From Old Mexico to New Mexico

My vacation planning is coming along. It has to. The longer I wait the harder it's going to be to get away.

I've pretty much given up on London for now. I think to make that economical I need to think about a February trip. $750 for a flight, plus hotel, plus incidentals, etc. I just can't spend $2,000-plus for 5 days in London.

New York/New England was in the running, and may still be. Flights are cheap, but a car rental is almost $500 for a week. Crazy.

Just for grins I priced Mexico -- back to the place I went to in February. It's crazy cheap, though it is hurricane season.

So I'm homing in on New Mexico/Arizona. I found airfare and a week's car rental for under $500 combined, which seems like a pretty good deal. And as I'm researching it, it's getting more and more interesting. On one hand, there's the old Mexican culture, the arts, the crafts, etc., around Santa Fe and Taos. Plus the Indian Pueblo culture.

But then there's also the ancient cultures up in the four corners, in Northeast Arizona. The oldest, continuously inhabited area in the U.S. -- the Navajo, the Hopi, the Anasazi. And people long before that.

And, of course, all the natural wonders -- the canyons, the mesas, the mountains and the deserts.

Much to consider ...