Last January we drove from Kansas City all throughout New Mexico and Arizona. I won't bore you with details or repeat all of the great advice you have received. But, we visited Canyon de Chelly for 2 days and loved it. There are a couple of inexpensive motels in the area (if you are interested I will try to find my notes). The canyon is beautiful and there are several hikes you can take. We hiked down to the bottom with our 2 children (then 4 and 7 years old). It probably took about an hour down and 1 1/2 hours up. We hired a guide the next day and drove our car along the bottom of the canyon. We enjoyed it more than the Grand Canyon, maybe because we had never heard of it and did not know what to expect.

Will your friends make it as far as Santa Fe? There is a wonderful folk art museum there, the best we have seen.

Ed and Sarah in San Miguel