Egidio is looking back to Amy’s Challenge #31 from February 2, 2019: Landscape. I enjoy landscape photography and have many landscape photos in my archives. Usually I would post landscape photos of things like beaches, sunrises and sunsets but for this challenge I decided to focus on one subject that I have returned to more than once.
New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, is on my mind this week. I recently returned from a weekend in Albuquerque to attend my nephew’s wedding and spend time with my family. I also got to enjoy magnificent views of the Sandia Mountains. The featured image is of the Sandia Mountains just before sunset the night before the wedding.
This was not our first visit to Albuquerque. During our RV travels we passed through there a couple of times and in 2023 I attended the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Here are a few views of these mountains from some of our earlier visits.
View of Sandia Mountains from Coronado State MonumentHot air balloon rising over Sandia Mountains at dawn
On one of our visits we took a scenic drive to the top of Sandia Crest to take in the gorgeous views.
View from Sandia Crest
Last week Tina’s challenge was Ephereral. Thank you to everyone who participated in the challenge. Your responses were great and I loved all the creative images of things that last a very short time.
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?
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.
St. Francis Cathedral Santa Fe
Camel Rock near Santa Fe
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.
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
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.
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.
Historic church in Albuquerque
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.
Wandering Dawgs 