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Positive report on New Mexico and health, no ill side effects, asthma report, humidity, Lincoln County, Indian Cultural Center, Indian fry bread, summer vacation, Flying Star Sante Fe, El Comedar in Moriarty
My day begins at six thirty a.m. I start the coffee and breakfast and throw hay to the horses. Get Greg off to work (take the kids to school if it's in session) and off to work myself. I have an office job, 9-5. ..
Frankly, I'm impressed that you get up so late and do all that and still make it to work at 9am.
Glad you had a good time here and the climate suits you.
lol, that was actually the Cliff's Notes version. It reads more like get up at six thirty, get him up, let the cats in and out, start some of the machines (washer, dryer or dishwasher) feed the 8 horses, give each of the five dogs a treat (have to walk past them to get to some of the horses. I feel guilty, ;-)back in the house to start the coffee and breakfast, get the kids up, make lunches, get showered/dressed myself, plate up breakfast, get Greg off to work, leave the house by seven forty, drive the kids to school (opposite directions, fifteen minutes apart), eat breakfast in the car on the 30 minute commute and open the office and feed the office cat by nine.
Hm.... after typing all that, I *think* I may see why I need a nap, lol.
Fuel out there (1500 miles and with an 07 Altima we got 35 mpg) running around (1600) and back (1500) made sure we booked hotels with deluxe breakfasts (I hate waffles at this point, btw) drinks while out and about, lunch and dinner out daily, admission for a family of five to: the zoo in Albuquerque, Rio Grande Nature Center, Indian Pueblo Center, goodies for the folks back home and a few things for ourselves as well..... total cost 2500. This was for a nine day trip.
It can be done, you just gotta plan. I also signed up for the rewards programs with ichoice hotels and earned enough points for a 50.00 gas card out of this trip. Using the discount through our insurance (TN Farm Bureau) saved us 20% per night off the rate.
RRR - thanks for the post on the cost of your trip. It is in line with our planned vacation. Unfortunately a couple of grand worth of necessary car repairs killed that idea. We are still planning for next year. Even with the economy car we are getting will probably take an airplane to Albuquerque and rent an econobox.
I plan on PMing a bunch or you before we go. We would like to meet you folks. Incidentally if any of you are planning a vacation to the northeast send me a note.
A few weeks ago we got back from a trip to the southwest which included ABQ & Las Cruces. For the two weeks we were out there neither of us suffered from the headaches and arthritic pain we have when it is humid here. My wife, who suffers from chronic pain, suffered far less and my allergies & migraines were non existent. One year and five months more and we will be moving to ABQ and we can't wait.
You're welcome, Greg. I thought about flying in, but for the five of us it would have been about 2100 bucks. Then we'd have had to rent a car as well. I'd sure not miss the driving though!
Ya know, Norm... I noticed I didn't have anywhere near the headaches I do here and no neck pain at all. I decided it must be the pillows at the hotels. They were all three by the same chain, so I dunno.
OK, I'll be happy about the allergies! Now, I'm jumping for joy we'll be there before the snow flies (unless it hits Iowa in September, and with our weather - well you never know!)
Friday night was spent with friends in west TN, saturday night with friends outside Dallas.
Day one was actually Monday, as we'd gotten in so late Sunday night. After spending the early part of the day in the Ruidoso area (walked town, visited the Hubbard Museum- lunch at the Burger Trolley) we drove back going through the Hondo Valley. Beautiful area, stopped and bought fruit and ciders from a shop owner who is 5th generation New Mexican. He was full of information. Met Jane and Kent for sledding and the kids (including Kent, lol!) had a blast! Jane and I sat on top of the hills and talked as the sun went down. Tuesday we met their friends (our first encounter with horse owners in the state) and looked over their place. Jane, feel free to tell them that I LOVED their barnless barn (as Greg dubbed it) so much that I want to duplicate that for my horses.
If any of y'all ever get a chance to meet Jane and Kent, do it. They're just awesome people who seem to wring every last drop of living out of their lives, no matter where they land. I wanna be like Jane when I grow up, lol!
Headed up a lonely highway towards Alb, stopping in White Oaks for some pics. Was planning on stopping in Mountainair on the way, but we've discovered- If New Mexico doesn't want you to find it, you won't. Listen to the land, it knows better than you do.
Ended up in Moriarty- that was okay, it was to be Wednesday's stop but it worked out. Had a late lunch at El Comedor and I had some amazing stuffed sopapillas with green chile. Bought some bischochitos (sp?) and jalepeno bread for the road. Stopped by my boss's daughter's place she has for sale there and met her friend who lives across the road as well as the realtor.
Took 66 to Albuquerque through the Tijeras area.
Wednesday we spent at the zoo and the Rio Grande Nature center before heading off to Vequita (sp) to look at another house. Lunch was Lotaburger.
