February 13, 2016

 

It was time for a new adventure, Mrs. M and I had first talked about heading to Seattle until we saw what the weather would be like there. So our second choice was New Mexico. We had a list of restaurants we wanted to try and she wanted to go to Roswell and find some aliens. Me, I just wanted to go somewhere.

 

Plans wear made, reservations set and bags packed. First stop, Van Horn. TX. to eat at Chuy’s Mexican Restaurant. We then headed over to El Paso for our first night stay. That evening we ventured out to Chico’s Tacos to see what they were all about. They have been listed on several TV shows for their tacos in tomato sauce, they were some good. The next morning we were off to  The Wyler Aerial Tramway at Franklin Mountains State Park. This was a great ride up the side of the mountain. You could see the entire city and over in to Mexico from the top. Once finished we headed to the Whites Sands National Park in New Mexico. This place is just pure breath taking,  sitting in the middle of mountains, you have a beach scene. We were running short on time and did not get to explore as much as we wanted put did enjoy the views.

 

Mrs. M had on her list to visit Hatch, NM. She wanted to eat at the Pepper Pot that was featured on one of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations shows. This was our first introduction to both red and green chili sauces.We both agreed that the green was our favorite though the red was not bad. Once our bellies were full, it was off the Albuquerque, NM. The Whites Sands Park had us running late and we did not get into the hotel until after 9pm that night. Lights out, long ride that day!

 

Our neighbors few into Albuquerque to join us for the day. First stop was Bocadillosnm Sandwich Shop, this place was really great. