Next Road Trip.. Going to New Mexico.

[nick8086]

Need help what to see..

 

Cars collections.

Food.

Sites to see..

 

Here are the towns I will be in :

 

Albuquerque

Santa Fe

Los Alamos

 

 

Yes I think this is near  route 66... I will take a lot of pic and get a T shirt..

 

Last time I was here was 2008.. I know about the Dog house and Frontier Restaurant..in Albuquerque

 

I do not need to see the Castle.. in Albuquerque.. lol

 

 

Edited March 24 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[philip roitman]

Keeping an eye on this post. Should be heading to New Mexico next month. I know we will be hitting up the Georgia O'Keefe Museum as my wife is a big fan.

We also will be doing basically all the Cities you will be going to. Too bad the Unsers sold their Museum and it has moved out of New Mexico.

Edited March 24 by philip roitman (see edit history)

[TTR]

@nick8086 You forgot to mention the most important thing, i.e. what kind of antique/classic/vintage car you’re going to drive this road trip with ? 😉

K-D or ... ?

Edited March 24 by TTR (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

If you have a day for a slow steam train ride through magnificent mountain scenery, I'd recommend the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.  it straddles the Colorado/New Mexico border through remote back country.

[pmhowe]

You can easily spend a day in Los Alamos. There is the Bradbury Science Museum, The Los Alamos Historical Museum, and Bathtub Row houses to see. There is also nearby Bandolier National Monument. If you are sick of seeing desert, drive from Los Alamos up into the caldera, where you will see lots of evergreens and aspen - and probably some elk, and drive past the Valle Grande - a large and scenic open valley in the caldera. You can continue on a loop through Jemez Springs and Jemez Pueblo, finally coming back to I25 where you can return to Santa Fe or Albuquerque. Just after driving through Jemez Springs, you can take a short  side ride to see the Gilman Tunnels -two short tunnels cut through rocks by the Santa Fe RR in the early 1900s. They are all worth seeing.

[MotiveLensPhoto]

On 3/24/2024 at 12:33 AM, nick8086 said:

Need help what to see..

 

Cars collections.

Food.

Sites to see..

 

Here are the towns I will be in :

 

Albuquerque

Santa Fe

Los Alamos

 

 

Yes I think this is near  route 66... I will take a lot of pic and get a T shirt..

 

Last time I was here was 2008.. I know about the Dog house and Frontier Restaurant..in Albuquerque

 

I do not need to see the Castle.. in Albuquerque.. lol

 

 

In Santa Fe, Pasqual's just off the square. Get a reservation. Probably the best restaurant in the city. There is an Italian place also south of the square. Don't waste your time. There was a place we ate breakfast that features Hatch chiles, northeast of the square. Spend time on the Canyon Road. Tons of art shops, from the conventional to the obscure. I also recommend breakfast at Hotel La Fonda, again on the Square. Most people go to the chapel with the freestanding staircase. It's ok but not spectacular. The railyard area is fun. The fanrail trip south is ok, but $$$ for what it is. Cumbres rail line is much better. I've heard Sazon is very good. Never been.

If you have the time, drive to Taos. Spend a day in the pueblo and an evening in town. The Taos inn has great food.

Edited March 25 by MotiveLensPhoto (see edit history)

[TTR]

Wife and I have preliminary plans to do a couple of thousand mile road trip to and back from Santa Fe, NM within next couple of years, but like all our other leisure road trip travel, it will be done in a vintage car, most likely in our "Indian Turquoise" '57 Chrysler New Yorker convertible and as much as possible, using secondary highways and back roads, instead of those boring/dreaded conveyor belts known as Interstates. 

[MotiveLensPhoto]

1 hour ago, TTR said:

Wife and I have preliminary plans to do a couple of thousand mile road trip to and back from Santa Fe, NM within next couple of years, but like all our other leisure road trip travel, it will be done in a vintage car, most likely in our "Indian Turquoise" '57 Chrysler New Yorker convertible and as much as possible, using secondary highways and back roads, instead of those boring/dreaded conveyor belts known as Interstates. 

Planning a caravan along the length of Route 66 Chicago to LA, in 2026, if you're interested.

[TTR]

 

21 minutes ago, MotiveLensPhoto said:

Planning a caravan along the length of Route 66 Chicago to LA, in 2026, if you're interested.

Thanks for the suggestion, but we haven't decided yet which year or time of the year it'll take place. Most likely off-season, either spring or fall.

Care to share more about your plans, perhaps in the thread "Long distance driving/traveling with vintage cars" I started after joining this forum ?

 

P.S. My best friend & his wife did that trip few years ago (in a modern rental car) and having relied on a "Guide Book" created about (only) 20 years earlier, realized more than half the features/sites/etc noted in that book either didn't exist anymore or were no longer recognizable (but the wife being an avid photographer, still managed to take +/-10K images within that weeklong trip).

Edited March 25 by TTR (see edit history)

[jdome]

I was at the Chickasha  OK swap meet and got into a discussion with other car guys about rt 66. According to someone there, OK has most of rt66 still in its original rout and many of the original attractions remain.

[Angelfish]

Sounds like Carlsbad Caverns aren’t in your route, but well worth it if you make it that far.    The International UFO Research Center and Museum in Roswell is a little oversold. 
 

