishments, we asked around and found a local bar/restaurant just off the central plaza – a relatively new place, Tonic. Sitting at the bar we conversed with Winston the bartender and owner, and thoroughly enjoyed his very creative cocktails. In fact, we had such a fun time at this upscale watering hole, we ordered a few rounds of excellent apps and made an evening of it.

Day 10

The next day in Santa Fe brought breakfast at the hotel once more, and then, as it was a Saturday, we went to the local farmers market just outside of the main town. After walking around there, we had reservations later that morning at the somewhat famous Santa Fe culinary school where we took a cooking class in Santa Fe/ New Mexican cooking. This was more of watching at tables of 8 (in a group of about 50), a Santa Fe culinary chef prepare 6 or 7 New Mexican dishes to feed all of us, while continuously explaining what she was doing and giving tips all in about an hour and half.  An outstanding feat, and the food was delicious. This became lunch.  Afterwards, we went to one of the main tourist destinations – Palace of the Governors and New Mexican history museum on the central plaza. The history museum was exactly as its stated, providing an excellent educational history of New Mexico and Santa Fe from the Native American Pueblo times, to the Spanish takeover and the interaction with the Rio Grande river running up from Mexico to the changing of leadership as America was born and began to move West. Our docent guide, however, was just plain dreary and we had to abandon the tour early on and explore the museum solo. This unfortunately left a bad taste in our (mainly my wife’s) mouths on this attraction. In the afternoon, it was off to Canyon road, home of artsy places and eateries. We stopped at a few places to window shop and when wanting to get off our feet found El Farol for drinks near the end of the road. This was an interesting establishment as they had Tequila tastings on the menu. Being mid afternoon, we weren’t ready to liquor it up so we passed, thinking we could hit this cool place later in the evening – unfortunately, we never got back.

Once again, after enjoying our room with a cozy fire (this one took some persistent calling of the staff to get going, as the rain played havoc with the fireplace), we freshened up and headed out for the evening. First stop was Tonic to grab some drinks and apps with our favorite bartender, Winston. They also have live music on Saturdays. Over cocktails and apps, we came to the conclusion that it would be hit or miss on whether we would find a better place to hang out in Santa Fe on a Saturday night. (The Secreto bar we discovered on our first night in town we later learned closed for remodeling the next day). Not wanting to leave our spot to take a chance on another establishment that was unlikely to surpass our current situation, we stayed for the evening ordering more apps in lieu of dinner. We do have a penchant for sitting at bars at local establishments over formal sit down dinners, (not all the time, but many times).  In retrospect, for a Saturday night, it didn’t seem like there was a lot going on.

After breakfast at the hotel, we were off to our final destination in New Mexico, taking the infamous “high road to Taos” and not the main highway.  Let me pause here for a few words on our three nights in Santa Fe.  Now Santa Fe is well regarded as a vacation destination, no question it has the reputation as, by far, the best place to visit in New Mexico, so the bar here was high. In my humble opinion, it met the bar, it did not exceed it. Interestingly enough, during our first full day here walking around the central plaza, my wife and I both experienced a sort of blah feeling (almost like we were done with it). We chalked it up to “travel fatigue”, after all we were just in Albuquerque, Carlsbad, T or C, and a few places in between all in a week. Maybe we needed a break, or maybe Santa Fe just wasn’t hitting us. That said, we didn’t dwell on it, we were sure we’d get a second wind (and we did). In retrospect, it was probably a bit of both. Coming from some mind blowing, incredibly unique places, Santa Fe may have been a bit of a let down given its reputation. I think our background here is relevant. Living and working in New York City when younger and currently traveling there several times a year, we have a good sense of hip, urban culture at the fullest, with a plethora of activities. Obviously, one can’t compare Santa Fe to NYC, and we had absolutely no intention to do that, but it just didn’t seem to deliver on its hip, vibrant cultural scene. A word on the hotel – again one of the most beautiful accommodations we’ve ever experienced. At check-in we were pleasantly surprised that the room came with a free massage for both of us. Whenever we went to schedule this massage, however, the service was booked. So we were promised something we didn’t expect, that never came though. That’s odd (don’t promise it at all)! A new manager joined the hotel during our stay, and he is well aware of the situation, and has likely rectified it. So for those choosing the the Inn at the Five Graces, please inquire about this.

