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New Mexico -- It REALLY IS a State of the U.S.!
Yup. New Mexico is a State of the United States. But for some reason, there are still folks out there who think that they need a passport to go there and that they have to bring their own water. They think that New Mexico is all desert. And that the capital is Albuquerque. In fact, when you tell folks that you are from New Mexico, many want to know why you don't speak Spanish (actually, there might be a good chance that you do, but that also applies to Texas, Arizona, and California, not to mention the other 46 states!), and how long you've been north of the border. Aaargh! If you want a trip that combines a sort of exotic "foreign-ness" with the benefit of all the things that come with being in the U.S., New Mexico could be high on your list of places to go. From the capital of New Mexico, Santa Fe, you can travel about 60 miles south and be in Albuquerque--the largest city in New Mexico. The average altitude of Albuquerque is about 5,000 feet above sea level--so the air is a little thin. Santa Fe is even higher, at about 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. The mountains around Santa Fe and Albuquerque reach up to 10,000 feet. Not only does this mean that if you have lived most of your life near sea level, you might want to take it easy for the first few weeks that you are there--the blue look from lack of oxygen really ruins the effect of the nice tan you are getting. The weather in New Mexico has an average of 300+ days a year of sunshine, so it's great for taking pictures and doing all those fun activities--even snow skiing. New Mexico is North of Texas (at least part of it), and just 150 miles north of El Paso, Texas is Sierra Blanca (means "White Mountain" in Spanish)--Sierra Blanca has snow through much of the winter and has great skiing and other winter activities. But then, only about 110 miles north of El Paso, Texas, is Cloudcroft, New Mexico. They have the highest Golf Course in the continental United States--at about 9,000 feet altitude. (Uh, you don't golf there in the winter--it would be hard to find the balls in the snow!) And, about 85 miles North of El Paso, Texas, is Alamogordo, New Mexico--home of the International Space Hall of Fame, and the major city near White Sands National Monument--miles and miles of glistening white, gypsum sand (no water, just the "beach"). It's an amazing sight--and interesting from an environmental point of view as well. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the home of New Mexico State University and just over the mountain from White Sands Missile Range--site of the third landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-3) in 1982. Driving up I-25 from Las Cruces, you'll eventually come to Socorro, --home of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and the Basque del Apache Nature Preserve along the Rio Grande. (You'll also pass by the city of Truth-or-Consquences--near the huge freshwater lake formed by Elephant Butte Dam. --There's great fishing and water sports available at Elephant Butte Lake!) I-25 leads into Albuquerque--home of the University of New Mexico. Albuquerque is a teaming city of more than 600,000 people. Although much of the city is ultra-modern, you can see much of the old Spanish and Native American culture in many of the homes and buildings--particularly in the "Old Town" area in the middle of town. The Albuquerque Museum of Natural History is a great attraction, as are the Rio Grande Zoo, and the Rio Grande Nature Center--near downtown. Further up I-25 is Santa Fe--the State Capital. The streets around Santa Fe are remniscent of an old Spanish pueblo. It's really great to walk around the Santa Fe Plaza on an early fall evening and be enveloped in the fragrant scent emanating from mesquite and pinon fireplaces. A side trip north from Santa Fe brings you to Taos--home of the Taos Pueblo--the longest standing, continuously inhabited structure in North America. Downtown Taos is full of wonderful sights--including one of Kit Carson's homes, museums, galleries, and shops with Native American crafts--art, jewelry, leatherwork, and sculpture. The food here is amazing--sopapillas, buritos with verdolagas and Hatch chile, enchiladas con queso, Indian fry bread, mole', pinon-coffee, and (man, this making me hungry!).. There are so many things to do and see in New Mexico that this little tidbit of information can only give you a hint of what's there to see and do. |
Camping In Style!
Red River, New Mexico Before the First Snow
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