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.
