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RogueStout

Road Trip - Four Corners area

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13 minutes ago, RogueStout said:

I think you have single-handedly talked me into staying at least a night in Taos.

The thing about Taos, is you have to know where to go. If you just roll thru you will be like "WTF was THAT?" and never come back again. The town itself and the plaza is nothing compared to the tourist trap that is Santa Fe, and it doesn't do a great job at advertising itself, but the surrounds of Taos is God's country. The real treasure lies in the towns and mountains around it, like the Ski Valley, Arroyo Seco, San Cristobal, Red River and Angel Fire. The music scene is pretty phenomenal. The arts scene is Santa Fe light (still good quality and much cheaper). Overall everything else is cheaper. Good emerging beer scene with Taos Mesa (decent quality) and the new Red River brewery (was super impressed with this one). But the hiking/biking and fishing is phenomenal.

I've spent 13 years going there about 2 times a year. I will probably end up retiring there, or at least have a summer home there. The winters are milder than Boise, but not fit for a desert rat like me.

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5 hours ago, RogueStout said:

Well it is February in Boise, which always gets me jonesing to plan a summer rodie.

Got it stuck in my head that I want to pack up the truck with Mtn Bikes and take the little lady down to the Southwest, and I am hoping folks have some "must do's" like places to eat, rides, places to visit, anything you guys can come up with.

We will be doing a blend of truck camping (I have a nice blow up bed that it fitted to the truck bed and a topper) and staying in Motels with maybe one nice Hotel if the deal/timing/place is right.

So far, the itinerary roughly looks like this:

Mid-late May

Leave Boise at 0 dark 30 and bomb 8/5 hours down to Moab.

I've been to Moab 12 times, and the thrill is pretty much gone, but I thought we would just camp maybe up by Slick Rock at Sand Flats campground

Not looking for advice here, the town is pretty straight forward. We will hit McStiffs or the brewery for beers/dinner, and Love Muffin for breakfast burritos in the AM. Do Slick Rock just to do Slick Rock and then bolt town before noon. 

Leave Moab at noon and drive 2 hours to Cortez

I've been here once, about 30 years ago, and the only reason I know I want to stop here is because I really want to hit up Mesa Verde National Park.

REALLY looking for input here on possible camping, drinking, and dining sites here. It looks like there are a couple crappy motels, and if that's what we have to do so be it. There are also a couple RV parks that would work I guess.

We will just be killing time the day we arrive, so advice on hikes/rides or other good stuff to do would be welcome. We will get to the park right when it opens the next morning and spend most of the day exploring and touring the sites.

Thanks @happycamper for the advice on heading north from Cortez to Delores. Looks like there is a great ride up that way called Little Bean Canyon that nets a few pretty sweet views. Definitely will be doing that once we settle in. 

Leave Cortez at 5 and drive an hour to Durango

I've got some buddies that live here so not too worried about finding things to do or a place to stay, but if there is something that is a "can't miss" please let me know, I have never been here before. We will definitely do a moderate ride in the morning before leaving town.

Leave Durango by noon and drive 4 hours to Taos

I'll be up-front and say flat out that I have heard very mixed reviews about Taos, so this may be a "stop for lunch and a beer and keep rolling" situation.

Love to hear input from someone to gauge if this is an overnight stop or an hour stop.

Leave Taos at ? and drive an hour/30 to Santa Fe

So I have never been to Santa Fe, and I would look at this as our "destination". Been really wanting to visit New Mexico, and particularly Santa Fe for a long ass time.

Looking for rides/restaurants (I want that famous NM chile action all day errrrday)/museums/hikes/whatever. This would probably be the spot we would spring for a nicer hotel, preferably one that will let us bring our bikes inside, so that may limit us.

We will stay a couple days, maybe three here if it is worth it. Again, I'd love to hear from folks who know the area. 

EDIT - Meow Wolf looks pretty dope. Ten Thousand Waves looks, different.

