Well, we're back. Went to Amarillo, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taso. Stayed 2-3 days in each.
Amarillo: Well, it's a place to stop and rest. The Palo Duro Canyon is best thing there. Went to see the outdoor stage play "Texas" and loved it. Had horses and shootings and fireworks and was well-directed. Worth the ticket price. It's been running over 30 years. We drove right past the Cadillac ranch and the smelly stock yards with hamburger on the hoof. I’d seen both previously.
Albuquerque: Nice. Still hot though we saw our first rain and lightning in awhile. We did the hike up to see the Petroglyphs, which is a national monument. We went to the Balloon museum and park which is cool. On Oct 6th, there's an international hot air balloon event in which 800 or so balloons take off (at the same time they said). It took us about 2 hours to go thru the place. Old Town is nice, but touristy. Speaking of ER, I met a 79 year old guy in a book shop who told me he'd retire the day of his funeral. We rode the Sandia Peak tram, billed as the world's longest passenger tramway and then hiked 3 miles roundtrip at the peak. Also met a couple of other older gents and one lady, still working, all of whom had a great, positive outlook on life. We ate at the Dari Thai in Albuquerque and in Taos. I recommend it. Also recommend Tito and Mary’s Mexican restaurant on 4th street. Tito is dead, but 76(?) year old Mary is, you guessed it, still working. We drove up to Sandia Peak for a twilight picnic; saw a rattler lying in the road, stopped just as one of a couple of young ladies jogging downhill managed to step on the snake’s tail. Rattle, rattle.
Santa Fe is too rich for my taste and a definite tourist trap. I’ve seen it before. Lots of artsy places, museums, etc. BTW: The Catholic Church seems to own New Mexico. They’re everywhere. I can recommend the India House buffet in Santa Fe for eating, although Mexican restaurants are abundant. On the plaza, the Indians hawk art and jewelry. Went to the famous Loretto Chappel,
http://www.lorettochapel.com/, with its famous staircase,
http://www.lorettochapel.com/stair.html . Although a tourist trap, it is a functioning church, performing services and weddings. Another old guy, still working, sold us tickets. We went to the state capitol, where there are several million dollars of artwork inside the capitol building.
Taos. Took the ski lift to Snow Valley (not much there in the summer). Then went rafting, using Los Rios River Runners (recommended). Went out to the 650 ft deep Rio Grande Gorge; in fact, the rafting was in the Rio Grande. Left Taos heading for Cimmaron. It was 59 degrees when we left and 103 degrees just south of Amarillo.
I was struck by the liberal attitude of the citizens. A blue state, par excellence, with utter hatred for GWB. I saw a car up on Sandia with bumper stickers, like: "Yee Haw, is not a foreign policy." and "Let's not elect him in 2004 either." When we left Sante Fe, citizens were demonstrating on the Cerrillos Road, with no war signs, and honk for peace. I uttered expletive deleted, much to DW’s chagrin. If I master the skill, I’ll post a coupe of pics.
Overall, I recommend the State, if just to avoid the Texas Heat. It is beautiful in the mountains. I was struck by the apparent reality that people do things outside, like Hawaii. Texas’ heat keeps people indoors. Watch out for the trucks on interstate 44. They drive about 85 mph. Somebody told us that New Mexico has oil, lots of it. First I ever heard of that.