Day 11

Now onto Taos. We hit the high road, believing we would have a similar experience to the fun trek on the turquoise trail between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Our first stop along the high road to Taos is a legendary church in a town called Chimayo. This church, Santuario de Chimayo, is known for its miraculous history and healing powers. Just so happens our itinerary took us here on a Sunday and we pulled up right before service was to begin. With mass about to start, we had no opportunity to explore this church or its infamous crucifix with healing power. From the parking lot we walked to another attraction, the Chimayo trading post, but this was closed on Sunday. Briefly walking along a street in this town, we got a sense of dreary poverty with a full dose of sketchiness, without further ado it was back to the rental and off to the next stop.

Continuing North there are a few more historic churches to see, but we were about churched out by this time. As we climbed in elevation the mostly desert landscape somehow quickly morphed into forest. While not awe inspiring, this complete change of scenery was surprising and quite beautiful. We were driving through a small picturesque portion of CarsonNational Forest. Unlike the turquoise trail, this high road to Taos was not one road, but required sharp turns onto 2-3 different roads with only small road signs leading the way – this unnerved the wife a bit. That said, we did not find this drive to be as stimulating as the turquoise trail.

Once in Taos, we found our hotel – The El Monte Sagrado – which was a mile or two off the main square. Taos is similar to Santa Fe which is similar to Albuquerque in that it has a central rectangular plaza with main buildings and/or a church surrounding the plaza and the city radiating out from this center. This is how the Spanish settlers set up their towns in 1600’s America and while the structures have certainly all changed, the basic layout retains its initial roots. Also similar to Santa Fe, we chose the hotel from among 3-4 options of luxury hotels in Taos. This hotel was funky in its themes. The hotel grounds covered many acres, with the rooms located in small cottage type buildings spread out along the periphery of this surprisingly large property. The room which was available upon our arrival a few hours before check-in time was of an Egyptian theme. Not wanting to wait for another to open, we chose this. The room was huge, had a bottle of champagne waiting for us, and as the pictures below depict, an out-of-place Egyptian motif.  After settling in and enjoying the champagne on the outside deck, we headed just North of town to The Millicent Rogers museum. There are a handful of what I would call small “B” museums in Taos, and we figured we’d spend the afternoon seeing them. Millicent Rogers was an heiress who collected Southwest and Native American jewelry, pottery, and artifacts including Navajo rugs dating back centuries. Thanks to her heirs, her tremendous collection is now on display at her adobe style house. We thoroughly enjoyed touring this almost hidden gem, which is extremely well put together and displayed.  Next was the Kit Carson home turned museum, which walked us through the truly amazing life of Kit Carson, a founding hero of this area. While not at the level of the Millicent Rogers museum, in our opinion, this was another gem. Finally it was the Blumenschein house. The house originally built in the late 1700’s and then added on to over the years described the life of the infamous Taos painter Blumenschein and his family.  Extremely well done, this was another fun and informative hour (or less). Again, while the Millicent Rogers museum topped the list, all three museums could be done in one afternoon and are just splendid.  Thirsty, we hit happy hour at the highly recommended Adobe bar, and were disappointed in both the drinks and the vibe.  We then drove back to the hotel, finished the champagne, and called it a day with drinks and dinner at the acclaimed Anaconda bar in our hotel.

Day 12

On our last full day in New Mexico, let me pause here to address an item I originally touched upon in the summary section at the onset of this write-up. The dichotomy of the Northern vs. Southern portions of the state. First, the South is decidedly more rural, more small town, and much more arid in its climate and landscape. (But that’s just superficial). When traveling through the Southern towns and talking with the locals and telling them we were heading North to Santa Fe and Taos, we heard only positive comments regarding how much we would love visiting those towns. Contrast this with conversing with the populace in Santa Fe and Taos. When we told them we had just come up from Carlsbad and Truth or Consequences not only did they question why we would ever visit there, a few looked at us in disgust. The inhabitants up North have a disdain for the Southern part of the state – like they’re all yahoos down there, and thus there is no good reason to visit. A bartender literally walked away when he heard we vacationed down there as though we were no longer worth hanging with. Who would’ve thought there would be such a division, and that we would be somewhat ostracized and taken down a few notches in their eyes for traveling there, especially when they hear we spent three nights in T or C – that blew their minds (and not in a good way). Oh well, this was an unexpected, yet cool tidbit we learned of the local New Mexican culture, and as stated in the opening, we love to ingratiate ourselves with local culture when we travel.