 

 

So from here, I am a little stuck. I am thinking about driving 4 hours from Santa Fe to the Petrified National Forrest, and then up to the Canyon de Chelly national park, and heading back north to bomb back as quickly as possible, but I know pretty much nothing about that area. 

Is it worth passing through? Anything to stop and see? 

Obliged for any help anyone can provide.

 

 

Good camping on Lime Crk Rd: 

it's a gravel stretch of the old Hwy-550 between Durango & Silverton...just north of Purgatory)

 

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16 hours ago, SharkTanked said:

Some really good stuff in here. Going to spend some time going through these and building out an itinerary. 

Still looking for some advice on Painted Desert/Canyon de Chelly if anyone has experience. 

lamb-with-human-face-150331-670.jpg?itok

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19 hours ago, pokebball said:

My wife was trying to think of this place last night and I pulled the link up and she said we are "definitely" fitting this in. 

lamb-with-human-face-150331-670.jpg?itok

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2 hours ago, RogueStout said:

My wife was trying to think of this place last night and I pulled the link up and she said we are "definitely" fitting this in. 

Like I said before, if you leave Taos headed to Santa Fe, take the "High Road to Taos" which puts you right thru Chimayo. If you leave mid-morningish you would be at Rancho de Chimayo for lunch. To find the high road, pick the route that goes thru Truchas (the 518 to the 75 to the 76). It goes thru lots of neat little towns. I agree Chimayo is a must.

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Just a couple tips on the non-Taos stuff... you may already know some of this...

-Mesa Verde now requires you to sign up for tours at the Cliff Dwellings. You may look into signing up in advance as they fill up fast.

-Santa Fe restaurants: Get a meal at the Hotel La Fonda for great NM cuisine, also check out Maria's if you are a margarita buff (they have like over 100 recipes), people will tell you to eat at "The Shed" on the plaza... I used to really like it, but I think there are better places. If you still crave breakfast burritos, The Burrito Company NE of the plaza is the spot. There is usually live music in the Plaza at night (weather permitting).

-Honestly, really no need to go to Petrified Forest. It really is pretty lame for the amount of driving involved (my personal opinion... been there once and never again). Never been to Canyon de Chelley yet, but places closer to SF to see would be Chaco Canyon Ruins (dirt roads most of the way to get there so be prepared for a drive), Bandelier Ruin & the Jemez Mts., and there is a nice drive from Santa Fe to ABQ called the "Turquoise Trail." It even starts at the Santa Fe Brewery. This goes thru Madrid (famous site from the movie "Wild Hogs." They have a good restaurant there with an amazing Green Chile burger), then the road goes through the Sandias on the way to ABQ. You can also take a tram up the Sandias from ABQ, which is pretty expensive, but a very scenic ride. There is a really cool hiking trail along the ridge of the Sandias for some excellent views of ABQ. If you want advice on what to see/do in ABQ, @Chile_Ute is your guy. I will say the zoo is one of the top ones in the country and worth a visit if that is your thing, and Old Town is fun for a touristy kinda stop. The history museum there is solid too.

-If it were me, I would skip out on Petrified Forest in favor of a trip to Chaco Canyon (where you could also hit Canyon de Chelley) or the Turquoise Trail and spend some time in ABQ. You could always hit Chaco/Canyon de Chelley on your way back to Boise too. That would be a nice drive thru the Rez hitting Window Rock, but both sites might be too much to pack into a day.

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10 hours ago, Extra Mayo said:

I've always wanted to ride (snowboard(, not bike) at Taos. I might be going to NM sometime this month. Has it been hit by all the storms?

They've had their normal amount of snow from what I've heard. The ski valley has just been totally redone in the last two years under new management and is much improved.

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15 minutes ago, SharkTanked said:

 

-Honestly, really no need to go to Petrified Forest. It really is pretty lame for the amount of driving involved (my personal opinion... been there once and never again).

Oh, look at the guy who hates science. Let me guess, you never played with dinosaurs as a youth either, did you!?

