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My fiancee and I are staying in Taos Dec. 18-23 (can't wait!) and are taking our dogs with us. On Monday the 21st we will drive in to Santa Fe and spend the day. I need to find a doggy day care either in Santa Fe or Taos, for that day.... Santa Fe might be preferable, actually.
Also, one of the dogs is a 4-year old pitbull mix, but very non-aggressive, he's very dog & human friendly (he attends doggy day care here in Austin and they can attest to it, if needed) so the place would need to accept pitbull breeds. The other dog is a lab mix. I want to reserve a place in advance so I'm looking for recommendations early. Please reply or send me a message! Thanks!
I'll answer a question you didn't ask. Are there traffic tie-ups between Taos and Santa Fe?
Answer, yes, if you take the low road, which is the faster route (usually). Construction starts on the southside of Espanola and continues intermittently down to Arroyo Seco. Back-ups can be bad going south in the morning and north in the evening and either way around the lunch hour.
So consider coming down on Sunday. There is no construction on the high-road which is scenic but slow. I would recommend it for one leg of your trip.
Santa Fe, thanks for that info! I have to come on Monday though, I have a meeting at Southwestern College, and the school isn't open on Sunday... but I'll try the high road, scenic is always better and my fiancee and I love those NM views!
Question: one thing I am a bit concerned about is the snow... we have a 4-door average car (Oldsmobile Alero) and my fiancee knows how to drive on snow.... but I'm still concerned we'll get stuck somewhere. What do ya think?
Well, the high road is exactly that -- high and altitude crontols weather -- higher means colder and more snow. If it has snowed recently then you will probably want to avoid the high road. However if a couple days has elapsed then the high road doesn't get much shade -- it sits right out there in the dry air and the New Mexico sun and the snow should disappear pretty fast. Low road, which sits down in a canyon for long stretches may have some bad places.
Also low road is fairly scenic itself coming down that canyon along the Rio Grande. Problem is that you eventually get decidedly un-scenic Espanola. The high road was rerouted through Nambe to avoid Espanola (although nobody admits that), but Nambe is not an option for the low road.
I believe you will find your highest stretches just south of Taos and on the northside of Santa Fe. I don't know Taos that well -- maybe it is possible to avoid that plateau or whatever it is.
But you have to bit the bullet at the northside of Santa Fe. It is either 84/285 or Bishops Lodge Road (a steep, winding, narrow, shaded road -- no with snow) into Santa Fe. In the morning going up 84/285 (starting a little past Camel Rock) you climb more than a thousand feet and in the winter that road doesn't get the morning sun. Be very careful.
Are you likely to get snow that time of year? I'd say no, but we sure did this past year. If it does snow, consider renting a four wheel drive with appropriate tires for the day.
Maybe not stuck, but perhaps slick conditions on the high road if it is snowing.
I've been on that road when the conditions were worsening and it wasn't fun.
However you could always make the decision that day to take the low road if the weather was threatening.
I would agree with Towanda except don't be complacent about the 'low' road. This is northern NM and it at its low points, the low road is still a mile high. Coming into Santa Fe (low road or high road) you'll go higher than 7,200 feet. You might want to take a look at both routes on the Google terrain map to see what you are getting into.
Santa Fe, Towanda, will do! Thanks for the advice. I've lived in central Texas my whole life, except for the 2 years (when I was 2 years old!) in Albuquerque. Thus, I have NO experience on snow. Good idea on renting a 4WD. Hadn't even thought of that. And I actually think we might leave the dogs home, because I found other things I want to do, and we can't leave them alone in the place we are renting and I don't want to pay for that much doggy day care. So, thanks for answering my unanswered question, it was most helpful! lol
Mind if I 'befriend' you two? I will be moving to Santa Fe sometime in 2011 to attend school and am sure I'll have lots of questions by then.
Santa Fe, Towanda, will do! Thanks for the advice. I've lived in central Texas my whole life, except for the 2 years (when I was 2 years old!) in Albuquerque. Thus, I have NO experience on snow. Good idea on renting a 4WD. Hadn't even thought of that. And I actually think we might leave the dogs home, because I found other things I want to do, and we can't leave them alone in the place we are renting and I don't want to pay for that much doggy day care. So, thanks for answering my unanswered question, it was most helpful! lol
Mind if I 'befriend' you two? I will be moving to Santa Fe sometime in 2011 to attend school and am sure I'll have lots of questions by then.
Thanks!
I put in a friend request to you.
My final piece of advice. If you in Taos on Sunday and the snow is forecast for that night or Monday, just drive down to Santa Fe that afternoon and spend the night in a motel on Cerrillos. You have all the new ones, plus a fifties nostalgia Holiday Inn plus a bunch of refitted Motor Courts from the 40s or even the 30s when Cerrillos was still Route 66.
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