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TANYA & ELISA'S NEW MEXICO ROAD TRIP -  2014
PRE-TRIP BLOG  

This blog page is a weekly account of Tanya and Elisa's progress, planning and stories of their Fall  cousins' road trip to New Mexico from Albuquerque to Taos to 
Santa Fe and in between!

BALLOON FIESTA
(Click here)

Tanya and Elisa's New Mexico Road Trip: Part 10: Sites along the Way - Albuquerque to Taos (Day 3 of Trip)

7/22/2014

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Many apologies for skipping a week between Part 9 and today's Part 10.  Both Tanya and I were a little overwhelmed with travel and personal to do lists.  But, here we are - back in the saddle to talk all about our drive from Albuquerque to Taos on Day 3 of our trip. 

With a number of sites and events behind us from our visit to Albuquerque, we will head off on the big road towards Taos. Most of the way, we will be traveling along I-84, but what's going to make this day chock full of fun is that we have a number of stops we will be making along the way.  This should also ensure that the kids don't go too batty cooped up in the car. 

Our first stop will be the Giant Red Arrow, which is conveniently located next to a Whole Foods.  For Vegans (and vegetarians) on the road, that is just what the doctor ordered!!  We will be taking lots of pictures in front of this crazy attraction, after loading up on some road food.  There really is no historic significance to this offbeat site, located at the intersection of School House Road and Carlisle from my research, but it was constructed to look as though its head became lodged in a stone-and-cement stand. It has now become an iconic site here in Albuquerque.
Picture
Courtesy DesertUSA
Check out this great site from Roadside America about other offbeat photo-op sites.  

As we continue easing' on down the road, we will come upon the Petroglyph National Monument, which is still within Albuquerque.  The monument is located within the park where visitors are allowed to hike the Volcanoes as well as the Piedras Marcadas Canyons from sunrise to sunset. Tanya and I haven't discussed yet how extensive our visit will be a this site, so we will leave a little bit up to being spontaneous! 

Back in the car and on the road, we will continue Northeast, most likely by way of I-25 towards Taos, our second city destination on our New Mexico road trip.  About an hour and 55 minutes drive, we should arrive at Bandelier Monument. This national park closes at 4:30pm, so we will have to be sure we get there by mid-afternoon, if we are going to enjoy walking around a bit. 

Within Bandelier's 33,000 acres there are over 70 miles of trail. Some trails are short easy loops while others can encompass many miles and steep rocky switchbacks. If we have the time, I know Tanya would agree, that we would like to do a short trail with the kids (weather permitting, and the 1.2 mile Main Loop trail is recommended as the best one for families. 

We will hit our last and final site for the day - Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.  This is where Tanya and I have a special treat planned for the kids.  We are going to load up on some snacks - hopefully ice cream or another sweet treat.  If it's a little chilly, we'll get some hot cocoas and head to Kasha-Katuwe to view the sunset.  Hoping to capture some gorgeous photos!

We will head off to our first private rental in Taos, but not before picking up some take out food for dinner for our whole gang. Lord knows, we will need some nourishment and a good night's sleep from our busy day!

So, that's our day of driving!! Can't wait!!!
-Elisa
Please catch up on our previous New Mexico Road Trip Blogs:

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8 
Part 9
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Elisa & Tanya's New Mexico Road Trip: Part 6: Taos Activities

6/17/2014

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Picture
Welcome to Part 6 of Tanya & Elisa's New Mexico Road trip. We are moving right along. In Part 5, we planned out all of the sights and activities we are going to do during our three days in Albuquerque.  Of course, Balloon Fiesta is the highlight of this segment of the trip, but as we leave Albuquerque, we will be looking forward to seeing some other wonderful places along our drive to Taos.  These will include Giant Red Arrow, Petroglyph National Monument,  Bandelier Monument and Kasha Katuwe Tent Rock National Monument.  Since we figure everyone in our troop will be tired from a long day of sightseeing and driving, our plan is to pick up some take out food on the way to our rental house so we can kick back for the evening.