Remember that every argument you have with someone on MWCboard is actually the continuation of a different argument they had with someone else also on MWCboard. 

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13 hours ago, SharkTanked said:

Just a couple tips on the non-Taos stuff... you may already know some of this...

-Mesa Verde now requires you to sign up for tours at the Cliff Dwellings. You may look into signing up in advance as they fill up fast.

-Santa Fe restaurants: Get a meal at the Hotel La Fonda for great NM cuisine, also check out Maria's if you are a margarita buff (they have like over 100 recipes), people will tell you to eat at "The Shed" on the plaza... I used to really like it, but I think there are better places. If you still crave breakfast burritos, The Burrito Company NE of the plaza is the spot. There is usually live music in the Plaza at night (weather permitting).

-Honestly, really no need to go to Petrified Forest. It really is pretty lame for the amount of driving involved (my personal opinion... been there once and never again). Never been to Canyon de Chelley yet, but places closer to SF to see would be Chaco Canyon Ruins (dirt roads most of the way to get there so be prepared for a drive), Bandelier Ruin & the Jemez Mts., and there is a nice drive from Santa Fe to ABQ called the "Turquoise Trail." It even starts at the Santa Fe Brewery. This goes thru Madrid (famous site from the movie "Wild Hogs." They have a good restaurant there with an amazing Green Chile burger), then the road goes through the Sandias on the way to ABQ. You can also take a tram up the Sandias from ABQ, which is pretty expensive, but a very scenic ride. There is a really cool hiking trail along the ridge of the Sandias for some excellent views of ABQ. If you want advice on what to see/do in ABQ, @Chile_Ute is your guy. I will say the zoo is one of the top ones in the country and worth a visit if that is your thing, and Old Town is fun for a touristy kinda stop. The history museum there is solid too.

-If it were me, I would skip out on Petrified Forest in favor of a trip to Chaco Canyon (where you could also hit Canyon de Chelley) or the Turquoise Trail and spend some time in ABQ. You could always hit Chaco/Canyon de Chelley on your way back to Boise too. That would be a nice drive thru the Rez hitting Window Rock, but both sites might be too much to pack into a day.

Solid.

-Santa Fe: Maria’s has an awesome tequila selection and good red chile.  Sazon is a high end Mexican place worth every penny (authentic representation from several states...it is not the US version of Mexican food).  Cowgirl is good.  El Farol has great paella and taps with live music.  Geronimo is great...especially if elk loin is on the menu.

-Turquoise trail:  SFe brewery and get tacos next door at El Parasol...they are awesome.  Head south on 14 and Beer Creek is a new brewery.  Beer is good, sandwich and pizzas are good (stew is crap).  Madrid:  The Hollar has awesome food with a southern flare (chef is Cordon Bleu trained and from New Orleans).  Mine Shaft us across the street with solid bar food (I eat at Hollar and drink atthe Shaft).  Keep heading south and you’ll hit Sandia Park/Cedar Crest/Tijeras.  You can drive up to Sandia Crest from this side(better than the Tram and cheaper) with great hikes all the way up (let me know if you want specific trail recommendations). You’ll see: Lazy Lizzard is ok food wise, service is slow but fun people.  Ale Republic, young brewers from UNM but nachos and cubano are solid.  Ribs is a decent BBQ place.  Greenside is good food, beer and wine.  Molly’s in Tijeras is a dive but fun based on when you go.

-ABQ:  lot of options but my favs are Cocina Azul (awesome carne adovada and posole), Quarter Celtic (great Irish-esque brewery) fish and chips are my favorite in the West.  More if you want.

-Parks:  Go to Petrified NP from the I40 entrance drive in 5-10 miles and see a couple things and then turn around. Bandolier is a hidden gem...must see IMO.  Pueblo Cultural center in ABQ is a good place to get good exposure/info and have a decent restaurant. More if you want specifics but this shyte is going on too long.  PM me if you need anything...you’ll be driving by my place if you take turquoise trail.

Nothing to really say here.....except GO MWC!!

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