Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Get Out To The Desert
Old 03-14-2005, 08:08 AM   #1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Pasadena CA
Posts: 3,346
Get Out To The Desert

A few weeks ago my wife & I went to Death Valley in our VW camper. What a wonderful place, the flowers were just starting. This is the wettest winter in 100 years. This weekend we went to the Anza-Borrego desert, its a riot of color, more than in recorded history. Just amazing to see the deserts green and full of flowers. All you folks who live in the southwest,and the other ERd folks with time, make sure you get out and see the color show.
I have pictures but you can just google the sites and get plenty of information and local pictures.
__________________
T.S. Eliot:
Old men ought to be explorers
yakers is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Re: Get Out To The Desert
Old 03-14-2005, 11:08 AM   #2
Dryer sheet aficionado
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 29
Re: Get Out To The Desert

Desert blooms can be awesome!

Seeking advice on Santa Fe and Taos, as wife and I are heading there in May for a couple of weeks.

Have done a fair amount of homework and have the Lonely Planet guide, but sure would appreciate any personal takes and advice on hike/bike/raft/hotsprings/nature/shop/tourist/eat/etc. !

Thanks,
cfcf
cfcf is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Get Out To The Desert
Old 03-14-2005, 11:18 AM   #3
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
Re: Get Out To The Desert

Can't offer any advice right now, but when I get back in mid-April, I will let you know. We are renting a house between Santa Fe and Taos.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell

Ezekiel 23:20
brewer12345 is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Get Out To The Desert
Old 03-15-2005, 02:48 AM   #4
Dryer sheet aficionado
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 29
Re: Get Out To The Desert

B12345,

Awesome - thanks much. Have a great trip!
cfcf is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Get Out To The Desert
Old 03-26-2005, 09:25 AM   #5
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,049
Re: Get Out To The Desert

Stay at an earthship! www.earthship.org

There are some funky hotels in Taos also.

Skip that recommended Mexican food place in Santa Fe - Tomatito's or something? Overrated.

Pecos Wilderness campgrounds are insanely crowded on the weekends. The backcountry is also fairly crowded if you're within a day's hike of the trailhead.
eridanus is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Get Out To The Desert
Old 03-28-2005, 10:59 AM   #6
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 98
Re: Get Out To The Desert

Best show of wildflowers I've ever seen was in Big Bend National Park in Texas. Absolutely spectacular. This was back in 2001 and the locals said that it was only a so-so year. If west Texas has received the kind of rainfall we've had this year in the far west, I bet the blooms are beautiful. Even if they're not, Big Bend is a wonderful place to visit and you can pretty much have the whole park to yourself.
Traveler is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Get Out To The Desert
Old 03-29-2005, 03:13 AM   #7
Dryer sheet aficionado
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 29
Re: Get Out To The Desert

Eridanus,

We we going to do the tenting/camping thing on this trip, but then decided to splurge for once and sleep in a real bed.

We've decided to stay at a couple of different casitas (guest houses). They both look pretty sweet (especially the Taos one), and cost just a little more than an el-drabo hotel room.

Taos http://casagallina.net/gallina_casagallina.htm
Santa Fe http://www.vrbo.com/8552
cfcf is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Get Out To The Desert
Old 03-29-2005, 07:14 PM   #8
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Sheryl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,463
Re: Get Out To The Desert

Thanks for posting the link - that place in Taos does look sweet. I want to get down to the SW this September - let us know how you like it.
Sheryl is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Get Out To The Desert
Old 04-12-2005, 12:56 PM   #9
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
Re: Get Out To The Desert

Quote:
Desert blooms can be awesome! *

Seeking advice on Santa Fe and Taos, as wife and I are heading there in May for a couple of weeks.

Have done a fair amount of homework and have the Lonely Planet guide, but sure would appreciate any personal takes and advice on hike/bike/raft/hotsprings/nature/shop/tourist/eat/etc. !

Thanks,
cfcf
Heh, I'm back. After 2 feet of snow in Denver on the day we were supposed to leave, I wasn't so sure that would be the case. Contonental can eat my ass with a spoon the next time I am anywhere near a snowstorm and booked on one of their flights. The damn airport was closed yet the morons at their Houston telecenter kept insisting that the flight would leave on time and I'd better be there when it did.

Anyway, we had a great time. The place we stayed was amazing and a great bargain. Check it out at the link: http://www.vrbo.com/37663 We well be doing the house rental thing again when we travel with kids. MUCH easier when you have a kitchen and washer/dryer at your disposal.

In Taos: don't miss the Millicent Rodgers museum. Blew away every other museum we hit in NM. Definately go see the Taos pueblo. Other than that, the people-watching is great, since its still full of old hippies and, um, unique characters. Oh, and spend a few minutes checking out the Taos gorge bridge.

In Santa Fe: Go see the cathedral. The Loretto chapel was neat, but tackily commercialized. The Palace of Governors is worthwhile, as is the Museum of Fine Arts. Don't bother with the Georgia O'Keefe musem. In general, the galleries have better art than the museums, sadly. We found Santa Fe to be overrun by wealthy tourists and generally full of hype and marketing.

In the area: Take a ride along the "High Road" to Taos. Amazing sights and nifty historical places. You also pass through some national forest with good hiking. I am still having problems with one knee, so we didn't get to do much hiking.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell

Ezekiel 23:20
brewer12345 is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Get Out To The Desert
Old 04-15-2005, 03:46 AM   #10
Dryer sheet aficionado
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 29
Re: Get Out To The Desert

B12345,
Thanks for your first-hand experiences and advice on New Mexico travel.

Countdown to blastoff has begun: NM or bust in 2 more weeks!
cfcf is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
My "unconventional" route to FIRE FreeBird Young Dreamers 46 02-05-2006 11:21 PM
New guy ERd in Thailand Lancelot Hi, I am... 25 04-23-2004 07:34 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:00 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.