We made a bee-line straight down Interstate 25, through Albuquerque, running the usual road-trip errands: fuel, truck-stop showers, bathroom breaks, repeat. By early afternoon we rolled off the highway just north of Socorro, New Mexico, chasing another patch of dirt our maps had promised — the Quebradas Backcountry Byway. These...
After a few days of cocktails and sunsets in Taos, we figured we’d better take a short break from civilization before diving into Santa Fe. Just east of town, a rugged mountain called our name. On the map, it had a dirt road that wound its way up a canyon...
Escaping the gravitational pull of Pagosa Springs took more willpower than expected, but eventually, we did it. Marcel’s nose turned south, New Mexico-bound. Next stop: Taos. We weren’t in any particular hurry now — the threat of Colorado snow was safely behind us — so when a dirt road over...
I froze when Kerri said she wanted to drive into Las Cruces to see friends.I reminded her of my track record with Las Cruces and van breakdowns (specifically brakes) in the most blunt way I could – I’ve never made it to or through Las Cruces without some form of...
We move East at a good clip. Through and past Phoenix, and up the mountains on the other side as we wanted to take a route other than Interstate to our next destination. It wasn’t even a new area we were traveling – we did it last year – but...
The time of year I normally travel through this area (winter) has always made it difficult to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The monument is well outside of cellular coverage and way up above 5000 ft elevation, so I have skipped past it for eight years now. Kerri...
Las Cruces will be the furthest East we go this year. After diligently watching the Bellingham weather we decided to start our migration back towards Washington. With the about-face came a weekend of opportunity. The opportunity to explore a small slice of New Mexico that neither Kerri or I have...
The last time I was in this area, this road wasn’t paved. I was surprised to see what was once a long and washboard dirt road was now smooth asphalt. I was wondering why they would pave such a nondescript road, well outside the city proper when I saw the...
My previous visit to Bisbee (way before I met Kerri) left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Honestly, I didn’t much care to make a return visit, but with Kerri having never been I took one for the team. We arrived early enough to be able to park...
The final day of our travel weekend brought us to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Here we would visit the Carlsbad Caverns National Park and even a quick trip to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Again, I have been to both in my past, but Kerri had been to neither in her adulthood....
