Travel tips: Austin to Albuquerque

Chuey's at Barton Springs Road or Guerro's at South Congress for the food. The Continental on South Congress for a great night of Music combine with Guerros and you'll never want to leave!. If you are there on Monday night the Saxon Pub on South Lamar with Bob Schneider, an Austin legend

This is quite simply the sweetest little museum and shows you the massive talent that was Georgia O'Keeffe, her love for New Mexico and also some lovely photos of the artist. A complete must visit

try this... just West of Amarillo Texas on I40

If Katie swings slightly north to the sister cities of Odessa, Texas and Midland, Texas, she'll see a Stonehenge replica at The University of Texas, Permian Basin (UTPB) in Odessa, as well as a replica of the Globe Theatre and Anne Hathaway's house at Odessa College. (I have no idea why.) Odessa College also has a thriving rodeo program, so Katie could stop by to meet some aspiring riders.

In Midland, Texas (where I live) Graham Pharmacy is a local institution. In addition to an old-timey Mayberry style pharmacy, there is also a cute general store and a real, working 50s Americana lunch counter with a working soda fountain. It's pretty popular with the locals, but she won't have to wait long to get a seat. (The lunch crowd moves pretty quickly.) Just two blocks away from there is George W. Bush's surprisingly modest childhood home, as well as downtown Midland which features the Smithsonian Museum of the Southwest. It has a nice sculpture garden on the grounds, so Katie could get a few god pics in as well.

Experience our fading quintessential roadside America with a southwest flair:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/16894

Natural Bridge is actually the largest commercial cave in Texas. This room, Hall of the Mountain King, is as big as a football field (American football, mind you).

Eat at the Magnolia Cafe in Austin, great place to hangout. Then head to Wimberley a pretty little town. 40 miles southwest. Refreshments here recommended at the Wimberley Cafe in the town square.

You can't leave Austin without dancing a two-step in the Broken Spoke, Austin's most authentic honky tonk bar. We visited in March when we were at SXSW and had the best night of the trip there. Unmissable!

Be sure to stop in Madrid, scene of the move WILD HOGS, funky houses, great gifts, friendly people, along the Turquoise Trail from Cedar Crest exit to Santa Fe, but close to Albuquerque!!!

Visit the Owl Bar in Socorro (http://www.socorro-nm.com/owlbar.htm) and try a Green Chilli Cheeseburger. These were listed as one of the top 10 burgers in the US a few years ago and the cafe started out serving the scientists working on the Manhattan Project. There is a branch in Albuquerque itself but the original is in San Antonio, NM.

An Albuquerque tradition, great heaping plates of "papas" with fried eggs and green chile.

Carlsbad Caverns is absolutely worth a visit. The caverns are immense and the upper reaches are in habited by bats. There is about a 3 mile walk from the entrance to the bottom and around the caves there. You can then take the lift up.

As well as an ancient cave there is also a more modern one nearby: the US DoE Waste Isolation Pilot Plant which handles nuclear waste but also has the EXO experiment hunting for a potentially very rare nuclear decay process that could tell us about the fundamental nature of tiny particles called neutrinos (http://www.wipp.energy.gov/science/dbdecay/dbdecaynew2.html). I'm sure they would show you around if you called and asked!

New Mexico memorabilia and fireworks!

The Guadalupe Mountains are essentially a cowboy film set, and well worth visiting for that reason alone. But they're also intensely beautiful and very well protected, meaning there is a good chance of seeing wildlife along the trails. I'd recommend the Peak, McKittrick, and Devil's Hall hikes, the last being especially appropriate if you lack time or energy. (http://www.nps.gov/gumo/planyourvisit/trails.htm)

Northwest of the Guadalupe Mountains is a wonderful little town more than 8,000 feet high, buried in the Lincoln National Forest, called Cloudcroft, NM. It is a kind of oasis settlement with scenery like the Swiss Alps, made all the weirder since you can go to viewing points and see down to the White Sands and for miles into the endless desert. There's also a hostel there that was built by a David Carradine lookalike from scratch (who still runs it). And something called the cloud-climbing railway. Well worth a look.

A little to the west of Cloudcroft is the White Sands National Monument, which no doubt you've heard of. It is as advertised: lots of white sand. Brilliant, though (literally).

I heartily agree with an earlier post that you should take Route 14 from Santa Fe to ABQ.it beats the Interstate hands down.

