GRANTS, NM—The Ancient Way Cafe didn’t open until 9:00. At 7:00 Mike and I were in the restaurant trying to use their wifi. They didn’t care. In fact, their coffee pot was always full, even if breakfast was another two hours away. I barely managed to get Monday’s report posted before the network crashed for good. By the way, if you haven’t had a chance to read Day #3, please check it out. You will Read more…
EL MORRO, NM—I got up at 5:00 AM to post yesterday’s story. The internet connection had returned to Halona Plaza! Breakfast at the Halona Inn is something to behold. They serve darn near anything you could imagine. Their signature dish is blue corn pancakes. Oh yes. But what I liked best about eating there was that you sit down at the table with strangers, other guests at the B&B. Always interesting. We had gone ten Read more…
Zuni, NM—Although there were only two significant hills today, I bet we had gained a couple thousand feet before the day was over. But the big story on Route 602 this morning just had to be the astounding number of horse trailers pulled by speeding pickup trucks. One after another they rumbled by. It turned out there were two rodeos in the area, one of them right on Route 602. We actually made pretty good Read more…
GALLUP, NM—I didn’t think this trip would begin with high winds and snow, but it did. Fortunately, the wind was straight out of the west and the snow was in the form of snow pellets the size of garbanzo beans. No problem. In fact, the snow disappeared and so did the wind in as much as we were riding east at about the same speed. We left the souvenir stands near Lupton, Arizona on the Read more…
NOB HILL, ABQ—Starting this Saturday, I will be blogging on Route 66 as my buddy Mike Moye and I ride down that venerable highway on our bicycles. We’re getting a ride to the Arizona state line Saturday morning and then we’ll head back east. The first night we’ll just make Gallup, about 20 miles. Our route then diverges from 66 to go southward to Zuni Pueblo, Ramah, El Morro, Grants, and Albuquerque. We’ll take the Read more…
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES—Radio and TV star Ralph Edwards was the hit of Truth or Consequences when he first started coming to T or C, previously known as Hot Springs, in 1950. It was part of a promotion he dreamed up. He said he would broadcast an episode of his hit radio show named Truth or Consequences from the first town that voted to change its name to that of his show. Well Hot Springs, New Read more…
SILVER CITY—It was time for the Tour of the Gila! As we got ready to leave for Silver City, our plans went awry immediately. We decided to eat breakfast at the Arrey Cafe, a wonderful place to get a good breakfast in a hurry and at a reasonable price. Besides, we like the whole restaurant. One 20-foot-long table dominates the dining area with smaller tables near the windows. Farm workers fill the place at lunch. Read more…
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, NM—I had no idea what we would find if we went looking for the old Carrie Tingley Children’s Hospital. I had seen pictures of the patients and life at the hospital. But was the building still there? Would the crushing weight of thousands of sick kids hang over my thoughts? The old building was on South Broadway at the top of the hill. We turned into the driveway, but the sign said, Read more…
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, NM—Two things struck me at 8:30 Thursday morning as I finished reading the events newsletter from New Mexico Magazine in my email inbox. 1. The Tour of the Gila was this weekend in Silver City. I would love to see part of it, but finding a hotel room was going to be impossible. 2. Hey, it’s the first weekend in May! Time for the Ralph Edwards inspired Parade and Fiesta in Truth Read more…
NOB HILL, ABQ—For the 24th year, Nob Hill celebrated Earth Day with a community festival on Silver Ave. just behind La Montanita Co-op. Famous for being a gathering of all sorts of colorful people, as well as those interested in issues of the environment and social justice, the Earth Fest is a street fair that draws people from all over the city. Here are a few pictures from this year’s event which was held last Read more…
As Christmas creeps closer, we want to remind you to shop local. And not just local, but specifically, Shop MainStreet. There are twenty-seven MainStreet, seven Arts & Cultural and fifteen Frontier Communities in New Mexico. Each of them have great shopping and dining options for residents and visitors. Each community is unique and we know that you will find something you love as you explore in New Mexico and get “off the road” and into our Read more…
With the holidays on the way, there are a lot of great events kicking off in our MainStreet communities. See what is going on in a MainStreet district near you, or in one you will be visiting between now and Christmas! Here is a sampling of the events happening in the southern part of the state… ARTESIA Light Up Artesia & Parade of Lights Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 6 PM A night of fun, Read more…
With the holidays on the way, there are a lot of great events kicking off in our MainStreet communities. See what is going on in a MainStreet district near you, or in one you will be visiting between now and Christmas! Here is a sampling of the events happening in the central, west and east… ALBUQUERQUE – DOWNTOWN ACTION TEAM Holiday Market at the Rail Yards Sunday, December 14, 2014 (1st St & Hazeldine) Read more…
With the holidays on the way, there are a lot of great events kicking off in our MainStreet communities. See what is going on in a MainStreet district near you, or in one you will be visiting between now and Christmas! Here is a sampling of the events happening in the north… FARMINGTON Turkey Trot and Gobble Wobble November 22, 2014 from 9 AM to Noon The event will be held at Orchard Plaza Read more…
A few years ago I visited Las Vegas, NM with a couple of friends. We stayed in the Plaza Hotel and while waiting to head out for dinner I looked through the guest information book on the desk in my room. While browsing stories about the hotel I laughed out loud when I saw that they had a ghost, and that I was staying in the “ghost room.” At dinner I told my friends about Read more…
When you head into one of our districts in the southeast region it won’t be long before you see an antique store or two. Lots of these shops are filled with businesses that not only sell antiques, but offer recycled, repurposed, restored and handcrafted goods also. Cute names like Exhibit A, Penny Lane, Obtanium, The Honey Hole and the Market Flea adorn these shops and there is a healthy cluster of them in Clovis, Portales, Read more…
I’d like to give you a little background on our background image, if you will pardon the pun. While not exactly an image that fits our parameters for being “located in, or adjacent to, designated New Mexico MainStreet and Arts & Cultural Districts ” in picking a background image for the website I was concerned about finding a single image from amongst the hundreds on this website that would adequately (and without seeming to play favorites,) Read more…