For the LRer going to Utah and New Mexico

[FSUTribe76]

[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]I purposefully don't usually do an after action report for my trips but I know someone (I've forgotten who...blame Vegas) is getting ready to leave for almost the same trip soon. I've also forgotten exactly where our trips became similar but I know it wasn't at the beginning so I'll leave out the Birmingham, Memphis and Arkansas parts and pick up in Oklahoma.

In Oklahoma we are at Cattleman's in OKC which is not affiliated with the %*%*y Texasbased chain of the same name and is frequently listed in various "best of" lists around the country. I thought it was...okay. Really good but not living up to the hype as I've had better steak elsewhere. I can say though that it is very cheap and closer to Longhorn/Roadhouse prices than Cut/Berns/Dickie Brennan's. So it definitely has that going for it. We were supposed to go to Wichita Mountain National Preserve in Oklahoma along the way but did some wineries along the way and Palo Duro in Texas instead due to bad weather.

Palo Duro/"Little Grand Canyon"/"Texas' Grand Canyon" was just like the state itself...underwhelming in real life despite constant hyperbole from the Texans saying it's the best thing since the real Grand Canyon. Palo Duro was definitely the least interesting stop on our trip behind even Petit Jean in Arkansas and the old forts in Ft Smith Arkansas. I'd definitely say skip Palo Duro and use that time on places outside of Texas. The Big Texan in Amarillo is the only place we ate at in Texas and it wasn't as bad as I feared. I would consider it dead even with Cattlemen's in OKC for the chicken fried steak and t-bone (which we got in both places). Despite all the kitsch (which being a third generation native Floridian I can stomach in small doses), the food was above decent.

In New Mexico itself, if you're going down to White Sands (which was great) and/or Alamogordo, I'd suggest just getting a green Chili burger from Blakes Lotaburger in Alamogordo. It is a chain, but everything is fresh and local (the chilis certified from Hatch) and cooked on the grill in front of you. The green "Chili" is not from some corporate stock, but fresh peppers and other ingredients cooked on the grill right beside your burger before being added. The other ingredients were all five stars (tomato brightly red and juicy, lettuce firm and crisp, sweet fresh onions, etc...) so even though it's a chain, it was great and will save you time and money for elsewhere.

After White Sands we spent most of the rest of our time in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Be forewarned if you drive to the top of Sandia Crest driving East from Bernalilo that the road is made from dirt not asphalt and there are a few spots that are quite narrow with no guide rails or anything to keep your car from tumbling off if you go too fast on the dirt road. The top of the Sandia Crest was great for sunrise photos although you'll want to climb to the top of the lodge there rather than stay in the parking level. Make sure you save some time for the Valley of Fires (not to be confused with the singular Valley of Fire in Nevada which is ALSO amazing and worth a trip), its black magma rocks contrast greatly with the White sands and can be easily hiked for great photos.

El Pinto in Albuquerque was just so-so, I'm sure you can find better places to top it. So I wouldn't suggest following my example there. It was good enough (certainly better than anyplace in Florida) but clearly behind the two places we ate at in Santa Fe. In Santa Fe we did Tia Sophia's for brunch (huevos rancheros with blue corn tortillas and a breakfast burrito with sausage covered in both green and red aka "Christmas" on half and half Chili sauce) and Maria's for dinner (roasted pork enchiladas in green sauce with blue corn tortillas plus a combo that included tamales, cheese enchilada, tacos and a Chili relleno covered in green sauce). Both Tia Sophia's and Maria's were five stars, top notch and noticeably better than El Pinto in Albuquerque.

As far as Tent Rocks, we hiked the slot canyon and climbed all the way to the crest of the small mountain itself. The hike was great although there are a couple of warnings I'd give. 1) It's a little longer than the 1.5-2 hours advertised on the federal page. You could probably do it if you just literally ran up it as quickly as possible, but if like me you want to take pictures along the way then you need to add at least a half hour. The second warning is that it's not just 100% hiking, there are four spots that require scrambling over rocks and one spot that requires about 10-15 feet of vertical climbing albeit with good quality footholds. So nothing that difficult but could be too hard for young kids. Tent Rocks is well worth it, my wife and I enjoyed it better than Zion and Capitol Reef.

