Hi Outside, I had considered that, but the two mountains are 1:15 apart so it may not be doable. Taos just reopened after a huge renovation when the founding family sold it to an investor/ski buff. The property looks lovely and they have also reworked some of the slopes to accommodate beginner/intermediate skiiers. I took up skiing only about 15 years ago and I do not do black diamonds and I have zero interest in them, so I was glad to hear they have made it more accessible!

Oh and if you go to ABQ you must stay or dine at Los Poblanos. Love the design!

I was telling the missus about this thread and she reminded me that if you happen to be there at the right time (late September), the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Festival is a fun thing to attend.

This is not chili, but chile - the pepper, not the soup-like dish. Not all chiles are hot, but you would learn than once you got there.

Mtn, we moved from Santa Fe to ABQ last summer and live a mile or so down Rio Grande Blvd. from Los Poblanos. I just love that place! If I need a pick-me-up I just go there and shop a little, chill a little on a Saturday. I'm so glad you got to enjoy it!

Nothing to do with touring......but I have been reminded of a sweet line in the Broadway musical "Titanic" where there were many young, innocent Irish girls sailing across the ocean to become maids or nannies in parts unknown. One girl said she was going to AL BEE QUE QUE. And it was sweet in the story and in the song, not like the way it appears here in text, so cut and dry LOL. Hope you can imagine it :)

Jakabedy, that is wild -- lucky you. Beautiful area, too. I wonder how often we pass GW'ers without knowing it. Los Poblanos was a delight. We booked a night there around New Year's to stop there on our way home from Taos to ABQ, since skiing then driving 3 hrs might be a little stressful to make a flight. Really just an excuse for me to return!

Mtn, please get in touch when you’re back this way if you’re not too wiped out from skiing and fancy a short GW ‘er visit. I’d love to meet you. And if you need anything when you’re out this way, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Thanks, Jakabedy (do you have the message function operational?)

Mtn, I am happy to hear they have made those changes at Taos. It was needed, IMO. Like you, I didnt learn to ski until my late 30’s so was never truly comfortable with black diamonds, although I did do a few. No more.

And thanks for all who mentioned Los Poblanos. I used to visit Albuquerque (SNL) on business quite often and thought it sounded very familiar. Based on Jakabedy’s mention of the location, I finally googled it, and yes, I ate dinner there several times with our Sandia coworkers. Also went there with my ‘crew’ of DH plus 3 other couples when we went to Santa Fe and Taos skiing and sightseeing. We had lunch there. Will have to go again.

Well, if any of you head back here again I’d love meet up with you for lunch or whatever works .

Finally got around to taking a look at what's what in NM and I don't see how we can have a good time if we try to do it all in a week. So now we need to decide if we want to head north or do the south. I think the north would be much more to see and do but I've *always* wanted to do Carlsbad and see the bats....

I should've figured as tauck did change their tour to just the north of NM and dropped out the run from El Paso. They pretty much know what they're doing and are willing to change if it doesn't work.

Re places to stay in Carlsbad, yikes!! The prices are high, but I did find a cute little cottage 20 min outside of the park that is far more reasonable and highly rated on airbnb...

Lynn and Jakabedy, if DH and I decide to come out your way, I would love for us to meet somewhere convenient for lunch or dinner. Thanks for the open invitation, Lynn!

I believe my message function is operational. I'd love to meet up with anyone who comes out this way, or assist if needed as you're passing through. And Lynn and others already here -- we need to plan a get together!

If its scenic locations your are looking for, I recommend northern Arizona, Utah, and Colorado instead of New Mexico.

Thanks jemdandy, but we are on a mission to get DH to all 50 states and we only have 3 to go: Idaho, Montana and New Mexico, so this would be part of our quest.

While AZ, UT, and CO certainly have much to recommend them (have been to all states numerous times), there's a reason that NM is hailed as The Land of Enchantment. It truly is.

My father was such a geography geek that he got to all 50 state capitals. To prove it, he took a photo of each capital building. I still have those photos.

I'm with IdaClaire on this. There is a reason that New Mexico is called the Land of Enchantment. It is a unique state with many beautiful places to visit. The state has a personality all it's own.

"It is a unique state with many beautiful places to visit. The state has a personality all it's own"

Isn't this true of every state and region? I think it is.

Yeah, but so what? That doesn't negate the fact that New Mexico (the topic of this thread) does too!

It's a non sequitur. What insight is conveyed if saying what's true everywhere else is also true there? Wouldn't that be obvious?

