REAL DEALS
Puerto Rico Hotels, From $139
Make a summer escape to this nearby island in the Caribbean Sea, where U.S. citizens can still travel without a passport.
ROAD TRIPS
Southern New Mexico
The lower half of New Mexico is an otherworldly place--but you certainly don't have to be abducted to have an unforgettable trip
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February 2005 issue
Day two
Lodging
  White Sands National Monument: the sand looks and crunches like snow (New Mexico Department of Tourism) |
Food
Attractions
The trail ends at the Big Room, which has some of the cave's most spectacular formations, from tiny nubs of minerals to hanging stone curtains the size of buses. We sign on for an extra tour, of the Left Hand Tunnel (wishing that we'd planned ahead better and booked one of the spelunking trips, where you crawl through dark, tight passages). There are no electric lights; our walk is lit by candle lanterns.
After lunch in the underground restaurant, we elevator back to the surface, squinting like moles. At Highway 82, we head west, traveling slowly uphill along a perfect river valley with one horse pasture after another, peak at the town of Cloudcroft, and then drop nearly 5,000 feet in only 16 miles, to the deserts surrounding the small town of Alamogordo.
Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
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