Tanya took the lead on doing research on the places we had earmarked to visit in Taos and after some chatting this week, we decided on our itinerary.  After a relaxing first night, we thought would get up nice and early, enjoy a nice breakfast and then set off for some sightseeing adventures.  Our plan is to see the following:

Day 1 Taos

a) Taos Pueblo
b) Kit Carson Home & Museum in the afternoon, to get in some history about the town.  We are hoping  the kiddies will appreciate that (and not drive us too crazy).  Then our plan for the evening is to drive to the...
c) Taos Downtown Historic District for some sightseeing, shopping and eating.   
d) Rio Grande Gorge Bridge which is supposed to be beautiful at sunset.  We are anticipating that we may need to give the kids alittle incentive for one last visit before heading home for the night. So, we are going to surprise them (more like bribe them!) with some kind of decadent dessert to grab that they can eat while Tanya and I capture as many photos as we can of the Bridge at sunset.  (We'll let you know how that works out!)
 
One thing we are 100% sure about is that the kids are going to love bunking up in the same house while we are in Taos and Santa Fe, so we're thinking that we might as well take advantage of as many "at home" meals as we can.  The kids will certainly love being more casual and honestly, as a result, they will probably eat better (especially Kelsey!).  Add to that, saving money and it's a perfect combo for everyone! So, we are planning to do a home cooked meal on our second (and last) night in Taos, before getting back in the car again the next day to head to Santa Fe.

We'll have more in Part 7 next week about our itinerary of sights in Santa Fe so tune in next Travelin' Tuesday!

- Elisa & Tanya

PS: For all of the details of this trip "at-a-glance" check out our New Mexico Road Trip Details page.

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

 

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Elisa & Tanya's New Mexico Road Trip: Part 5: Albuquerque Activities

6/10/2014

1 Comment

 
PictureALBUQUERQUE OLD TOWN (c) Orbitz
Welcome to Part 5 of our New Mexico Road Trip.  We have had alot of fun sorting through the various sites and things to do while in Albuquerque.  Of course, the main focus, as you know, is the Balloon Fiesta!  We are so pumped for this trip!

So, here is the breakdown that we have come up with for the first three days of our trip. Mind you, we did all this planning on a text session yesterday - please don't think we are nuts for not just picking up the telephone to talk it through! We would love any input, if you have traveled to or are from Albuquerque!

Day 1: Albuquerque 
- Balloon Fiesta morning Session
- Afternoon for relaxing and hanging out
- Evening - Albuquerque Old Town for dinner and shopping

Day 2: Albuquerque
- Sandia Peak & Tram
- Botanical Gardens
- Balloon Fiesta Evening Session

Day 3: Drive from Albuquerque to Taos
Stop along the way to see 
a) Giant Red Arrow
b) Petroglyph National Monument
c) Bandelier Monument
d) Kasha Katuwe Tent Rock National Monument
- Arrive Taos, Eat and Settle in

We are working on finding some great dining places in and around Albuquerque that have menus for both vegan, vegetarian and picky!  Stay tuned for Part 6 and Taos Activities!!
- Elisa & Tanya

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4


1 Comment
    Picture

    Elisa

    Elisa lives in Garden City, New York with her husband, three daughters, and dog, Liberty. She is an entrepreneur whose professional career has included a variety of businesses in the toy, licensing and direct marketing businesses. Since her teen years, she has traveled extensively throughout the US, Europe and Asia.  Today she is a stay at home mom and screenwriter, whose  passions are traveling, writing and cooking (as well as eating, like her cousin Tanya!) and lest we forget, shopping! 

    Picture

    Tanya

    Tanya is a free sprit who resides in Southern California with the only family that she has outside of NY (you can take a girl out of the city, but you’ll never take the city out of this girl). Her housemates include her mom, her 2 sisters, her brother, her sister’s boyfriend, her niece, her 2 kids and her ex! Yup...all under one roof! Her professional career and background was in film (writing, production and acting). Currently she is a stay at home mom - who is hardly ever at home, and who’s passions are: everything travel related, food (both cooking and eating), photography, skiing and of course, shopping! 

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