In Southern Utah, there's only three places I would strongly suggest eating as much of it is pretty bad even with hours of research. However, there is one place that is an absolute must do and was one of my favorite food spots on a trip littered with great/famous spots in Vegas, Memphis, and more. The Cafe Diablo in Torrey (near to Capitol Reef) is an absolute find. It's a five star southwest/French fusion place in the middle of nowhere. We got "free range" rattlesnake cakes with smoky chipotle aoli and basil pesto, a local farmed trout encrusted with green pumpkin seeds, a golden gazpacho (yellow tomatoes fresh from a local greenhouse) in a frozen icebowl, and a sirloin with local piñon nuts and Rosemary. All of the little sides were absolutely amazing and the main dishes were absolutely fantastic. The drinks were five stars as well. The other two spots worth stopping in Southern Utah was the Moab Brewery for decent wings and pub food (3.5 out of 5) plus pretty decent (4 out of 5) craft brewed beer and then the truly exceptional fruit pies sold at the Gifford Homestead in Capitol Reef.

Oh before I get into the parks, here's a big word of warning. Mesa Verde is open but the Cliff Palace is closed until May 21st and that's the only reason to go there. I found out only the day before we were supposed to go and instead we just slept in the hotel for a few extra hours.[/COLOR]

 

[FSUTribe76]

[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
As far as the parks, I know Zion is always listed as one of the best parks in America and has a ton of tourons doing daytrips from Vegas but it was definitely my least favorite of the five by far. The parts technically inside the park on the east side along 89 but before the main touristy Zion Canyon area was nice enough although not as spectacular as the Grand Staircase Escalente National Monument area along Highway 12 (that's a big tip btw, when going from Capitol Reef to Bryce Canyon make sure you take Highway 12 not the quicker 24 to 62, some of the best views in the entire Southern Utah area are from there and not in one of the Big Five). However the main Zion Canyon area of Zion NP was very underwhelming and flooded with tourists. You cannot drive through the main canyon but have to take the tourist shuttle which is slow and highly annoying. The sights were underwhelming and the hikes are flooded with tourists. The hike to Angels Landing was basically an ant like line of tourists (we didn't end up doing most of it as we didn't have time) as was the Riverwalk until it hit where it turns into the Narrows and the pavement ends and even then you could never get a pic without other tourons in the photos. I don't mind being surrounded by tourons if the views are amazing like in Bryce Canyon. But like I said, Highway 12 through the Grand Staircase NM between Capitol Reef and Bryce blows away even the best views in Zion. I'd suggest just driving through Zion along 89 and take pics outside the main touristy part and skip the Zion Canyon in total. Zion Canyon is like Red Rocks near Vegas, it blows the minds of typical Vegas tourists but pales in comparison to its better but slightly further alternatives (Valley of Fire to Red Rocks the entire rest of Southern Utah to Zion).

So if Zion is the worst park in Southeen Utah (and it was), what was the best? That's really tough because they're really different and most of them were five stars. The most awe inspiring panoramic views on par with the Grand Canyon were found at the Grand View Rin Trail and Orange Cliffs at Canyonlands and Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point and Bryce Point at Bryce Canyon and then several unnamed little pull offs (basically anywhere there's enough room on the side of the road) along Highway 12 in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

But as far as best closeup pictures and most enjoyable hikes it would be a tie between Arches National Park (especially double arch, windows and skyline arch) and Goblin Valley State Park. The latter is commonly missed by tourons but is a must stop according to me. I have some absolutely amazing photos from Goblin Valley.

So as far as tips: 1) Save time by just doing the scenic drive in Capitol Reef plus pick up pies at Gifford and skip Zion Canyon in its entirety just drive through it via 89 and get shots along its perimeter. Use that time for extra hikes around Arches and to visit Goblin Valley and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Parks (which is a neat two hour tops for an hour inside the park side trip). 2) the best sunset pics in Canyonlands are found by doing a very short five-Ten minute hike out to the rim along Orange Cliffs. 3) There's no place to get actual sunset pics at Bryce as it faces the wrong way. Sunset point is actually where you go for the best SunRISE pics and is only named that as at Sunset the view does turn fiery red by reflected light and looks better then than during the regular day when it's ordinary brown rock. But make sure you get out for sunrise pics at Sunset Point. Thor's Hammer and most of the other "red"/really boring brown rock formations take on a weird radioactive orangy/red glow and the white Rock (a tan or cream during the day) glows brightly white. My untouched photos look photoshopped during this time as the glow is amazing. The sunrise itself is only so-so and not mindblowing like you can get in the Caribbean or even Florida from Sunset Point or Sunrise Point as there are mountains blocking the sun until it's fully risen, but the radioactive glow it gives the rocks are not to be missed. If I have time later I'll post pics of Thors Hammer during the day and during sunrise so you'll see what I mean. 4) Other than Cafe Diablo which is an ABSOLUTE MUST stop and Moab Brewery which is a "you'd be wise to stop there" stop, you'd be wise to bring your own food for your days in Southern Utah. When you can find food like in Bryce City it is overpriced and horrible.

As for the rest of my trip we spent the time in Vegas eating at great restaurants, gambling and doing the downtown area as I usually just do the Strip.[/COLOR]

 

[FSUTribe76]

I'll try to rank the parks I went to although it's difficult as a lot of them are amazing for different reasons. So I'll put a number score out of ten next to them so you can see the ones I really liked.

1) Arches NP (10/10)
2) Bryce Canyon NP (10/10)
3) Canyonlands NP Island in the Sky area (10/10)
4) Goblin Valley SP (10/10)
5) Grand Staircase Escalante NM between Bryce and Capitol Reef (9.5/10 and only reduced as there's very few spots to get off the road, if developed into a full NP down the line it would be entirely on par with above four)
6) Valley of Fire SP (Nevada) (9.5/10)
7) White Sands NM (9/10)
8) Tent Rocks NM (9/10)
9) Valley of Fires SP (New Mexico)(9/10)
10) Red Cliffs NRA (8.5/10)
11) Sandia NSB (8.5/10)
12) Dixie NF (8/10)
13) Coral Pink Sand Dunes SP (8/10)
14) Capitol Reef NP (7/10)
15) Petit Jean SP (7/10)
16) Tunica River Park SP (6/10)
17) Mud Island SP (6/10)
18) Zion NP (6/10)
19) Ft Smith SP (5/10)
20) Palo Duro (5/10)

For comparison purposes I'd give my favorite park in Florida Gulf Shores NS (8.5/10) and Cumberland Island NP my favorite park in the South (9/10). Grayton Beach SP would be (8.5/10) as well while the Everglades NP and Smoky Mountains NP would be (7.5/10)

 

[KLNole]

Thanks FSUTribe76, some really good tips. We are heading out in July, so more heat, more tourists, perfect timing. I added an extra day to our layover in Kanab to accommodate Bryce and Zion, so maybe focus on Bryce more. All about the chicken fried steak at the Big Texan. Hitting White Sands and staying in Truth or Consequences. Valley of Fire sounds interesting, I will look into it. Keep getting this feeling I should shave a night off of Vegas and the Grand Canyon to accommodate more in Utah. Thanks again, I will certainly look into your recommendations.

 

[Hayduke GW]

if you didn't go to Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder you really missed out.

and Grand Staircase-Escalante won't be "developed into a full NP down the line" because it's BLM, not a National Park.

 

[FSUTribe76]

if you didn't go to Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder you really missed out.

and Grand Staircase-Escalante won't be "developed into a full NP down the line" because it's BLM, not a National Park.

