New Mexico/honeymoon

Whatever, dude. I'm still rocking my out of state plates, which makes it nicer, automatically.

Plus, I can't afford to rent a car. I'm poor.

 

If you happen to get to Old Mesilla down by Cruces, La Posta is some pretty darn good, affordable eats.

 

Don't know how much driving you're planning but if you do head south to Las Cruces stop off at Soccoro, they've got a nice little brew pub there (Soccoro Springs) and that's also where the VLA (Very Large Array) radio dishes are.

 

I may stay a night in Las Cruces. It is definitely on the way to Santa Fe/Albuquerque from my 'hood.

 

There's a nice Hilton right off I-25 (just past NMSU, on the east side) with a brew pub right across the street. La Posta is just minutes away over in Old Mesilla.

 

Santa Fe is nice, but a little pricey.

If you like golf, hiking or fishing, then try Ruidoso. It is up in the mountains and really nice and relatively inexpensive. You can rent a small house or condo for the weekend and have a great time. There is a casino nearby at the Inn of the Mountain Gods and lots of places to do some shopping.

The area is under-appreciated but it could be very romantic.

 

Think New Mexico. Colorado is grossly overrated.

 

And I don't know your preferences, but staying in one of those cheesy Route 66 type motor lodges is kind of fun.

 

Cloudcroft is kind of a poor man's Ruidoso and about 45 minutes south of there, which would put it fairly close to you. Just up the moutain from Alamogordo if you need anything from a "big" town, there's a neat little nine-hole golf course and a restaurant called Kokopeli's that I remember being pretty good.

In Southern Colorado, try the Cuchara Village-La Veta area. Lots of great scenery. Cuchara's an hour or so west of Trinidad, which is the first town on I-25 north of the state line. You take a twisty, curvy drive on a little two-lane state road along the Purgatoire (pronounced "picketwire" in that country) River before swinging north. Or you can go on up to Walsenberg and head west on US 160 (toward Alamosa) to La Veta.

If you go to the Four Corners area, Durango, Colo., is a neat little mining/ski town. If you find yourself near Gallup, N.M., one of the old Route 66 towns, look for US Highway 666, The Devil's Highway.

 

They changed the number to US 491 a few years back.

 

Why do I get the feeling some fundie preacher was behind that?

 

If you're ever in Alamogordo, NM and you stop by the Wal-Mart between 4pm and 8pm and you go back to the deli department.......stop and see the girl named Peaches; Tell her "Chef said hay"