When you're in Santa Fe, I recommend making a couple of hours for the Ten Thousand Waves spa, and a 90 minute Japanese hot stone massage. I got one there four years ago, and I still tell people about it (clearly). It was divine. The spa itself is in the book 1,000 Places to go Before You Die. Worth a quick bit of relaxation -- book in advance if you can plan it!

Wish I'd known you guys were going to be hanging in the area for a while! My parents live in Dripping Springs, TX. Or Drippin' as my dad likes to call it. While wearing his cowboy hat and mendin' his fences. Sigh...

Around Big Bend National Park -- I'd recommend the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas (it's actually the only hotel in Marathon, Texas). Try not to be bothered by the trains that pass through every 45 minutes. There are some nice restaurants in Marathon. Also, Fort Davis, Texas is quite interesting and home to the McDonald Observatory, where they record "Stardate" for NPR. If the weather is clear, they do nightly observing right after dark. Not sure if you went through Marfa on your last trip, but you can try and spot the Marfa lights. They have a huge rest stop dedicated to it. My dad and I watched for an hour and saw nothing but UFOs made by Ford.

After distinctly remembering what it felt like to have my head stuck between the rails of the banister as a kid, I'm with Fred here. Not even Flinstones orange sherbet push pops would coax me out without a full fledged freak out.