From: IRMSS931@SIVM.BITNET (Doreen Rappaport)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.travel-l
Subject: New Mexico
Date: 6 Nov 92 13:36:18 GMT
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From:  Doreen Rappaport
We just spent 10 days in the gorgeous state of New Mexico and I thought I
would share some of the highlights and don't sees with the list.  Especially,
since NM is an item of interest lately.  We did go for the Balloon festival in
Albuquerque, which if you have never gone before, I would definitely recommend.
The sight of over 600 Hot air balloons in the sky leaves your mouth and eyes
wide open and your fingers clicking on the camera every 10 seconds.

Other sights to see:
* Albuquerque - (overall ok, not all that much to see in the city itself)
  - This is where we flew into.  NICE airport! I was very impressed.  Big
    difference from Denver (no offense intended Denverites) which was our
    transfer point.  Very clean and not crowded at all.
  - Downtown plaza is ok, very quiet at night, lots of shops to visit during
    the day.  Take a trip into the Rattlesnake museum if you have time on your
    hands - kind of neat to see all the rattlers at once.  Cute for kids, they
    get a certificate of bravery at the end.
 -  Sandia Tram - A definite!  Gorgeous view at the top and lots of neat places
    to walk around.  I would plan on spending 3-4 hours up there just hiking
    around.
 -  Kirtland Air Force Base has an atomic museum which is interesting if you
    have time.  Plus it is free.
 -  University of New Mexico - didn't really have a chance to go into the
    University itself, but there is a great sandwich/icecream place right
    around there on Central Avenue.  The museums inside the university are
    suppose to be pretty good.
 -  Pueblo Cultural Center - big tourist trap!  Go for the Indian dancing if
    you have never seen it before then get out of there.
 -  Petroglyph Park (I think that is what is called) - somewhere off I40.  Nice
    short walking tour of some neat petroglyphs.

*Santa Fe: (save your tourist dollars to buy things here)
 -  Governor's Plaza is great.  Some of the Native Indians display their wares
    there - really beautiful stuff.
 -  Good place for shopping and eating.  We tried out the Coyote Cafe (kind of
    expensive, but food was really good.)
 -  Took one of the walking tours and saw Canyon Road (home of the artists),
    Smallest house (forget this!), Loretto Chapel has an incredible 360 stair-
    case, and unfortunately, we didn't get to see too much of the museums but
    I hear they are interesting.
-   A couple of blocks from the main part of the city is a small park which
    overlooks Santa Fe - this is a wonderful spot to see one of New Mexico's
    beautiful sunsets.

*Taos:
- We personally didn't like Taos that much.  It seemed very overcrowded and
  very, very touristy.  Didn't see too much around there.
- Took the High Road to Taos but if you have been out to Western New Mexico
  and Arizona, the sights definitely do not compare.  The view of the Rio
  Grande is nice though.

*Los Alamos:
 - nice suburb.  Definitely see the Atomic museum and then go to Bandolier.
   Bandolier is a great Park!  Do climb up to the Great Kiva!  It is a really
   fun hike.  Lots of Anasazi ruins to see along the way.

*Other things we saw and did:
-  Chaco Canyon was nice but we were getting kind of Anasazied out by that time
-  Went into Arizona to see Canyon D'Shelly - this was incredible!!!!  We took
   an all day jeep ride into the canyon itself which was a little long (I would
   probably recommend the half day tour or horseback tour) and the sights were
   gorgeous.  There are quite a few Navajo Indians still living down in the
   Canyon, lots of Anasazi ruins, and spectacular landscape.  We took some of
   the backroads into the Canyon right through the Navajo reservation.  This
   was definitely a great experience, although a little dangerous at times
   especially since we didn't have a four wheel drive.  Be careful not to get
   stuck down there at night.  The roads for the most part are not paved and
   very uneven.
-  Drove through some of the Indian reservations.  Would recommend stopping at
   some of the old trading posts.  Also, I hear Acoma and Zuni reservations are
   really wonderful places to stop and see.
-  Mesa Verde, Colorado.  Stayed in the Mesa Verde Lodge right in the Park.
   This was fairly nice - we got a good deal on the rooms ($60 for 2 nights).
   The tours are great!  Tour guides are very knowledgeable and provide lots
   of detail.  You get to walk around some major Anasazi ruins, definitely can
   get a feel for the Adobe style of living.

New Mexico is really a beautiful state.  The weather was wonderful while we
we were there, although I hear they do get some horrible rains.  We even got
to see some wildlife - snake (no rattler though except in the museum), deer,
coyote, and even a mountain lion (although my husband doesn't really think it
was one.)  Didn't get a chance to see southern New Mexico but we will
definitely try to come back for another trip.

That's it for now.  Hope the above helps someone.

  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
       Doreen Rappaport
       Smithsonian Institution      Phone: (202)786-2142
       OIRM - IRD                   Bitnet:  IRMSS931@SIVM
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU