Taos On The Cheap

Over 100 national parks that usually charge admission fees are free for all on August 14 – 15, 2010 as part of the National Parks Free Entrance Days program.

That includes free admission to New Mexico National Parks on this list:

• Bandelier National Monument
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• White Sands National Monument
• Aztec Ruins National Monument
• Capulin Volcano National Monument
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park
• El Morro National Monument
• Fort Union National Monument
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
• Pecos National Historical Park

Out of state parks are also included in the National Parks Free Entrance Days if you’re planning a trip away. And whether you’re roaming near or far, if you’ll need to get a room (as they say) check out the deal we posted earlier for 15% off Orbitz hotels.

Orbitz hotel room prices are already a pretty good deal, but this hotel code knocks an extra 15% off hotel rates. It’s valid for travel through 30 September, 2010, with NO blackout dates, including Labor Day weekend.  Which means your trip to Taos if you’re visiting, or your trip out of town if you live here, just got 15% cheaper.

How to get the Orbitz hotel discount:

• Make a hotel reservation at Orbitz.com by August 12, 2010
• For stays through 30 September, 2010
• Enter the promotion code at the checkout page:  HOTEL15

I don’t have a link to the deal as I received it by newsletter as an Orbitz customer, but I’ve just tried out the code, and it works even on hotels that are already heavily discounted. 

A lot of Taos folk know John Dillon and Vivian Nesbitt from their local gigs as musicians and from their radio show Art of the Song. (And of course from their years living in Taos.) John Dillon has now written a book about creativity, called The 20-20 Creativity Solution, to help people access and enhance their creativity – even if they don’t think of themselves as creative.

Dillon is offering a great deal on the book launch if you buy The 20-20 Creativity Solution through August 5, 2010.

The book costs $16.97 and $5.50 shipping… PLUS you get a bonus package valued at over $150 including 40 free song downloads contributed by Art of the Song guests.

The package includes:

• A 50 minute audio compilation of wise words on creativity from Art of the Song guests including Bruce Cockburn and Arlo Guthrie
• A creativity tip sheet from songwriters sharing tips on the creative process
• A guided meditation by musican, actor, and Art of the Song co-host Vivian Nesbitt
• The first chapter of creativity coach Eric Maisel’s ebook on The Power of Sleep
• 40 downloads of songs by artists including Jude Johnstone (who’s written songs for Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Jackson Browne etc), Susan Werner, Steve Seskin, Tom Kimmel, Blackfire, Arlene Kole, Freebo….
• …plus a whole lot more in the package

See The 20-20 Creativity Solution book and music deal for all the details and to order online. 
***You must order via this page I’ve linked you to – buying elsewhere in store or online won’t get the bonus deal. 

The book launch offer runs through Thursday August 5, 2010.

(Full disclosure: Yours Truly was a beta tester for one of the creativity exercises in the book – it was a simple, enjoyable, and illuminating practice, and as a teacher of creative writing myself, I’d definitely recommend it.)

Purchase online from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum gift store, and they’ll send you a free gift of a mini poster of O’Keeffe’s Abstraction White Rose, 1927.  The timeless O’Keeffe image is 14 inches by 11 inches. See it at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Store website where you can buy gorgeous gift items from jewelry to clothing to books to mugs to mobiles. They also have their 2011 O’Keeffe calendars in stock.

Watch out for shipping charges. They’re determined by the value of the order, so if you buy something under $10, you’ll pay $6.50 in shipping (kinda daft for light items, and somewhat negates the freebie). Rates are better value if you order above the $10 point, so maybe plan ahead for the holidays and order a few gift items in order to get your free gift O’Keeffe!

The 2010 New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax Holiday starts on Friday, August 6, and ends at midnight on Sunday, August 8, 2010. It’s just in time for back-to-school savings: the following items are exempt from gross receipts tax during the tax holiday:

• Clothing or shoes priced less than $100 per unit/per pair
• Desktop, laptop, or notebook computers priced less than $1,000
• Other computer hardware priced less than $500 (such as a printer, mouse, keyboard, monitor, microphone, speakers etc.)  
• School supplies priced less than $15 per unit
• School backpacks, bookbags, handheld calculators priced less than $100 per unit

Exclusions include phones, PDAs, handheld computers/email/internet devices, MP3 players, books, games including video games, office furniture, and musical instruments. In other words, these items are taxable.

Find all details on what’s taxable and nontaxable in the PDF file on the NM Gross Receipts Tax Holiday page.

For back-to-school supplies and computer shopping, savings are pretty good, just by buying on the right weekend. That’s why we’re giving you alert: If you’re planning a camping trip to the wilderness, DON’T do it on the weekend of August 6 to 8, 2010! Ask in the store before you begin shopping if you have any doubts about what is or is not included in the 2010 Tax Holiday.

Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort launches the first free Music on the Rocks festival on Saturday August 7, 2010.

It’s free for all and family-friendly, with live music mixed in with a wine tasting by La Chiripada Winery of Dixon, a straw bale demonstration, organic farming presentation, and a documentary film on sustainable living.

Music on the Rocks starts at 2pm and continues till dark. The free concert line-up:

• 2 – 3 pm:  Max Gomez  I heard the folk and rock music of Taos’s own Gomez recently at the OBL – he’s terrific. And frighteningly young to be so good.
• 3 – 5 pm:  Etc.   That’s not me saying etcetera, that’s the name of the pop and rock band from Boulder.
• 5 – 7 pm:  John O. Blues Band   Another Boulder band playing blues, rock, funk, and soul

Sipapu is 20 miles southeast of Taos. Get directions to Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort.

If you want to make a long weekend of it, a Sipapu lodging deal gives the third night free when you pay for the first two nights. On the weekend of the music festival, the offer is good on Motel Rooms and Lodge Rooms only. (Other lodging options include cabins, suites, and an RV Park, but they’re excluded from the third night free deal on the nights of August 6 and 7. )