It has been happening for as long as I can remember, this urge. I blame my mother for moving us all hither and yon when I was a kid, and then continuing our travels throughout the US when I was in middle and high school. In college, I would combat the urge by getting in the car with a friend, one of us picking a direction, and just driving. Gas was cheap, and it was a way to escape the every day without having to spend any great money on an actual trip.
This past summer, the urge was STRONG. After my mom passed, it took some time for the true grieving and depression to set in, and once it did, I really had no idea how to handle it. I have long known that my desire to run away was related to minor depression -- a desire to have some sort of control in a world where I was feeling very little control. As the depression really set in as I grieved my mom, I knew I needed to do something. I hadn't had a chance to take much time off from work during the summer due to an extremely busy schedule, but an opportunity came up for me to get away, and I jumped on it. On a Tuesday in early August, I booked a flight to Albuquerque for early Saturday morning, returning on Monday evening. Haven't you always wanted to do that? Just book a flight and go? I started to feel better just in that act of booking a flight alone.
So why New Mexico? That was the biggest question I got. Well, after that it was, "And you're going by yourself?" but I'll tackle solo travel in another post. New Mexico had been calling to me for awhile. I can't really explain why -- it has held this mystery over me for so long. I knew that Santa Fe would be an interesting art town, and that I would enjoy driving around, but I really knew very little about things to do and see until I started googling. And boy, did I find some pretty amazing things to do!
On arrival, I got my adorable little rental car (a tried and true companion over the next few days!), and immediately hit the road for White Sands National Monument. White Sands is about a 3-3.5 hour drive from Albuquerque, and worth every single mile. On the way, you drive through mountains, arid plains, cattle ranches, lava fields, and... missile ranges. I was often the only car on the road, and more than once wondered if the drive was worth it.
But let me tell you right now -- White Sands is maybe one of the coolest things I've seen in the US. In the middle of nowhere comes this beautiful white sand dune park -- hundreds of square miles of white gypsum sand that each year moves further and further across the desert. You drive out into the dunes and it is like a whole different world. You can walk along the ridges, see how the wind creates lovely ripple patterns, and even go sledding down the slopes. Truly incredible, and totally worth the 7 hour roundtrip drive!
Back in Albuquerque, checked in to my (cheap!) hotel, I ordered some room service and went straight to bed. I had grand goals of checking out a nearby tap room, but was just too tired. The next morning, rejuvenated from a great night's sleep (and the adrenaline rush travel always gives me), it was time to head towards Santa Fe. Instead of taking the interstate, I drove along the Turquoise Trail, which leads you on the eastern side of the Sandia Mountains. I drove along the winding road all the way up to the peak of Sandia Mountain, which is over 14,000 feet, only to have to drive right back down as the parking lot was full :( But from there, I continued north toward Santa Fe, going through great little towns full of adorable art galleries and stores.
Santa Fe, known for its own art galleries, held a number of great things for me to see -- I went to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum, wandered around a lovely arts fair, and ventured into a restaurant to get my green chile fix for the day. I also went to one of Santa Fe's local breweries, Second Street. Since I was driving, I was only able to try one of their brews, but it was delicious!
I left Santa Fe with a close eye on time and the weather, keeping my fingers crossed I could get to the Sandia Peak Tramway in time to catch the sunset. The tramway is on the western side of the mountain, so this time, I headed south down the interstate. The tramway was absolutely gorgeous - but no luck on the sunset -- August is monsoon season in New Mexico, so instead of the setting sun, I watched storm clouds roll in over Albuquerque.
Those monsoons are pretty intense -- I didn't get caught in too many, but if you are planning to be there and out on the road during that time, be cautious!! They come in fast & furious and you cannot see a thing!
Monday morning, I checked out of my hotel and ventured north again, this time to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. Located about an hour and a half northwest of Albuquerque, the Tent Rocks are this really cool geological formation that are remnants from one of the many volcanic eruptions that happened in New Mexico millions of years ago. To get the best view of the Tent Rocks, you have to hike through this beautiful slot canyon for about a mile.
I have to reiterate my warning about monsoon season here -- as I drove in to the site, the gate agent warned me very seriously from entering the canyon. Should a monsoon come in while you are in the canyon, there is a high risk of flash flooding, and there is NO WHERE for the water to go other than through that canyon. Depending on the amount of water, you will get washed away. I was a bit foolhardy and entered the canyon anyway, figuring I could just keep an eye on the clouds... which you can't see at all once you are in there.
Once you make it through the canyon, the climbing begins. Now, I'm not one for heights, and I'm not exactly the model for physical fitness. And I have a pretty horrible history of sprained ankles. That being said, I took things slowly, let people pass me, and took plenty of breaks to admire the view and have some water. And once I made it to the top... well...
TOTALLY WORTH IT! In total, the hike through the canyon and up to the top of the mesa took me about an hour. I enjoyed the view for about 15 minutes and then all of the sudden noticed some pretty nasty clouds not too far off. Not wanting to be stuck either 1) on top of the mesa or 2) in the canyon during the monsoon, I rushed a bit on the way back through, getting a little confused on the path on the way out... as in, definitely got off the path on the way out. Luckily, that monsoon never did show up, and although I wondered a bit off track, I could always hear other people, so I just walked in their direction.
Big, giant safety warning: I got pretty lucky in that scenario above -- I had plenty of water, I could hear other people, I didn't encounter any rattlesnakes or other wildlife, and I didn't get stuck in a monsoon. But it is very possible those things could have happened. DO NOT go into the desert without water. Pay attention to trail markers and the weather. Don't overestimate your physical skills or mental capacity, especially if you are in a situation where you run low on water.
After my hike, it was time to head to the airport. Such a short, but wonderful trip! It was exactly what I needed to get out of my "I'm going bananas crazy" funk and re-focus on the good things in life. And, I got to try a flight of local brews before my flight back to MSP! The one on the far left is green chile beer -- amazing!
Want to go yourself? Here are my tips:
- You will definitely need a car -- although there are buses in Albuquerque, most of the sights are out yonder.
- Albuquerque was a good place to put my head. I wanted to explore more of the bars/tap rooms/nightlife, but I was exhausted, and then a little creeped out when I tried to walk to one.
- Fitting in all of the things I wanted to see took a bit of planning - I could have used more than just the 3 days I had for prep time.
- I definitely could have used one more day in New Mexico -- I didn't get to Roswell, or the Great Array, or the Petroglyphs. There is SO much to see there!
- Eat as much green chile as possible. It is so good, and it isn't the same anywhere else!
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