But if you make it to Vaughn, almost dead center in the state , is the Chuckwagon (assuming it’s still there) located in a converted gas station.  Appeared to be run by grandma and granddaughter.   The best green chili enchiladas I have ever had.  

[Angelfish]

8 hours ago, MotiveLensPhoto said:

Planning a caravan along the length of Route 66 Chicago to LA, in 2026, if you're interested.

I’m interested.

[Leif in Calif]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned: FOOD!  New Mexican food is not Mexican food. New Mexico is pretty unique in that many families have been there for hundreds of years. A few years ago I met a young man there who's family came from Spain during the Inquisition (they are Jewish).

Different spices and different dishes. Last year we took a cooking class where they talked about the "terroir" of peppers! (look it up...hard to explain.)

Santa Fe was founded approximately the same time in the 1600s as James Town and the other places we normally think of as the beginning of our country. Because New Mexico has remained largely rural and poor, the culture and cuisine  has remained mostly intact. Good Eating! 

Edited March 26 by Leif in Calif
finish the thought (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

4 hours ago, Leif in Calif said:

One thing that hasn't been mentioned: FOOD!  New Mexican food is not Mexican food. New Mexico is pretty unique in that many families have been there for hundreds of years. A few years ago I met a young man there who's family came from Spain during the Inquisition (they are Jewish).

Different spices and different dishes. Last year we took a cooking class where they talked about the "terroir" of peppers! (look it up...hard to explain.)

Santa Fe was founded approximately the same time in the 1600s as James Town and the other places we normally think of as the beginning of our country. Because New Mexico has remained largely rural and poor, the culture and cuisine  has remained mostly intact. Good Eating! 

I had to look that one up, being a lifelong Easterner. Santa Fe was founded before Jamestown, I learned something new today.

[JamesR]

Amazing about Santa Fe's founding! Jamestown was established in 1607 as I recall. That illustrates how much ahead of the English the Spanish were in settling the new world. It's a great place, as most in the Southwest will tell you. For me, though, it has more of the feel of the Rocky mountains (Colorado, Wyoming) than the Southwest. Interstate 40 parallels the old Route 66, if I remember correctly. Have a great trip.

[RansomEli]

You might want to plan a visit to the Acoma Pueblo (aka Acoma Sky City), about 60 miles west of Albuquerque. You've never seen anything like it.

 

Acoma Pueblo is the oldest continually inhabited settlement in North America -- people have been living there since at least 1200.

 

Take the guided tour. It's well worth it. 

 

Also, the Green Chile Stew in the Visitor's Center is pretty darn good.

 

https://www.acomaskycity.org/page/home

 

[jrbartlett]

You're going to love the trip. I just spent a week in Santa Fe and surrounding area -- nothing car related, but we did many of the things the other folks have suggested.  The Valles Caldera is a spectacular drive up with tremendous views. In Santa Fe itself, we found a lot of good restaurants as well as art galleries right around the square.  

[nick8086]

On 3/24/2024 at 8:52 AM, TTR said:

@nick8086 You forgot to mention the most important thing, i.e. what kind of antique/classic/vintage car you’re going to drive this road trip with ? 😉

K-D or ... ?

Sorry we are not taking a car.. Yes no K-D..  That would be fun to do.. My wife still works so our trips are to fly and rent..

 

I looked at my eBay account.. I sold Kaiser Darrin parts to a guy in Santa Fe in the last year.. Not sure if he has a car or just collects parts..

 

Sorry it took me a long time to chime in.. Just got back from MN to night.. and looking to take off soon again..

[Joe in Canada]

They use to have a couple of small but nice swap meets if your timing is good. One was at the university parking lot and the other at Los Lunas. Lost a car dolly one night at the Marriott in Albuquerque but they did leave my 3/8 chain behind.

[nick8086]

My wife found this tonight .. The Taos inn..

 

Someone else post this place..  It got added to the list..

 

I sent a link to my wife of the Acoma Pueblo aka Acoma Sky City..

 

Sound like we will have good food and some fun in NM..

[Blaketincef]

So, fun story: last summer, my buddies and I decided to hit the road and explore New Mexico. We stumbled upon Los Alamos quite by accident, and boy, were we glad we did! The Bradbury Science Museum was such a cool find – seriously, who knew science could be so fascinating? After miles of desert, those evergreens and aspen were a sight for sore eyes. And spotting elk? Total bonus! We even took a detour to check out the Gilman Tunnels – such a neat piece of history. If you find yourself craving a bite after all that exploring, make sure to look up pizza around me. Trust me, nothing beats a good slice of pizza to refuel for more adventures! 

Edited April 4 by Blaketincef (see edit history)

[JHaydon]

Two years ago I participated in the SouthWest Passage Vintage Rally (outstanding events, by the way) traveling from NM to CO and back.  Hotels included La Fonda in Santa Fe (great dining and shopping on-site) and The Peaks (Telluride CO).  Stops included the Unser Museum (have they really shut down already??), Pueblo de Taos, and lunches at Sadie's in Albuquerque and Martyr's Steakhouse in Taos.  

 

Those were some of the most gorgeous driving roads I've ever experienced.  The road flowed with the river, resulting in very "organic" curves that let you get into a definite driving rhythm.  

 

Tucumcari NM is one of the original Rt 66 towns which has been undergoing a revival of sorts with the renewed interest in Rt 66.  I spent one day there several years ago but I feel like you could spend a week and not see everything.