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If it’s a drive through type visit. Drive the enchanted circle, Taos to Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Red River, Questa back to Taos. Drive up from Espanola to Taos and you’re driving along the Rio.

Texas Reds in Red River has pretty good steaks.

Take HWY 4 from San Ysidro to Los Alamos and visit the Valle Caldera. This drive could easily be incorporated into the above if starting off from Albuquerque.

Lot of options if you give a little more on interests.

Yes it is, neat place.

The World’s Longest Tram as well, not mentioned…

Do either of you climb rock?

If so, I just helped a friend who runs a climbing school in Taos by giving some hand crack climbing instruction. Loads of nice rock around there, though you have to go up out of the valley to get to it. There isn't a lot bolted or even named routes, and not many other climbers most of the year.

Anyway here is a very nice overhanging crack that starts in a creek and runs for 600 yards before you have to traverse to another crack above it, that goes another 600 almost to a local summit. Both cracks will hold cams the entire way, so safe but your belay will need to be a ways off so bring plenty of rope. But you can stand in the creek and grab it to ascend.

Only 2 miles off the road too, on private land but getting a permit is just phone call and a $5 "donation".



If you don't climb my only suggestion is to go to White Sands then hit a bar in Alamogordo. Get drunk and drive (NM tradition) up to Cloudcroft. The contrast in scenery will make you think you were abducted by aliens and they took you to another planet (also a NM tradition).

What time of year do you want to go?

Ruidoso, Capitan, Lincoln area has some neat history and scenery.

Ruidoso area has lots to do. Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino Resort; gambling dining, golf, small zip line, shops, dining, etc.

Ruidoso proper; shops, dining, go cart, mini golf, hiking, horse race track during season.(home of the richest quarter horse race) Elk and deer will be roaming the residential areas.

Ski Apache; nice drive up, lots of overlooks, zip line during off ski season. Will probably see elk if you go in the evening.

Even better when you have ibex blood on your hands.

It is what you make of it. The VLA is cool to see once. The Gran quivira is cool along with other ruins in the state.
Cimarron has a lot of history
You can watch young guns 1 &2 then come see where it all happened in Lincoln.
Same with breaking bad I guess.
Long stretches of highway with hole in the wall places in between.

Locals and tourists often have different ideas about what is interesting. I spend some time in NM and have family there, but I suppose I am more like a tourist.

I like Santa Fe. It's got a good solid food culture with some pretty good restaurants. In the summer the opera plays. You don't even have to be an opera fan to enjoy the open air venue. The opera goers tailgate in the parking lot before the show. Beer, bbq and the works. Hearing the song of the coyotes is bonus. https://www.santafeopera.org/

The Plaza in the old part of town is pretty cool. There are often good festivals there. Women enjoy hitting the shops. Hyde State Park up on the mountain to the east of Santa Fe is a nice drive with some good hiking there. In the fall the apsens put on a nice show. https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/find-a-park/hyde-memorial-state-park/

Chama is pretty cool. The train ride is well worth taking. It winds through some absolutely picturesque places. https://cumbrestoltec.com/

I love the drive from Clayton to Raton. Antelope are everywhere and Capulin is worth the visit as well from what I have heard. I have seen it but not been to it.

A sleeper of a good drive is from Tucumcari to Las Vegas along 104. Between Tucumcari and Conchas Lake there are some antelope. Once you get closer to Las Vegas, Elk aren't uncommon. Both the Raton and Las Vegas drives following good rains are stunningly pretty. The grass greens up and it looks like a well manicured golf course for as far as the eye can see.

The ladies will appreciate Ojo Caliente Spa https://ojosparesorts.com/

I have been across much of the state, and while there are plenty of things to interest people all over, the northeast corner is most interesting to me. The plains in the far east, the Rockies and what I call high desert provide for a lot of diversity.

October/November maybe.....
no rock climbing we be old farts so car riding is all....did the walking around stuff 15 years ago....

Sparky's in Hatch.

The Owl in San Antonio.

Green chile cheeseburgers!

Haven’t been that fortunate….Yet.

Lots of history in your country. Ever go to the dances at No Scum Allowed? Some friends go and say it’s a pretty good time?

If it’s early October, I’d definitely think about the Enchanted Circle drive.

Just got back day before yesterday. The state has the mentioned issues but is beautiful. We went from Las Cruces up past Sana Fe. Stayed In Ruidoso, Alamogordo, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Ghost Ranch (ultra liberal in my view but gorgeous), and Glorieta. Wonderful vistas! More practical is there is a ten round limit on magazines, few places off limit. Crime may be rampant but stay out of the bigger cities, we had no problem other than elevation, I live at 400 feet and should have carried some oxygen with me. Heat... 112 in Las Cruces, ouch! Hatch chilies were being roasted many places and smelled delightful, if only I liked them. I like New Mexico a lot and will return.

I was concerned for my ass virginity at a McDonalds in Albuquerque one time.
I had to step over a passed out bum in the foyer and then I suddenly realized I was the only 'normal' person in there.....they were looking at me like I was more than just a piece of meat.

If you remember, I told you to leave the skirts at home and let the hair on your legs grow out for a while.

True - the reservations have their own laws.
Although I've been over much of the state, if you want to know about the Northeast part, PM me for my phone #.
I'll answer any questions I can.

In 1997 I stopped in the Visitor Center at Tucumcari. This was before we carried phones with us that told us everything. I grabbed a visitors guide and saw that the state had 14,000’ mountains and set off on that exact route.
We camped at Storrie Lake State Park and toured the area. Fell in love with it and spent a lot of time in the northeast part of the state.
I’m pretty sure Longmire was filmed in Las Vegas NM.
I’m long overdue for a trip back out there!

The Los Alamos area can be interesting, scientifically and otherwise - someone earlier laid out a road trip near there - good advice. But, why is Shiprock a biggie? Not on most agendas.

Some of the best things to see and do in NM are far apart - in different areas of a large state. Those asking about time/place/interest are trying to be helpful.

Until recently, we lived in the Gila National Forest for 21 years and it was beyond fabulous for us. Most of the "Gila" in SW New Mexico is great for those who are heavily into outdoor life and grand vistas.

We worked hard at trying to explore the best of NM and found a lot to enjoy, but very little of that was in cities. Some locations are lowdown bad.

[quote=SLM]Haven’t been that fortunate….Yet.

Lots of history in your country. Ever go to the dances at No Scum Allowed? Some friends go and say it’s a pretty good time?

[quote=

You know what, we haven’t been but I hear it’s a damn good time too. I need to talk the little lady into going some time.

There is tons of history all over this country. I rack my brain daily trying to figure out why did they settle here or what route they took to get from point A to B and how hard would it have been by wagon. The cool thing about Lincoln is it’s really relatively unchanged. No convenient stores, modern restaurants etc.

Albuquerque is a weird town that probably isn’t on anyone’s radar of places to visit.

The locals called liquor stores bars and had a goofy anti bar law that required standing outside filling out a clipboard full of info and paying a fee in order to be “a member of a club” before being allowed into a bar that almost always sucked and was a few older guys drinking and a bunch of junkies just outside of the door.