NEW MEXICO TRIP
 

MY HUSBAND AND I ARE PLANNING A TRIP TO NEW MEXICO TO VISIT OUR SON WHO HAS JUST COME BACK FROM IRAQ. WE WILL BE FLYING INTO ALBEQUERQUE AND HOPE TO VISIT SANTA FE AS WELL. HE IS BASED IN CLOVIS NEW MEXICO. WE ARE NOVICE TRAVELORS, CAN ANYONE HELP US AS TO WHAT TO SEE AND WHERE TO GO?

What a great reason to visit the Land of Enchantment! Please tell your son thank you for his service.

When will you be coming, how long will you be here, and what are your interests?

Lee Ann

We will be there the first week in February. We would like to see interesting historical sites,restaurants. Are there any shows? I am also interested in pottery, I see there is a place called Jackelope.... We are open for any suggestions you may have.
And thank you, I will pass that thankyou on to my son. I just can't wait to see him!!!!!

I'll second the Thanks to your son and all others who serve. New Mexico is chock full of history. The Spanish explored there before Plymouth Rock folks came over. Lots of wonderful Native American ruins (Chaco & Bandilier to name a couple) Great pottery can be found all over but expect the prices to bug your eyes out a bit. Fantastic food but be warned; their idea of "mild" chili sauce will water your eyes. Try ordering it "on the side" so you can add only what you can stand. Must have sopillias (sp?) and honey. They will help calm the heat from the chili. Enjoy!

PS: Just visited Albuquerque and found some mid quality pottery at the Kirtland AFB BX for not too bad prices. Your son can take a look for you.

You'll find Native Americans selling their pottery and jewelry both in Albuquerque's Old Town and Santa Fe's Plaza. Jackalope, from what I understand, has more imported pottery than actual New Mexico stuff.

The Albuquerque Museum gives a nice look at our history, and there is a good exhibition of Spanish art there at the moment to help celebrate our 300th anniversary.

Santa Fe has tons of museums as well; Larry also mentioned Bandelier National Monument, which is not too far from Santa Fe and is a great place to spend the day.

There are many good restaurants both in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Take a look at www.sfreporter.com for Santa Fe, and www.alibi.com for Albuquerque. If you decide to eat in Old Town, skip La Hacienda and go to Church St. Cafe; it's cozier and the food is better. Definitely get some sopaipillas to go with your meal!

Are you going out to Cannon with your son? We used to live in Portales, and I enjoy the change in scenery whenever we head east.

Lee Ann

God bless you with your son coming home. I only had to go to north New Jersey to see mine, 1.5 hour commute. I was asked by his commanding officer as to why I made such a trip to see my son. I told him, I would have driven to California to see my son come off that plane if I had too.
Old Town is awesome. I preferred it over Santa Fe which I liked but not as well as Old Town.
Give your son my thanks. From one soldier's mom to another, remember being home will be a big adjustment for him. My son and his fellow troops are still struggling with having to adjust to the peace and quiet of home.

We just returned from Santa Fe last week and I have yet to post a report--we've been doing an "extreme home makeover" of our son's new home.

Some travel planning notes:

Cars are expensive to rent in Albuquerque--we got the best rate from Alamo with a coupon code--also found similar rates on www.carrental.com. We were renting for less than a week.

Enjoyed staying at the Inn on the Alameda in Santa Fe--you can walk into town. Great breakfast and 4:00 wine and cheese get together. There are several different room configurations to choose from. Wonderful, friendly staff.

Spent a day hiking out at Bandalier National Monument and stopped on the way back at Los Alamos--free museum detailing the development of the atomic bomb--really interesting.

We enjoyed the wonderful blue skies and their unseasonably warm weather--my husband played golf and we enjoyed several dayhikes. We went to Santa Fe expecting snow.

Santa Fe was very uncrowded this time of year. Great choices for dining in all price ranges.

Thank you everyone for your response, My son has made it back to Clovis and I have talked with him. Is there anything to see in Clovis?????"

If you're interested in archeology and have time to do a side trip, the Blackwater Draw museum is a short drive away. It's located on the connecting road between Clovis and Portales.




http://www.southernnewmexico.com/
Articles/Southeast/Roosevelt/
BlackwaterDrawMuseum.html

If you're interested in museums and archeology (Clovis man) and have time to do a side trip, the Blackwater Draw Museum is a short, pleasant drive away. It's located on the connecting road between Clovis and Portales. It's a small, facinating museum. Here's a link.

http://www.southernnewmexico.com/Art...ast/Roosevelt/
BlackwaterDrawMuseum.html

Sorry for the duplicate post. Hit the post button too quickly.