Upgrading of National Monuments (which the Grand Staircase is) to full National Parks happens all the time, Bryce and Zion for example.

 

[EconSean]

I grew up in Santa Fe, and I so miss the food there. Tia Sophia's and Maria's are both top notch (although I love the carne adovada at the Shed more than just about anything else there).

Green chile cheeseburgers are Blake's are great, but my local favorite was/is Burt's Burger Bowl in Santa Fe.

 

[FSUTribe76]

I grew up in Santa Fe, and I so miss the food there. Tia Sophia's and Maria's are both top notch (although I love the carne adovada at the Shed more than just about anything else there).

Green chile cheeseburgers are Blake's are great, but my local favorite was/is Burt's Burger Bowl in Santa Fe.

Oh I wasn't suggesting Blakes Lotaburger in place of one of the great Santa Fe restaurants, I was suggesting that while in Alamagordo on the way to White Sands because it's quick...er. They still do everything from scratch and to order except make the buns so it still takes as long as Five Guys and is not McDonalds quick. The Hi-D-Ho Drive Inn and BZ Rockin Burger (which won best green Chili burger at the state competition in Santa Fe in 2012) were other options in Alamagordo but ultimately we went with the small local chain due to speed and were very happy.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Oh, and one other disappointment on the trip besides Mesa Verde's Cliff Palace being closed was that the San Francisco Church on the Turquoise Trail has its entranceway gated and locked so you can only get long distance photos now.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Thanks FSUTribe76, some really good tips. We are heading out in July, so more heat, more tourists, perfect timing. I added an extra day to our layover in Kanab to accommodate Bryce and Zion, so maybe focus on Bryce more. All about the chicken fried steak at the Big Texan. Hitting White Sands and staying in Truth or Consequences. Valley of Fire sounds interesting, I will look into it. Keep getting this feeling I should shave a night off of Vegas and the Grand Canyon to accommodate more in Utah. Thanks again, I will certainly look into your recommendations.

At Bryce definitely be there 45 minutes before sunrise at Sunset Point. I'd go down just one loop of the Navajo Loop Trail right beside it to get better angles and then move up and down the trail to get better shots of different formations. The magical orangy red radioactive glow lasts for about half an hour before and after sunset. After that, you lose the glowing white rocks and orangy-red radioactive colored rocks and it goes back to boring brick and cream colored rocks. After that, I'd immediately head over to Inspiration Point and then Bryce Point in that order for more daytime pics before heading back to Sunrise Point.

Like I said, if you're not doing the full hike to Angels Landing, I think the main Zion Canyon is a giant waste of time and flooded with tourists (it was bad now, I can't even imagine the real tourist season you're going in). I've heard that the Kolob Canyon part is supposed to be better and less tourist flooded but I didn't go there to confirm that rumor relayed to me by a park ranger as I was bitching about the main canyon. Like I said, highway 12 from Capitol Reef to Bryce is amazing and much better than anything we saw in Zion. It's not for the faint hearted though as there's a part where even I got white knuckled while driving as there's a couple mile stretch where the road is literally on the absolute crest of the mountain and there's no guardrails on either side so if you make a driving mistake...boom, you're dead. But there are little one car pull offs before and after that stretch that are mindblowingly good. Maybe even better than the Desert View portion of the Grand Canyon.

At Valley of Fire in Nevada there are two absolute must do trails. One is the short Petroglyph trail and the other is the equally short Wave trail (both 45 min to an hour). There's also lots of pull off points for pics of beehives and other unique formations. As far as the Valley of FireS in New Mexico, there's only one trail which is very short, maybe half an hour. And you just freeform hike around the rest of it. They're both entirely unique. Valley of Fires in NM is jet black Stone formed in flowy globules as its cooled lava from a relatively recent (couple of thousand years ago) volcanic eruption while the Valley of Fire in Nevada is bright red(mainly), yellow and pure white sandstone shaped into interesting formations the Wave being the most famous.

