How is New Mexico a lot of dessert? Are there mounds of cookies and cakes along the road? And if so, how is that a bad thing?

Northern New Mexico is MOUNTAINOUS with varied landscapes throughout.

Kansas is flat. We TWICE encountered the same couple at a B&B who drove to Taos from Wichita and they said the drive was really fairly dull through their home state until they hit Colorado.

And the Kansas route will tack on at least 6 hours to your drive - you have to go far north of Durango then circle back south through Colorado. Compare: Denver to Durango is 6+ hours, Albuquerque to Durango is 3.5 hours.

"Kansas is flat." Yes and no. There are a lot of rolling hills with nice vistas along I 70, as well as flat areas.

I've driven both routes and for me there is no comparison of the beauty of New Mexico to the flat plains of Kansas (Lawrence was our originating city). Yes we passed a couple of fields of sunflowers which were beautiful but nothing in comparison to the scenic areas of Northern New Mexico.

I would suggest New Mexico. Santa Fe and Albuquerque are great cities with history. It would be a nice stop on your way to CO. They have adobe buildings and there is also Taos, great for Native American architecture and adobe homes. The scenery is also better than Kansas. If you do go to Durango, I suggest the Durango and Silverton train ride, it was great and has beautiful scenery. Also, stop by Cortez CO, it is nearby and has Mesa Verde National Park, a bunch of cliff dwellings. Four corners is interesting too. I love the Southwest and live in South TX so I am biased for NM.

Rolling hills, yes--but straight straight makes it "seem" "flat". LOL

Rolling hills, yes--but straight straight makes it "seem" "flat". LOL

Most people who think Kansas is only flat have not left I70. I would love to take them on some bike rides.

Northern Ohio, Illinois & Indiana are more flat and I rarely hear people talk about them that way.

perception is everything, as I said. And yes, when we reached a "high" point in Kansas and looked toward the far horizon and saw a wonderful silo, we truly (and I am not being snarky) appreciated the GREAT Plains.