Hoping to move to Alamogordo soon. (La Luz: income, quality of life, live in)

[joqua]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

But actually driving......if you go to Cloudcroft, then turn south down the good paved Sunspot Highway (6563), it's almost 50 miles.

GOOGLE MAPS is your friend when looking up distances and time of travel.

State Hwy 63/Sunspot Hwy and US-82 W
50.9 mi - 1 hour 26 mins

[Cathy4017]

I like Google Maps, but prefer Streets and Trips in some cases. I was thinking back that my odometer read something between 49-50 miles when I drove to Timberon on the paved road.

The one thing about Google Maps is that you can easily change the route by moving the dot! Every time I use it with my house here, it takes me on the bumpy back road instead of the one I normally use.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

The one thing about Google Maps is that you can easily change the route by moving the dot!

It gives alternate routes as well in the table. If you look at Timberon to Alamo you'll see there are two alternate routes that are both over 2 hours drive. I am totally in the dark about the shortest (miles) route that takes off of US-54 north of the road marked as the "Prather hiway" - a washboard rough gravel road itself. The nice thing about GOOGLE is the ability to go to satellite views and zoom in on the route - or where possible, go to street view and travel along it with ability to swivel 360 degrees at any point along the way.

[Cathy4017]

According to what Chilegal had told me, the hub and a friend who took that shorter route from 54 ended up with more than one flat tire! I wanted to go that route also, but changed my mind, LOL! It apparently is really rough.

Even though I have 4WD SUV, I am not a fan of unfamiliar backroads.......

[songinthewind7]

Yep, only a 4 WD is good on that road and even then, it's a bumpy ride.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

Yep, only a 4 WD is good on that road and even then, it's a bumpy ride.

I can't believe GOOGLE MAPS would even identify that as an alternate route since it has no designation and has to be a risky road to take for lack of other traffic if something should go wrong (breakdown). I have driven the so-called "Owen Prather Turnpike" years ago, and once was enough for me. I think it's a disservice for GOOGLE to identify those routes as a viable alternates to a paved route. Neither one is even shown on my "official" NM state map.

Another weakness of GOOGLE maps in that you can't tell what's paved and what isn't when it's only a 2-lane road in question.

[catman]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

As the crow flies.....that's true. I did a "distance measure" with my trip software, and it's 23.3 miles.

Well, yes, I figured that. But the real drive is, like you, said, near 50 miles for most people. Even if there is a rough, bumpy route that's 40 miles, the elapsed time would likely be longer.

[terry3d]

Everyone seems to have there own opinion on restruants first there is hardly none then from chili's to mom and pop's and honestly some of mom and pops are the best there is. So you can't just knock down mom and pop restruants. Granted some are not worth a bean, but they all have to survive and have for years so that being said not all are bad. It's just like Wally World and you know how they are squeezing out all the mom and pop stores so use your own judgement on what you order and where. Thank God for all the Mom and Pops out there surviving (so keep surporting them) and let's keep Wal-Mart out of the picture.
Now as far as stores goes it's hard to believe that there are only 2 as you say in a city of close to 30,000 or more.

[catman]

I prefer the Mom & Pops most of the time. Every once in a while on a trip I get something awful, but it's usually good, and at times excellent. Anyway, it's an adventure.

[terry3d]

Originally Posted by terry3d

Everyone seems to have there own opinion on restruants first there is hardly none then from chili's to mom and pop's and honestly some of mom and pops are the best there is. So you can't just knock down mom and pop restruants. Granted some are not worth a bean, but they all have to survive and have for years so that being said not all are bad. It's just like Wally World and you know how they are squeezing out all the mom and pop stores so use your own judgement on what you order and where. Thank God for all the Mom and Pops out there surviving (so keep surporting them) and let's keep Wal-Mart out of the picture.
Now as far as stores goes it's hard to believe that there are only 2 as you say in a city of close to 30,000 or more.

After being here in Alamogordo a year, I have come to the conclusion that no restruant in town can cook catfish, nor that many is all that great. If you do come to Alamogordo don't drink the water and only go to name bran restruants and if you want biscuits and gravy go to Denny's and possibly IHOP regardless of what I have said and as far as stores goes they are right there is only two and they had three and one it seems they have put out of commission, probably due to Wally World. One last thing before I call it a night stay away from the oriental restruants if you know how to cook stay at home they suck and I have been to several and this town has the worse that I have ever seen. Now of course you may run into a good meal from time to time in each restruant, but for the most part you wil not and the ones by wally world I recomend the others well your on your own and the pizza places I perfer the name bran places, but to eaches on...... Oh and one last bit of advice I am living in the so called best appartments be ware if I were you rent a house if you can the summers suck gnats everywhere and they bite Good Luck I'm leaving this town they have said was so great on the internet and will say it sucks you have been warned.