How much time do you have devoted to the Grand Canyon? You can do all of the western viewpoints (South Rim, Desert View and all points in between) in just a few hours. Those are the best views (some say North because there's less tourists but then you get pics of the canyon WITH tourists all over them, I'd rather have relatively clean shots of the canyon and fight the tourists then have my shots potentially ruined but to each their own) and unless you're going down INTO the canyon it's not really necessary to spend more than a day. And if you want to go down into canyony water, there are a lot better choices nearby in Lake Powell and elsewhere other than the GC.

 

[KLNole]

How much time do you have devoted to the Grand Canyon? You can do all of the western viewpoints (South Rim, Desert View and all points in between) in just a few hours. Those are the best views (some say North because there's less tourists but then you get pics of the canyon WITH tourists all over them, I'd rather have relatively clean shots of the canyon and fight the tourists then have my shots potentially ruined but to each their own) and unless you're going down INTO the canyon it's not really necessary to spend more than a day. And if you want to go down into canyony water, there are a lot better choices nearby in Lake Powell and elsewhere other than the GC.[/QUOTE]

Actually have 3 nights in the Grand Canyon Village. Wife wants a long layover somewhere, maybe I will shorten that and add a few nights elsewhere. I'll look into Lake Powell. Any thoughts on the Petrified Forest? Worth a stop?

 

[FSUTribe76]

How much time do you have devoted to the Grand Canyon? You can do all of the western viewpoints (South Rim, Desert View and all points in between) in just a few hours. Those are the best views (some say North because there's less tourists but then you get pics of the canyon WITH tourists all over them, I'd rather have relatively clean shots of the canyon and fight the tourists then have my shots potentially ruined but to each their own) and unless you're going down INTO the canyon it's not really necessary to spend more than a day. And if you want to go down into canyony water, there are a lot better choices nearby in Lake Powell and elsewhere other than the GC.

Actually have 3 nights in the Grand Canyon Village. Wife wants a long layover somewhere, maybe I will shorten that and add a few nights elsewhere. I'll look into Lake Powell. Any thoughts on the Petrified Forest? Worth a stop?[/QUOTE]

We didn't end up going to the Petrified Forest, there are too many excellent places in the four corners areas and that didn't make the final cut. If you go to Moab, there's a Rock Shop there that has whole petrified logs and fossils of All sorts so you can get a little of that as just a quick side trip.

Plus, our trip to Moab was cut short (probably only 4 hours of useable daylight) by an unexpected blizzard that hit hard that morning. (Yeah who expects a blizzard in the middle of April), but we had planned to do two of these short hikes near Moab.

Copper Ridge Dinosaur Tracksite

The Copper Ridge site (north of Moab) features the tracks of a brontosaurus and four three-toed dinosaurs. The many different kinds and sizes of dinosaur tracks make Copper Ridge unique. The preservation of the tracks is fantastic, and this site is well worth a visit. There are sauropod tracks made by a brontosaur (probably a Camarasaurus, Apatosaurus, or Diplodocus), as well as Allosaurus and small mammal tracks, all dating back to the Jurassic period. The BLM has placed interpretive signs in the area, and parking is less than 100 yards from the site.
Learn more...

Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail
Get a glimpse of an era when huge creatures roamed the earth. Dinosaur bone still encased in rock may be viewed in Mill Canyon (north of Moab) by following a short nature trail near the Monitor and Merrimac mountain bike/jeep trail. This is a short, self-guided interpretive trail. There are signs along the way and you can pick up a brochure/guide at the beginning of the trailhead.
Download June 1 event information (PDF)...
Learn more...

Poison Spider Dinosaur Tracksite
From the center of Moab, travel north on Highway 191 for 5.9 miles and turn left on Highway 279 (Potash Road). Continue 6 miles from this junction until you reach the "Dinosaur Tracks" sign, and turn into the parking lot. Tracks can be viewed from here, or a short hike up the hill.

