New Mexico

I had four days off from work (Friday-Monday) and I had not really planned a vacation. So on a whim, after getting off work on Thursday, I drove to New Mexico. I didn’t have a particular place in my mind to get to first. I just knew I wanted to see Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and stop along the way at any place that caught the eye.   

Day One

I started driving around 7:30 in the evening. It’s about a ten hour drive to get to the border of New Mexico from Houston, with breaks, it took me almost twelve. As a rule of thumb, I like to break every 2-3 hours to stretch.

Apart from gasoline/restroom breaks during the night, my first real stop was in El Paso, TX. I reached there around 5 in the morning, and although the sky was still dark, you could get a glimpse of the city with all the distant lights. The city sits close to Franklin Mountains and you could see the mountains outlining in the distance as well.

Next after El Paso, was Silver City, NM. It is a picturesque little town. Everything was closed since I got there really early in the morning, but I took my time driving through the town as it was really beautiful.

From Silver City, I continued onto Gila National Forest. It is a very scenic drive, winding roads through the valley with beautiful mountain views. During winters, the mountain peaks are capped with snow.

After driving through Gila, I went to Cibola National Forest. The drive from Gila to Cibola is extremely beautiful. Basically you are driving through the forests with mountains surrounding them.

I took hwy 180 in Gila to hwy 12 then hwy 60. On this route, you will pass though a small village called Reserve, NM. Make sure to use the restroom in Reserve. From there on until you hit Magdalena NM, there are no restrooms! Unless of course, you are okay to go out in the open! The drive from Cibola to Magdalena is 1 hours and 21 minutes to be exact (needing the restroom badly makes you time to the tee!). Anyway, after a restroom break in Magdalena, I continued to Albuquerque. I bid on a hotel on Priceline, and got a room for 30 USD at Extended Stay America. It is most definitely not my favorite hotel, but for the price, I couldn’t complain. Especially given the fact it was holiday season and prices were sky rocket high.

A hot bath and some hot tea was all I needed to freshen up. I then, drove down Central Drive to downtown Albuquerque. Central Drive is filled with lights and places to eat. It was lovely. After sightseeing downtown and a nice dinner, I went back to the hotel to get a good night’s sleep.

Day Two

I went to Sandia Peak for a hike. There is also a tram you can take all the way to the peak. However, it is a very short tram ride and I didn’t want to pay 25 bucks for few minutes so I skipped on that. Instead I spent most of the day hiking.

Once I finished my hike, I went to Albuquerque downtown again in the evening. There were some New Year’s fireworks and festivities so I spent a nice evening there.

Day Three

After checking out of the hotel, I drove to Santa Fe. I took I-25 N all the way. Santa Fe is full of history and culture. I was amazed by the city and absolutely loved it from the moment I entered! The earth-colored Peublo Style homes are gorgeous to look at. The architecture is stunning. I drove into downtown Santa Fe, also famously known as, Plaza. It is really beautiful. Lots of shops and old brick buildings, music, and people dancing, Santa Fe Plaza speaks loud of its culture. It was a really lively place to be.

Must Have pastries and cakes at this place! Very yummy!!

After spending a few hours walking around the Plaza, I hit the road again to check out the Rio Grande Gorge Valley. The drive was beautiful. The lands along the road were covered in snow. With the sun shining bright, the snow was glistening in the sunlight. Oh what a sight it was!

Upon reaching the bridge, I pulled over to the side on the road. There is a small parking area just along the road and you can then walk on the bridge. It was truly breathtaking. In the summers, you can hike down, but due to snow in the winters, the path down is cordoned off. Regardless, I spent some time walking along the bridge and taking in the view.  

Around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, I started on my drive back to Houston. I took 64 E to go via Angel Fire. Another beautiful drive with roads zigzagging through the mountains!  Rocks on one side and forest on the other! It was awesome.

I hit hwy 58 (at Cimmaron) when it was dark. There is literally no light along this way. Make sure you have a full tank of gas when you are leaving the city. Also recommend leaving in the morning as this particular route is not the best to take at night, especially if you are alone.

Day Four

I took a few hours halt in Amarillo, TX during the night and slept in the car at a rest area.  Reached home around 11 am.

New Mexico was a quick, unplanned trip, which turned out great. Definitely recommend going there. Perfect for a long weekend getaway!