I'm still thinking things over. There just is too much to see in so little time. I should have known you all would give me even more to see. Makes deciding even harder.

Our flight is locked in. We will be arriving and departing from Albuquerque. I did look at El Paso but the connecting flight times were worse and a lot more expensive. I was even thinking of canceling or finding another place but then found a price and times I would live with which also cut our trip short by a day.

No matter what you end up doing, it will be grand. It is so lovely here, you can't go wrong.

We've gone for 4-5 days a couple of times and I feel like we saw a lot, so it's true, it really will be grand no matter what you decide. Map out a few of the drives you'd like to do from Santa Fe--to me, there's a lot within a long day trip's time. Good luck!

I had a trip like that a couple of years ago. I like to take long road trips and drove from TN to NM. I began in Carlsbad, went to White Sands and then up to Taos. I had previously been to Santa Fe and the surrounding area so I did not return there. I spent one day at Carlsbad Caverns and one day hiking at Guadalupe Mountains Nat'l Park. Both nights I spent at Carlsbad Caverns watching the bats fly out. Pretty cool. I spent a day at White Sands and then another day at White Sands missile museum. On my way up from White Sand to Taos, I stopped for a couple of hours in Roswell at the UFO Museum. It was more interesting than I had thought. I don't find the drives bad because I think NM is beautiful. I hope you and your parents enjoy the trip.

Thank you dmrt. I decided last night I am going to try and do it all. I don't know if my parents will ever get another chance to visit. In all honestly, if our plans get messed up we will just go with the flow.

I am getting very excited now as all the comments here have helped so much. I like to take my parents some place new each year while they can travel. They never would go on their own and its my way of giving them a little something for all they have done for me.

Enjoy yourselves-- New Mexico truly is the land of enchantment!

" I decided last night I am going to try and do it all"

Good for you. Excellent attitude.

You may regret not doing it. Your parents seem flexible enough not to mind a couple of days of a lot of driving, especially when there are more days when you doing very little driving. Enjoy the trip!

ps - unsolicited advice = learn to be okay with dad staying still in the hotel room for a day if he wants. If you read the Europe board, you'll see lots of examples of folks who travel with others, part ways after breakfast and meet up again for dinner. Different folks have different travel styles and speeds. If he's ready for a quiet day, there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't mean you and your mom can't go off and have adventures. It may add a new/different/very nice component to your trip.

Just a note on Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands. We recently went to Carlsbad Caverns with a group. The younger and more active of us went on the self-guided tours, We did the King's Palace ranger led tour and it was perfect. The others were tired as it took longer and a lot more walking. We are in our mid 70's. The lodging in Carlsbad is outrageous due to the local mining. Be prepared to pay. We stayed at a Motel that should have cost $50, but they wanted $150. We paid $120 with AARP, but left after one night. It was terrible.

White Sands is one of my favorite places. You may not want to climb one of the bigger hills, but try for a smaller one. The views are breathtaking and endless. Also no matter how many times I go, I always watch the short film about the sands in the main building. If it fits your schedule, there are ranger led sunset walks that take about 30 minutes and end up at a picture perfect spot for sunset photos.

New Mexico is amazing. Enjoy your time here.

This is why I love fodorites. It's information like this that helps so much. Thanks everyone. I am taking and keeping all the advice and information into consideration while planning. I did see Carlsbad hotels are overpriced so looking at all options.

If you can be at Carlsbad for the evening bat flight, it can be quite spectacular.