We’re excited that so many of you from across the region are coming to the CHILE tournament !

Want to know what to do while you are here? There are many options for seeing the area – depending on time, interest, and finances.

There is Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico if you are driving through that way. The drive on 550 from Albuquerque to our area is beautiful – every few miles there are new vistas and types of rock formations – a great view of God’s creation and the vastness of New Mexico. If you come that way, make a pit stop in Cuba at the Shell gas station that has a McDonald’s. Cuba is the last place to stop for gas, toilet, and munchies for 90 miles before Bloomfield and Farmington (the McDonald’s gas station is by far the cleanest and nicest.) I’ve heard El Bruno’s in Cuba is one of the best places to eat in New Mexico, but I haven’t tried it.

Chaco Canyon National Park, 1½ hour south of Farmington, is a World Heritage site but there are 13 miles of bumpy dirt road into the park which may be currently impassable. If you want to try this, call ahead to see if the road is OK. DO NOT RELY on your GPS as it will lead you astray and you might not be found for months!! Follow park directions: http://www.nps.gov/chcu/planyourvisit/directions.htm

Mesa Verde is probably the most internationally famous site in the area. It is 91 miles from Farmington via Hesperus (97 miles via Cortez) but once you get past the park entrance, there is quite a bit of driving to get to anything (they say to plan 2 hours just to drive in and out once you get to the park). $10 per vehicle. I would advise you call and talk to a live ranger because they close quite a bit of the park during the winter and with some recent snows, access may be restricted even more. http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm

The Grand Canyon and Utah’s southern National Parks are within a day’s drive. Breathtaking…

If you want to see snow in southern Colorado, you could drive up to Durango, CO (about an hour north from Farmington). There is a great skiing area there that used to be called Purgatory, now called Durango Mountain Resort. Downtown Durango is a fun place to walk around if you like touristy, funky, odd little shops (probably not appealing to teen boys) and has some whoop-de-do restaurants. A lot of people like to ride on the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad which is a “vintage, coal-fired, steam powered locomotive that travels through the breathtakingly scenic San Juan National Forest”. I think it is too pricey ($50 ages 12+ in winter) but it is rated quite highly. They also have a little museum there which is free even if you don’t ride the train. http://www.durangosilvertonrailroad.com/

The Four Corners Monument would have been fun –but it is “currently closed to visitors." http://www.navajonationparks.org/htm/fourcorners.htm

The closest Navajo Nation museum is in Window Rock which is almost 3 hours south of Farmington – I’ve never been there so I don’t know if it is worth the drive. It is free.

There is a new restaurant in Farmington, Ashkii's Navajo Grill, the city's only known restaurant to serve an exclusively Navajo menu. It is at 123 W. Broadway – don’t know their hours. I haven’t tried it yet, but this would be a great experience of Navajo culture.

If you want to stay local, the one thing you should see is Aztec Ruins National Monument. It is in Aztec, 20 min. east of Farmington, and is the easiest of all the Anasazi Indian ruins to see – it is a World Heritage site and has info on both Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde as well. They have an interesting, informative (politically correct) film, small museum, and then you walk through the ruins and see a restored kiva. http://www.nps.gov/azru ($5 per adult, 15 and under are free.) This is well worth your time and really gives you a feel for the area and its history. There is also Salmon Ruins in Bloomfield if you want more of this type of thing, but it is not as nice as Aztec Ruins. http://www.salmonruins.com/

Also local is the Farmington Museum (20 min. west of Aztec). It has a nice oil and gas museum (one exhibit pretends to send you down an oil well while they are drilling), a section on the history of Farmington, and a replica of a trading post. Also a video about the area which is interesting. It is not “big city” quality, but I think the kids might enjoy it. It is free with a suggested donation. http://www.fmtn.org/city_government/parks_recreation_and_cultural_affairs/2977/gateway_park_museum.html

The Farmington Museum is a good place to get postcards and decent quality books and gifts from the area. I think Aztec Ruins has some of that as well. And of course Wal-Mart has cheap New Mexico knickknacks and t-shirts. Walgreens has a good selection of New Mexico & Farmington t-shirts.

Farmington: http://www.farmingtonnm.org/

Aztec http://www.aztecnm.com/ http://www.aztecchamber.com/

Remember to check attractions for weekend hours. Some things may even be closed… Email if you have any questions.

Everything here is my personal opinion only and may not be published beyond this site!! 

Love,

Mrs. Larimer, mama@larimerfamily.com