On one of my trips, I stopped for the night in Dolores. It's really pretty around there, especially north of town. The motels are cheap and there's this one REALLY old bar (the Dolores Bar?) that was a very friendly place.
Durango is nice, too, and has MUCH more to do, with shopping and good restaurants (usually only live music on weekends). Check out the Strator Hotel if ya go - TWO nice bars there. You can whitewater raft on the Animas (guide companies are everywhere) and fishing can be great (though MUCH better at the world-class trout waters of the Say Juan River outside of Bloomfield NM). From Durango, there are 3 ways to get to T-ride, all gorgeous. The first, over the mountain pass, can be tough, even for 4-wheel drives, and there might still be plenty of snow. The second, going north, is a little longer than the third, but you get to go thru some beautiful tourist-y towns after passing the ski area. The third goes over an easy pass through beautiful areas. There's a little cutoff at Mancos to Dolores - take it and save some time. From Dolores north is wonderful (got a fly rod? You'll want to jump out of your car every mile or two!).
HOWEVER...if you're in Santa Fe instead of leaving form Albuquerque, you'll be heading up through Pagosa Springs. The mineral baths there are worth a trip - if you don't have a lot of time there, at least take a tour of the place. There's lots of shopping in town, and some decent restaurants (avoid the pretty Mexican place that overlooks the river - I've never had good luck there).
Another way to go is from Santa Fe to Cuba (on 550). Follow the signs to Los Alamos and cut thru the National Labs (watch for the nukes!) to the Jemez Mountains. Again, just gorgeous, tho SLOW (switchbacks and tourists). Just before the town of Jemez Springs is the "Soda Dam". You'll smell it before you see it, but it's kinda a nice place to check out. Lots of little shops in JS, then a beautiful drive through 2 Native reservations before hitting 550 in San Isidro. Head north from there.
ANOTHER alternative will add about 40 minutes to your trip from Cuba to Bloomfield is to take the northern cutoff at "The Teepees", a casino seemingly in the middle of nowhere. That road heads up towards Dulce, but instaed of going into Dulce, go WEST to Bloomfield. Both the northern road and the western cutoff are really pretty - you might see a lot of deer and elk.
And my final little cutoff goes from Aztec, NM to Huesperes, CO. I really like this road cuz it's pretty AND saves you the time of going all the way into Durango (but you might like that - see above).
If you need to get from Abq to T-ride FAST, go I-25 to Bernalillo, west on 550 to Bloomfield, north on 550 to Aztec, northwest on 574 from Aztec to La Plata, north on NM170 - CO140 to Huesperas, west on 160 to Mancos, northwest on 184 to Dolores, then north on 145 to the FESTIVALLLLLLLLLLL!!!
But if you've got the time to cruise around, you can't go wrong. I guess the best thing about driving up to T-ride from Albuquerque (besides T-Ride itself!) is that it's beautiful no matter WHICH way you navigate!
Listening to:
Steep Mt Rangers - coming to Albq on July17th!!!
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