 

[KLNole]

Outstanding info, you work for TripAdvisor? Going to do a little rearranging to fit some of your recommendations in. You have a flicker stream or similar for your photos?

 

[FSUTribe76]

Outstanding info, you work for TripAdvisor? Going to do a little rearranging to fit some of your recommendations in. You have a flicker stream or similar for your photos?

Not yet, I haven't even uploaded my real camera photos from the camera yet. The most I've done is throw some iPhone pics up on Facebook. I'll upload my pics this weekend and post some here.

 

[F4Gary]

I love how Floridians complain about all the tourists in western National Parks. You're one of them!

 

[EconSean]

Oh I wasn't suggesting Blakes Lotaburger in place of one of the great Santa Fe restaurants, I was suggesting that while in Alamagordo on the way to White Sands because it's quick...er. They still do everything from scratch and to order except make the buns so it still takes as long as Five Guys and is not McDonalds quick. The Hi-D-Ho Drive Inn and BZ Rockin Burger (which won best green Chili burger at the state competition in Santa Fe in 2012) were other options in Alamagordo but ultimately we went with the small local chain due to speed and were very happy.

And now I want to clarify/revise: the Bobcat Bite had amazing green chile cheeseburgers, but something happened with the ownership and they moved from the outskirts of town to somewhere very close to downtown. I am not sure if the quality has changed. Burt's is a small, greasy joint, which is very good, and because of the distance to the Bobcat Bite (when I was there), Burt's was easier.

Also, it's chile with an "e," not an "i."

 

[FSUTribe76]

I love how Floridians complain about all the tourists in western National Parks. You're one of them!

Of course, but at some level it gets too much and ruins the atmosphere/fun. At Canyonlands we literally had the park to ourselves as an earlier blizzard that appeared out of nowhere forced the tourons home. So we had GrandView Trail and Orange Cliffs entirely to ourselves at sunset and it was amazing.

At Bryce it was fairly packed, about what I was used to at the Grand Canyon. Where you had a little bit of space between you and the others but there was still a fair amount of people in the area (at sunrise though there were only about ten people at Sunrise and Sunset points, it got packed around the 10 or so after the good pictures were gone anyways). But at Zion it was ridiculous. Angel's landing was just a couple of mile long queue where you were nuts to butts with the next touron and the Riverwalk was nearly the same. Being in a giant herd of people while allegedly outdoors is not my cup of tea. So even if the sights in Zion had been mindblowing (and they weren't compared to the other amazing places we had seen just before), I still would have disliked it. Add having to get around Zion a Canyon by slow stinky tourist bus and having to wait at each stop for five to ten minutes....Blecch. Definitely the worst part of our entire trip. I will say that Zion (especially the parts outside the tourist canyon to the East on 89) was nicer than Palo Duro, but on the whole I enjoyed Palo Duro far more as I could drive or hike as I wanted and there was a very reasonable amount of tourists.

 

[billanole]

The best part of Zion for us was the Kolub Canyon area... there is a separate park entrance off of the interstate north of St. George. We spent an afternoon there and with the sun at our backs, the scenery was as fantastic as any I have experienced.
I hear you Gary. We live in an area where the halfbacks are always complaining. Halfbacks moved to Florida from the north and then "halfway back" to North Carolina.

 

[F4Gary]

The best part of Zion for us was the Kolub Canyon area... there is a separate park entrance off of the interstate north of St. George. We spent an afternoon there and with the sun at our backs, the scenery was as fantastic as any I have experienced.
I hear you Gary. We live in an area where the halfbacks are always complaining. Halfbacks moved to Florida from the north and then "halfway back" to North Carolina.

That's funny.

