Destinations like Santa Fe lure in tourist summer dollars; are we getting our share?

New Mexico is a favorite long weekend trip for me — another of the perks of living in Colorado with so many nearby destinations.

But it had been several years since my last visit to Santa Fe, and I was yearning to see red adobe, taste blue corn enchiladas and sip real margaritas.

To save time, we drove straight down I-25 so our first view of Santa Fe was coming in from the east along Cerrillos Road, where so many of the old Route 66 motels still exist, nestled in among the newer Best Westerns, Holiday Inns and Ramadas.

At first, I…