Just got back from 4 Corners States (Santa Fe, Farmington: rental car, rental, motels)

[eddie cantrell]

Friends -
We have returned from our trip, I will give you a brief update and again I want to thank all for the help prior to our leaving.

We arrived in Alb, and ended up going to Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, along with many other stops along the way - a great vacation! My son called it a road trip due to the amount of driving!

As far as NM is concerned, here are a few thoughts
The La Quinta in Gallop, was excellent, (as recommended by a board user). Good breakfast, nice people, very very clean room. I would highly recommend it and I normally do not stay at La Quinta's.

We really enjoyed the drive from Pagosa Springs, Co. down to Santa Fe. We are not really artisy people, so Santa Fe was not a place we spent alot of time in, but we did enjoy the views of the city.

The Sandia Mountain tram was closed, so we drove up the east side of the Mt. off of the Turqouise trail, and the view was great! If you would feel uneasy about the tram, drive the road up! It is great, and I might also add, alot cheaper!

In Alb, we stayed at the Embassy Suites, and we got a special rate on a room with a balcony, the room and service was great, breakfast was awesome, but why must they charge 9.99 a day for use of internet, anyway I am subborn so I would not pay it, but overall a great experience!

We went shopping at the 2 major malls - Cottonwood and Coronado, and they were enjoyable, but we did the most shopping at the 2 Dillards stores, especially the ladies store, at the corner of Louisiana and I 40. The mall looks and is dead, but the Dillards have excellent selections.

We spent some time in Old Town, to me it was nice to see and to eat down there, but I felt that it was a little bit overrated. The Indian Jewerly was overpriced, (keep in mind that we have spent time shopping on several different reservations and at 4 corners) and the 2 times we ate there it was OK, but not great! I would certainly recommend going there, but just not spending alot of time.

Finally, we found the Alb people to be nice and helpful, and we had a great experience with the folks at the Rental Car and Airport, and we had a great trip, I hope we can go back again, sometime in the future.

Thanks again, for all the help and I hope this might help someone as they travel! Well done, NEW MEXICO!

[Cathy4017]

Thanks for reporting back. Glad you enjoyed your trip. The drives in various places really are amazing.

Pagosa Springs and Durango are among my favorite places in CO...and I have loved the Four Corners area for over 20 years. I loved the drive down 550 (I think that's the correct highway number) from Farmington to ABQ....the colors in the rock formations are just amazing.

[eddie cantrell]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Thanks for reporting back. Glad you enjoyed your trip. The drives in various places really are amazing.

Pagosa Springs and Durango are among my favorite places in CO...and I have loved the Four Corners area for over 20 years. I loved the drive down 550 (I think that's the correct highway number) from Farmington to ABQ....the colors in the rock formations are just amazing.

yep, it is 550! We did part of that route and it was great as well, you could talk all night about the beauty.

[DOUBLE H]

Don't forget that there are a lot of places in EACH of these states that have a lot to offer on the "off the beaten paths" for your next trip. Try those routes I suggested to ya regarding southern New Mexico. Come late February early March is a good time to explore Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument, etc. Off season rates for motels are quite reasonable down there.

Glad you had a great time!

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

Don't forget that there are a lot of places in EACH of these states that have a lot to offer on the "off the beaten paths" for your next trip. Try those routes I suggested to ya regarding southern New Mexico. Come late February early March is a good time to explore Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument, etc. Off season rates for motels are quite reasonable down there.

Glad you had a great time!

Those are amazing places also...sometimes I wish I could make like Samanta (Bewitched), and pop from place to place!! There are so many places I love, but I have to choose only one or two in which to live!

[Santa Fe]

I am glad you had a good time and thanks for reporting back on your experience.