 

[goldmom]

We went into Zion from just south of Cedar City - didn't get to Kolub Canyon
We came out on 9 and hit 89 to 12 thru Bryce, Escalante,thru Boulder Town, north to Torrey thru Capitol Reef then 24 again to Hanksville and south on 95 across the far north end of Lake Powell; the water level had receded and you could see off in the distance abandoned little places the lake used to cover; then on south till we hit a county road near Hite that paralleled the Colorado. Took us up into Canyonlands where we picked up the road running into I-70 at Green River - then off again on 191 to get to Arches just north of Moab. We came back out at 128 up to I-70 which we took into Colorado and went north on 139 up to US40 back into Utah and stayed in Vernal. From there we drove on up through Flaming Gorge in Wyoming - Dinosaur country-and then on to Yellowstone. Most amazing scenery in one trip ever.

 

[billanole]

We went into Zion from just south of Cedar City - didn't get to Kolub Canyon
We came out on 9 and hit 89 to 12 thru Bryce, Escalante,thru Boulder Town, north to Torrey thru Capitol Reef then 24 again to Hanksville and south on 95 across the far north end of Lake Powell; the water level had receded and you could see off in the distance abandoned little places the lake used to cover; then on south till we hit a county road near Hite that paralleled the Colorado. Took us up into Canyonlands where we picked up the road running into I-70 at Green River - then off again on 191 to get to Arches just north of Moab. We came back out at 128 up to I-70 which we took into Colorado and went north on 139 up to US40 back into Utah and stayed in Vernal. From there we drove on up through Flaming Gorge in Wyoming - Dinosaur country-and then on to Yellowstone. Most amazing scenery in one trip ever.

Wow. That sounds terrific. Approx. how many days did that stretch take you to enjoy?

 

[goldmom]

12 days. I could do it all again in a heartbeat.

 

[EconSean]

Damn, Burt's Burger Bowl is closing.

 

[tarheelinfl]

Sounds like a good trip, did you make it to Madrid or Cerrillos by chance?
Were you able to get to The Marble Brewery Tap Room in Santa Fe?
I need to get out there again myself, but my daughter is heading to Peru
for several months.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Sounds like a good trip, did you make it to Madrid or Cerrillos by chance?
Were you able to get to The Marble Brewery Tap Room in Santa Fe?
I need to get out there again myself, but my daughter is heading to Peru
for several months.

Unfortunately, no we ran out of time and couldn't get to Marble Brewery or Santa Fe Brewery because of weather issues. We ran into dust and rain storms in New Mexico and some snowstorms in Utah and Colorado. If it had just been the weather it would have been fine, but I accidentally made a reservation via Kayak that was actually with Priceline (a company I would never voluntarily use on purpose due to their cancellation policies aka there IS no cancellation policy you pay regardless). So when the weather meant we had to move our hike up Tent Rocks to the following day, we had to zigzag back and forth between Santa Fe and Albuquerque rather than just spend some time in one city on one day and the next city the following day. We were still able to eat at the places I'd picked out (Tia Sophia's, El Pinto and Maria's) as well as stopping at Gruet, Case Rondena and St Clair wineries), plus climb tent rocks, drove up the "backway" on a winding dirt road from Bernalillo to the top of Sandia Crest in time for sunrise, walk around downtown Santa Fe to photograph the various churches and other old buildings, we did the Turquoise Trail from Sandia Crest to Santa Fe (although the famous San Francisco church is now gated from visitors so you can only photograph it from afar) and my wife did some geocaching. BUT we didn't have enough time for the breweries or ....whatever the other big park with cliff dwellings is called. Those two/really three items got Xed out due to the weather.

I do still need to post some pictures. I was going to do it this past weekend but my parents came up unexpectedly to visit.

 

[FSUTribe76]

I will say that the trip confirmed a couple of things I already "thought" I knew. 1) New Mexico, Southern Colorado and Southern Utah are absolutely beautiful. Texas (at least the panhandle), Oklahoma and Arkansas were not. We even went to the nicest spots in Texas and Arkansas (Palo Duro and Petit Jean respectively) and while nice enough they paled significantly next to the beauty of New Mexico and the Southern portions of Colorado and Utah.

 

[Lemon Thrower]

have a business trip to Sioux Falls coming up. Whatdya got for me?