I don't like the place, and since I don't have much good to say, I'll limit my remarks.

The speed limit is refreshingly lower than you may be used to driving. Although if you're from a small state it might seem fast.

I would not stay overnight in Carlsbad again. I would; however, stay in Roswell. It might seem cheesy, but the UFO museum in Roswell was interesting if you already have an interest in that topic. Otherwise skip it.

I like to drive through the state at night on my way to Arizona, Colorado, or Texas.

Criminy.

Some of the main roads through New Mexico aren't very scenic. If you are just driving through, then it looks like a whole lot of nothing. A lot of New Mexico's beauty is in hidden pockets around the state. You have to intentionally go looking for it.

The New Mexico night sky is awesome. It just sort of dances. I think more stars are visible there than I have seen anywhere else. The milky way is very visible. You have to get away from the light pollution of the cities for the best views.

You are right about New Mexico's night sky. I've never seen such clarity anywhere else and the milky way is a stand out rarely seen as well anywhere else.

Ship Rock.- Early travelers used this landmark as a guide post to assure that they were on the right track. Native Americans consider this sacred. Please treat it with respect.

New Mexico Ranch House

Mature trees in fall

Some favorite places to eat in Carlsbad: Lucy's for Mexican food and margaritas, No Whiner Diner (lunch and dinner only, no breakfast), Pecos River Cafe (breakfast and lunch), and Danny's Place (brisket, pulled pork). There isn't really any "fine" dining in town - it's a small town.

It's also currently very, very crowded due to an oil boom. Be patient and you will get where you are going.

I also read a story online this morning that the main elevators at the Caverns finally re-opened. If you are able, I highly recommend hiking down. It takes a while but is just so beautiful with some different sights than you will see at the bottom.

Also, it stays kind of cool year-round. You might want to wear long sleeves or bring a light jacket.

There is not a lot else to do in Carlsbad itself (the Caverns are not in town). They have a nice, small art museum, Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Sitting Bull Falls (north of town, if it is open). If you have time, take a day trip to Ruidoso, Lincoln, Capitan, and Cloudcroft area. Do that on a weekday if you can because a lot of people go to Ruidoso on weekends and it can get crowded.

Have fun!

Hah, Jim! I looked up the SF wine and chile festival and they have a pic of all these lobster tails being grilled...in NM???

Reminds me of when we go to ME the restaurants all have signs that say fresh pacific salmon, and when we're in seattle, they all have signs that say fresh maine lobster. Go figure!

We decided the north route is definitely the one for us for this trip. I'm pulling together the must sees and then the maybes if we have time.

One of the things we were considering was Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR ride, but it takes a full day...is it worth it?

We're also looking into taking the dusk horseback tour at the ghost ranch. Anyone done it?

Also, in Santa Fe, is the Palace of Governors interesting?

We probably would want to see one pueblo location, but that's probably enough for us...is there one that's outstanding? Acoma? Bandelier? Taos? Or will we really miss something if we don't make it 2.

I can't tell you how helpful all of your input has already been for us, and we haven't even started our list of restaurants or places to stay!

Access to Taos Pueblo is easy. Lots of interesting things there. Bandelier (to my knowledge) is not an active Pueblo, ruins is all, but if you have never seen anything like that, it is worth the few hours there.

Palace of the Governors itself is nothing much. What you see there is outside the building where the Pueblo members display their wares. It is on the Plaza where the tourists gather, sometimes with music (adds to the atmosphere).

The Wine & Chile festival is an opportunity for restaurants to show off their culinary skills by combining locally sourced chile and whatever else they decide to offer. It is the Anaheim Chiles that are the star, along with wine (some from within 50 miles of Santa Fe).

The railway is a narrow gauge old-time thing. I have never ridden as I am not a huge fan of that kind of diversion. If you are there when the aspens are putting on a show, the area is beautiful. Check TripAdvisor for more information on that.

Be sure you check the temperature averages before you go. Santa Fe is at 7,000 feet. Temps could be much different than what you might anticipate.

I went to Taos in 1964 and loved it, and I also visited the outside of the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, but that is a quick tour. I loved Taos and was very glad I went there. There was not much of a town there back then, but I don't think it has changed that much in 50 years anyway. Santa Fe has changed quite a bit in the last 50 years, however. It seemed like a rather small town in 1964.

Thanks, Jim, very helpful.

I would totally do the HBR at Ghost Ranch. I wanted to but it was too hot and too sunny for us that time of year.