Thursday was spent piddling around town after breakfast at the Range cafe.... great breakfast, even better dessert! What? You don't have dessert after breakfast? I had to, especially after reading the reviews on the Life by Chocolate. Walked around the Old Town section and shopped a bit, hoped the whipping wind and lightning meant rain for y'all. It didn't. At least not there. Dinner that night was at the Frontier. Greg and I both had the enchilada meal with the green chile stew. The kids had typical kid fare.
Friday we went to Tres Piedras- why didn't y'all warn me about that big ol' bridge?!?!?! I HATE heights like that. Tied into my childhood spent as a passenger in cars and trucks being driven over wood and rope bridges, i'm sure. Not a big fan of this area. Taos reminded me too much of Gatlinburg here. Got a bugged out feeling in TP. Never ignore my spidey-sense, so we left. Drove back through Santa Fe and stopped at the Flying (star? I forget) for take out dessert. I got chocolate mousse something or other. Very good. Don't know that I read the menu- just pointed at the display case, lol!
Saturday we left early and drove straight through to Russellville, Ar. Remind me to tell you of out experiences at the Ho(t)HELL sometime. After a brief stop in Hernando, MS for lunch with friends we headed east. Got home about midnight, unpacked and then did critter check. Even though we had three good groups of friends taking care of everyone, I *had* to touch noses and pat heads, just to reassure myself.
And we're both at work bright and early today- I predict a crash when we return home.
Now... the asthma report.
We stopped in Van Horn, TX for fuel. 95 degrees and it felt like somewhere in the low 80s with the breeze. From there on out, it was smooth sailing. I continued to use my advair, as I think it's probably not a good thing to take yourself off of a maintance med for even a short trip.
I used my rescue inhaler only once, and that was at the indoor pool/sauna/hot tub area at the hotel.
The following isn't so ya'll can feel sorry for me, it's to illustrate the difference.
My day begins at six thirty a.m. I start the coffee and breakfast and throw hay to the horses. Get Greg off to work (take the kids to school if it's in session) and off to work myself. I have an office job, 9-5. At noon, i'm so whipped from just breathing, I have to take a nap at lunch. Back up at one and then a nap again when I get home. I use the rescue inhaler four to six times a day. The only thing physical I do is feed the horses twice a day. Other than that, i sit at a desk.
Sedentary lifestyle but still 4-6 uses.
In NM we were constantly on the move, if not on foot then by car. No naps, no feelings of exhaustion and most importantly, no inhaler use. My oldest, when asked to walk a bit faster, commented that normally i'm so far behind she doesn't have to walk fast! I did feel it when visiting the zoo exhibits with a lot of water, but as soon as I moved away from the water, I was fine. I was only tired when we finished out the day at dark.
This continued until we got east of Amarillo. Then the humidity hit and it was awful. Six whole days of being a NORMAL person and feeling gulity for the handicapped tag hanging from the rearview.... all gone in the time it took to leave the area. A cruel reminder of how life used to be, I guess.
I also found that hot didn't feel so HOT there. Very nice.
One thing that amazed us (no offense intended) was that people were just people. Here the different ethnic groups have their own cliques and seldom venture outside them for anything. Very segregated. Not in NM. I rather liked it.
So all in all, it was a very positive visit. It looks like a move to NM might be in the future......
I write this not to pour cold water on your experience. I'm a lifelong allergy sufferer--though, fortunately, not asthma. Before you commit to a move to New Mexico--or anywhere else, for that matter--I would STRONGLY suggest that you spend more than a couple of weeks there first--3-6 months would be better. My allergist (for whom I have a great deal of respect) gave this advice to me quite a long time ago. He explained that folks with allergies (and asthma) problems will quite often feel better when they temporarily remove themselves from the allergens specific to where they live. Unfortunately, in many cases, they are also predisposed to develop allergies to things in their "new" environment after a period of weeks or months. I personally experienced this when I relocated several years ago. I was fine for the first couple of months in my new locale--then my old symptoms starting creeping back. Allergy tests confirmed that I had developed allergies to numerous plants, etc. found in my new environment.
While the lack of humidity in the Rocky Mountain West and Desert Southwest is often a positive thing for allergy sufferers, there is also more dust than elsewhere, and there can be plenty of pollen, as well. Ironically, in my case, after assuming for years that I was strongly allergic to molds common in humid areas, tests revealed that my mold allergies were moderate, but I had significant dust allergies.
For me, after a half-century of suffering from allergies, I finally broke down and began immunotherapy. Though immunotherapy is no panacea, either (and it costs plenty), it has done more good for me than anything else I have tried. I just wish I had done it 40 years ago.
PS -- Leave the "ya-all" stuff back in Tennessee. "Ya-all" can get you branded as a Texan, and they aren't all that popular in a whole lot of Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Montana. (And before I get flamed for saying that, I will tell you that I have relatives in Texas. Nonetheless, there is a bias against them in much of this region.) Ditto with the "afraid of heights" thing. That brands you as a "flatlander"--also disdained by most natives.
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