On to our full day in Taos. According to the guide books, a highlight of visiting Taos, or even New Mexico in general is the Taos Pueblo. This is a still active Pueblo where Native Americans live and work on their ancestral grounds, in many ways similar to their forefathers centuries ago.  Now, the Pueblo is closed to the public for several weeks in the Spring for ancient rituals and private customs and religious ceremonies. Going in April, we called the Pueblo and found out, it would indeed be closed during our time in Taos.  To our great surprise, we learned that the Pueblo opened early to the public a day or two before we arrived in Taos.  We headed there first thing in the morning after stopping for breakfast at a local place – Michaels (where we thoroughly enjoyed a traditional New Mexican breakfast), to arrive at opening.  Upon entering the Pueblo, we felt both humbled and honored to be allowed into this Native American village and meander among their homes and sacred land.  Soon after our arrival, we jumped on the first guided tour, which was given by a part-time resident of this Pueblo. Though most people don’t live at the Pueblo full time anymore, it’s a truly one-of-a-kind experience to wander around this ancient village and figuratively feel like you went several hundred years back in time and are mixing in with the people and culture of that time. Hard to put the emotions of this experience into words. Enough said, this is a must do in New Mexico.

After a few hours at the Pueblo and purchasing a few commemoratives, we were off to the Rio Grande Gorge bridge about 10 miles West of Taos. This bridge crosses the Rio Grande river which flows circa 600 feet below. We didn’t expect much, but boy were we just blown away.  As depicted in the photos below, the views from the bridge down to the river is breathtaking.  It’s not too much to say that this is a mini Grand Canyon in the middle of nowhere New Mexico. My spouse who is no fan of heights, walked right to the middle of the bridge as the scenery was just that spectacular.  We then hiked along a path on the West side of the canyon rim and again the views into the canyon carved out by this river and seismic activity over millions of years were awesome.  One picturesque stop along the trail was better than the next. We went about a mile or two out along the path then turned back and got in some good exercise for the day. What a splendid surprise this was.

Heading back into town, first stop was the Taos diner for the local favorite – green chile cheesburger. We then began driving to the La Hacienda del Los Martinez (an historic site from the early 1800’s), but this was much further out of town than we originally thought, and after a few minute drive South of the plaza, we weren’t feeling it and turned back. We dropped the car off back at the hotel and walked to the main square, fell into a vintage auto show then stopped at a place along the plaza for wine tasting.  The wines were just ok and were rather expensive to buy – no thank you.  Next just off the plaza we hit up the treehouse.  This upstairs bar served great cocktails with an excellent happy hour.  We had a few drinks and apps and made this into a light dinner.  After a good social time here, we then found the Alley Cantina – this was a dive bar, which surprised us given it was well written up in all the guide books.  After a cocktail, we walked back to the hotel, and had a drink and app at the Anaconda bar.  Being a Monday, the bars were pretty empty (with the exception of The Treehouse where the bar area was quite small). Starting with Taos Pueblo in the morning, this was a fun filled, productive, full last day in New Mexico for us. As for drinking establishments in Taos, the Treehouse stands out, and the food was good as well.  A quick word on the hotel – it was kinda funky with themed rooms in separate small buildings spread around the acreage.  The hotel atmosphere gave us a sense that it was in transition and still trying to figure out how to make it all work.  Even though it was only a mile or less off the beaten path, Its location always felt a bit out of the way.  That said, the room was very spacious and cool, and they had a unique text messaging service that was quite efficient.  You text a request to a number and they got back to you immediately.  This is much better than waiting on hold from the room phone common at so many hotels.

Day 13

After free breakfast at the hotel, we were off to the airport. We drove South on the low road to Santa Fe (as opposed to the high road we drove to Taos) along the Rio Grande river and passed some wine tasting bars and kayaking areas along the way.  Cool stuff, but we had a plane to catch. At Santa Fe it was onto the interstate highway system to the Albuquerque airport. This adventure was now basically over and we absolutely loved our two weeks in New Mexico. The nickname aptly fits – The Land of Enchantment.