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Ski Taos

Annie,

The railroad is fun, but maybe more for kids? The ride at Ghost Ranch I think would be more memorable and more "New Mexico." The Palace of the Governors in SF closed the beginning of August for a huge 6-month restoration project.

Acoma and Taos are still living, inhabited pueblos. Acoma is in an amazing location on top of a butte, a bit to the west of ABQ. Taos pueblo is magical as well. Just like the postcards. Either would be good, but check their individual websites or call them to sort out whether there are any special hly days when they'll be closed to the public. Bandelier has the historic cliff dwellings, and is awesome in its own right.

Apparently my daughter thinks the thing to see is the red sand. She's in NM for pre-deployment training. I asked her to send pics. She sent one. Haha

Dh's friend just came back from Santa Fe. Like us, he has been there several times. He thought it was trashier this time. This has happened in the past. The city usually cleans it up when it affects tourism.

Taos Pueblo did not impress me. They charged money for everything including taking pictures when we went several years ago. I would go to Bandelier over that. I'm not sure about Acoma. I haven't been there.

I've ridden the Durango Silverton train, but not the New Mexico one. The area it goes through is beautiful and I would prefer that to horses, but I am not a horse person. The area around the Ghost Ranch is unique and beautiful. I can only assume the Ghost Ranch is too. We drove by there, but didn't visit.

I put together a rough draft itinerary and am posting here for comments, good and bad..

If I could cut out a day or two, that'd be great as if I keep it to a week's vacation, my plants will survive it.

I wish I were closer, I could help with the plants.
This looks doable.

Annie, I don’t know if you’ve ever mentioned when you’ll be taking this trip here to New Mexico, but Tent Rocks is closed now for road work, as portions were damaged recently during our heavy (for here) monsoon rains. No date has been given for it to reopen, but I imagine it will only be a few weeks at most.

Oh thanks so much Lynn...that may make our schedule work even better, though I'd be sorry to miss them.

This article is in the Albuquerque Journal today. It's a NM bucket list.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1209993/nm-bucket-list-features-30-mustsee-local-spots.html

It's understandable that Taos Pueblo requires a camera permit. There are hordes of people traipsing through this ancient home and ceremonial site on a daily basis, and the required permit is but one way for the Puebloans to try to exact some control over how visitors conduct themselves. You would truly be amazed at the audacious acts that entirely too many "guests" commit while visiting. Those who cherish the pueblo have a right to expect respect -- to not have photos taken of people and places where they have not given consent -- and this is one way to drive that point home. (One doesn't have to buy the permit in order to visit the pueblo, however.) Acoma Pueblo also requires a paid camera permit (most active pueblos do).

I don't mind paying these fees one bit, considering that it has allowed me to experience cultural ways that are on the verge of extinction. There is so much beauty, mystery, and magic in these places IMO.

OK, new itinerary...I think I'd prefer to end the trip in Jemez Springs with total relaxation after all our going, doing and hiking. We talked about eliminating the train ride, but we decided we want to take the extra day to do it...

Questions...is staying in Los Alamos ok? I found a B&B that's pretty highly rated. Days Inn is not our idea of a vacay!

Also, on our night in ABQ, I've found a victorian B&B near old town. Is that a safe area to stay? I know a number have expressed concerns about ABQ, and I see Tauck stays well outside of the city.

I don't know ABQ area any more, but I understand that Old Town is quite safe. However, Los Alamos is a fine place to stay. You might be so enchanted that you would consider returning there. So much history in a town like Los Alamos.

Spent the day making reservations and now our trip is all set but for a few a couple of small things and packing! Looking forward to it!

Thanks everyone for all your help and insight. We will have a far better time all because of you!

Make certain you have some bills with you when you tour the pueblos. While it may have changed if you take pictures of individuals you were supposed to tip/pay them. Nights do get/feel cool/cold so take something to slip on.

I do not know the rules these days, but many years ago when we visited Colorado, there were employees on a Dude and Dinner Ranch who came from the Taos Reservation in NM. We were instructed to never take their picture without permission. Always ask. Some of these people were of a religion that feared there was a danger that the camera might capture their soul and deny them passage to a heavenly world after death. Breaking this rule was a guarantee to being tossed off the property with no refund.

Keep this in mind as this belief likely exists to date, besides, it is a courtesy to ask before snapping a photo of these Native Americans.

Thanks, jem, yes I've read that in a number of places. Apparently Taos Pueblo allows no cameras or cellphones at all, and if they see them, they confiscate them and you don't get them back.