Wandering Around America One State at a Time – New Mexico

Posted in Historic Sites, New Mexico, RVing, Wandering around AmericaTagged , , , , , ,

State 28:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

New Mexico

New Mexico became the 47th state on January 6, 1912. The capital is Santa Fe.

We have traveled through New Mexico several times in our travels. The first time was in 1985 in a mini van on our way to the Grand Canyon to tent camp with our two kids. Each time we were in the state we made sure to eat some of the delicious New Mexico food.  From blue corn tacos to green chile stew it’s all delicious. One year we visited my brother and his wife near Albuquerque and they took us to some of their favorite restaurants. Nothing better than eating where the locals eat!

In New Mexico many restaurants give you a choice of red salsa or green salsa. If you want both, when the server asks you what salsa you would like, the answer is “Christmas”. And where else would you have green chile stew and nachos for breakfast?

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Green Chile stew and nachos for breakfast at the Frontier Restaurant in Alburque

When we left home on our first RV trip in 2006, one of our must see stops was Roswell, New Mexico to visit the UFO Museum.

Street Lamp in Roswell, NM
UFO Museum and Research Center
UFO Museum in Roswell

New Mexico is one of the states that meets at the Four Corners.

Four Corners – States of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada

Our campsite at Santa Fe Skies was a perfect home base to explore Santa Fe and the surrounding area. We enjoyed wandering around Santa Fe, shopping at the Palace of the Governors and visiting the Georgia O’Keefe Museum.

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St. Francis Cathedral Santa Fe
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Camel Rock near Santa Fe
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Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe

When we asked one of the staff at the RV park the best way to get to Taos, he told us we could take the high road or the low road. Of course given two options we decided to travel to Taos on the scenic high road through high desert, mountains and small towns and return to Santa Fe on the low road through the valleys beside the Rio Grande River.

The scenery changed along the high road as we drove from Sante Fe to Taos.

High Dessert on the High Road to Taos
On the high road to Taos

We visited the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge outside of Taos before exploring Kit Carson’s home and enjoying tacos from a vendor at a Fiesta in Taos.

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Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
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Kit Carson’s home in Taos

As we drove back to Santa Fe on the low road there were great views of the Rio Grande.

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Rio Grande River on the Low Road between Taos and Santa Fe

Santa Rosa is one of the places to see some of the neon signs along historic Route 66. The Blue Hole was also worth a visit.

Historic Route 66 in Santa Rosa
Blue Hole in Santa Rosa
Historic Route 66 in Santa Rosa
Mater from the movie “Cars” in Santa Rosa

There is so much to see in and around Albuquerque. Although we had visited before, my brother and his wife were great tour guides and knew the best places to go. After attending a Navajo Rug sale with them we all took a hike through Petroglyphs National Monument.

Petroglyphs National Monument
Petroglyphs National Monument
Petroglyphs National Monument

On our most recent trip to New Mexico we wandered around Old Town Albuquerque and visited the Coronado State Monument.

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Historic church in Albuquerque
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Coronado State Monument

The highlight of our stay in Albuquerque was the drive on the Sandia Crest Scenic Byway. The views along the way and at the peak were amazing.

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View from Sandia Crest
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View from Sandia Crest
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View of Albuquerque from the Sandia Peak

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama      Alaska      Arizona      Arkansas      California      Colorado     Florida      Georgia      Hawaii        Idaho  Illinois      Indiana      Iowa     Kansas     Kentucky     Louisiana     Maine     Maryland     Massachusetts     Michigan     Minnesota    Mississippi     Missouri     Montana     Nebraska     Nevada      New Hampshire

23 thoughts on “Wandering Around America One State at a Time – New Mexico”

  3. This was a timely post for us as we will be arriving in Santa Fe tomorrow for our very first visit to the area. Many of the things you mentioned are also on our agenda and we are excited to see them! We also will be staying at Santa Fe Skies – glad to know it’s conveniently located!!

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  4. This past winter was our first time visiting NM after seven years on the road. It just isn’t in the right location for our travels. We really enjoyed visiting the southern area then a couple months later the northern half. We drove a lot of the northern scenic routes years ago on a motorcycle trip. Definitely the way to see the high country.

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  6. You captured the beauty of this state! I visited it once and fell in love. I actually tried to get transferred there, but wasn’t successful – got Mobile, Alabama instead. Not too shabby. Can’t wait to return one day….

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  8. Thanks for the tour. Our favorite New Mexican cuisine restaurant is El Pinto in ABQ. Whether we are staying nearby or passing through, we make a point to stop at El Pinto.

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  9. If you ever come back, I hope you can explore a bit in the southern part of the state, including Carlsbad Caverns, Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Alamogordo (White Sands National Monument) and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Very different from the northern part of the state and recommend a visit outside the hottest and coldest months of the year. 😉

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    1. Thanks for the suggestions! I’m sure those are all spectacular places to visit. We visited Carlsbad Caverens in 1985 with our kids so we may have seen some of the places you have listed there. Unfortunately my photos don’t go back that far and I don’t remember what we saw.

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  10. Wow, beautiful photos! We’re visiting the 48 contiguous states next year, and blogging about them on a day to day basis in the run-up to it. We’ll be sure to keep checking back for any tips you have!

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  11. How serendipitous the first time I see your blog is when you feature the state I grew up in. Your great photos brought back a rush of memories. So many hikes in the Sandias. I haven’t been back since 1998. Thanks for compiling your travels.

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