Tourist info for New Mexico

I just met a gal thru email that is not only another RVer but she also sells on eBay and belongs to the same forum I do.

We were talking yesterday about New Mexico because she is planning a trip to the southwest. My husband was born and raised there and has lived all but 7 years of his life in the Land of Enchantment.

I on the other hand was born and raised in NY but NM became my adopted home in 1966. I lived there for over 35 years with a few years in Nevada and back to NY and now Colorado.

In all those years we have done a lot of touring around besides showing the visitors the sites.

There is plenty to do and see starting with the sunsets. I have said many times that is someone would put those colors on canvas no one would believe it was real. And it is especially awesome when there are clouds on the western horizon.

Next is the wide open spaces and the mountains. The central mountain range is the southern tip of the Rockies - Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) by Santa Fe; Sandia (Watermelon) by Albuquerque and Manzano (Apple) south of Albuquerque by the Isleta India Reservation,, Los Lunas and Belen.

The sun shines on these mountains from the west giving them all the different hues at sunset.

NM is proud to boast it is tri cultural - Anglo; Hispanic and Indian. The state is divided almost in 1/3eds - Private land; government owned land like military bases and research labs and Native American reservations.

Indians / Native Americans - There are so many tribes / groups / pueblos I could not name them all. Isleta (south of Albuquerque) was the first group to host large scale Bingo over 25 years ago. Sandia (north of Albuquerque) followed shortly.

Now there ae many full scale casinos all over the state. Because of the revenue generated from the casinos, any graduating senior from high shcool, can contiue on, in the fall, in college - full tuition paid for all 4 years!

Taos Pueblo and Mesa Verde (at the 4 Corners area) give a great over view how the ancestors lived. Taos is north of Santa Fe and the drive along the high road is beautiful. The pueblo is sitll occupied. The city itself is an artists mecca being home to DH Lawrence, at one time.

Balloon Fiesta - in Albuquerque - is always the 1t 2 weekends of October. Over 700 balloonists from all over the world convene to put on a show that is unequalled anywhere. I believe there is RV parking at Ballon fiesta Park, but better make reservastions early.

NM State Fair (Expo New Mexico) - in Albuquerque - starts the weekend after Labor Day and goes for 2 full weeks and 3 weekends. We have been to many statee fairs and this one is by far the nicest. Lots to do, several stages with contious entertainment and best of all all alochol has to be consumed in a beer garden. Nobody is walking around at 10AM drinking a beer and pushing a bay stroller.

Santa Fe - A must to get the flavor a the real New Mexico. Visit the State Capitol built like a Kiva (A round Native American structure); the many museums and you must eat at a REAL New Mexican restaurant. Ask which chile is hotter the red or green and order accordingly. I am mild mouthed, so I ask for it on the side.

The Santa Fe Opera is known world wide and the performances are held outdoors in the summer.

Other things to see and do White Sands in the southern part of the state, City of Rocks and the Open Pit Copper Mine near Deming and Santa Rita; Carlsbad Caverns and the nightly bat flight; Elephant Butte Lake near Truth or Consequences; the Gila forest - the 1st protected wilderness area in the country; Roswell where a spaceship supposedly landed (there are celebrations annually); Los Alamos Labs where the 1st nuclear weapons were created; the longest Tramway in the world north of Albuquerque (you want to go up just before sunset and have dinner on top them come down when the lights of the city start turning on and twinkling!).

These are just highlights. There is so much to see and do including the clear blue sky and the millions of stars. When you get away from the city lights you can even see the Milky Way.

Do I sound like I miss it? Yes I do, but Colorado is beautiful too.

Day 2 RV Travels 2/5/09

Us in the field with the slide out out.

After a great nights sleep we worked some more in getting settled in. Gene's son and wife brought us breakfast/lunch of homemade breakfast burritos wrapped in homemade tortillas. Very yummy - Gene was in 7th heaven eating the food he grew up with.

After we ate it was time to get to busy filling the fresh water tank and hooking up the Direct TV receiver. After several tries Daniel (son) went up onto the roof and see why the satellite dish was not turning. There was no way to check it before we left and Gene was definitely not climbing up there for any reason.

It is stuck so we will have to get it fixed. More than one person has recommended we get a tripod with the dish on it that stands on the ground. We thought it was duplicating what we already have and wanted to try it first. When we get to Florida we will contact Direct TV and have them help us get all set up.

In the meantime we have a very good analog antenna and it will work just fine until we get the other squared away.

DIL - Eileen - and I went grocery shopping and went home to fix dinner. Frito pies with red chile and beans and hot dogs. And a great dessert - vanilla wafers. instant banana cream pudding and bananas layered in a dish. Chilled and just scooped out. No real recipe. Eileen is an excellent cook.

The meat for the chile and beans was venison. The family are big hunters and have a freezers full of antelope, elk and deer. Even Eileen's 9 year old nephew shot both an antelope and deer this past hunting season.

We spent the evening visiting with the family including Genes daughter and grandson and Eileen's mother. We came out to the RV and the gals went crazy looking at and choosing the woven Peruvian earrings we have listed on eBay. They have a friend who is going though chemo and wanted some of our scarves, which are just the right size to cover her head. They took Pink Ribbon scarves in 3 different background colors and a pair of pink ribbon shoelaces.

We went to bed undecided which way we were going to continue east. Back up to Albuquerque and then east on I-40 or south on I-25 to Las Cruces NM where it turns into I-10. The decision was left for the morning when we could really see the 5 day weather reports.