The start is not that promising as you go past a large one star all-inclusive resort that specialises in long stays (OK - it's a jail) but then you come to the almost ghost town of Cerrillos with a great museum and shop.(one of the rattlesnake eggs would be a great stocking filler).Not to be missed.turn right after a railway bridge).See www.loscerillosnm.com

Then there is Madrid and a fun final descent into ABQ.

Rgds

Stuart

Glad to see that you have Balmorhea State Park on Hwy 17 outside Ft Stockton on your list - that was an unexpected and pleasant surprise to us. (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/balmorhea/map) Plan to spend some time there, just like you did at Barton Springs -- and you'll be shocked how cold the spring-fed pools are.

You might also want to add the McDonald Observatory outside Ft Davis (http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/) -- some of the darkest skies in the US and a great program at night. You will be generally amazed at the night skies in that part of Texas - we had never seen the Milky Way so clearly.

PS - Be prepared for the long drive between Kerrville and Ft Stockton on I-10. It's long, straight, and the most scenic items are probably the wind turbine farms. You'll have to take a side road to small towns to see anything else for a couple of hours! :>)

Have fun!

From Roswell I would recommend heading NW towards Carrizozo and then on to Mountainair which is a town waiting for a Western to happen. Here you can have a seriously cheap meal at Jerrys Ancient Cities Cafe and get ready for the last bit of the journey into ABQ. From Mountainair, it is worth taking routes 55 and then 337 as you will see everything from small villages to open spaces to pine forests as you ascend and then start to descend. Once at Tijeras you can take Interstate 40 downhill into ABQ and then leave it at Exit 167 or 166 and take Central Avenue which is what remains of Route 66. The car will probably break down at this point unless you have early Stones or Chuck Berry on the stereo.....!!

Once in town head to either of the breweries (Marble or La Cumbre) I mentioned in an earlier post and let the Indian Pale Ale do its work....

Stuart Downie

PS

The speed and volume of the traffic on I-40 may come as a bit of a shock after the tranquility of the last few days so don't file any copy until you leave the car!

At some point on this trip you will have to stop at a level crossing while a freight train rumbles past.They are so long they take forever to pass by so you can knock off quite a few chapters while you wait!

If the train is heading east the containers or trailers you are likely to see will be full.If it is heading west then most will be empty such is the imbalance of global trade these days

Tucumcari has always been our overnight stop on the way from Texas into Santa Fe/ Albuquerque. Lena's Cafe on Main Street is the place for your southwestern breakfast - ask for anything on the menu to come 'Christmas' (red and green chilli - the answer to New Mexico's state 'question.') Santa Fe is a must on the way into its southern neighbour. Aztec Cafe on Aztec Street is the place for coffee and local gossip in the morning. Pull into the Double Take emporium at the corner for a broad selection of pre-loved cowboy boots and southwestern chic. Just around the corner is the Cowgirl, *the* spot for late-night drinks and camaraderie, or try El Farol at the top end of Canyon Road. Canyon Road is the city's destination for art galleries galore (most offer wine evenings), and The Compound on Canyon Road is the place for a long lunch if the Guardian is paying. If not, head downtown to Cafe Pasqual's to shoulder-up with the locals for voluminous plates of local fare. In the afternoon, head up to the city's overlook via a winding path at Hillside Park, best toward sunset. Once back down, evening aperitifs are best taken in the courtyard at La Casa Sena, which you'll find behind an ancient arcade on East Palace Avenue, just around the corner from the Palace of the Governor's. You're more likely than not to spot film celebs sitting next to you under the large trees and fairy lights. The newly opened Palace Restaurant, also just off the square, is a great choice if you're looking for throw-back western ambiance. A warning: the city's streets all but roll up at 10pm - follow the crowds and noise to hidden drinking holes under the immense, star-sprinkled sky.

Best tacos of your life can be found in Espanola at El Paragua. Order chicken or beef with guac & salsa and you'll be in heaven. A few more gems:

-In Albuquerque try: El Patio (incredible green chile enchiladas) and the local coffee & brunch stop: Barelas (red chile enchiladas and best locals ever)

-Check out petroglyphs on the volcanoes outside Albq.

-Hike along Sandia Peak crest

-Relax in Jemez Mountain hotsprings

-Live classical music outdoors in Albq on Sundays at the Church of Beethoven (http://www.churchofbeethoven.org)

-In Santa Fe, have a margarita and duck tacos on the rooftop of the Coyote Cafe or mingle with politicians at The Shed

-Flamenco at El Farol in Santa Fe

-Glassblowing workshop in Tesuque

-Bird watching at Bosque del Apache and burgers (at the nearby Owl Cafe)

The guy who said Albuquerque is dull clearly didn't take any time to investigate!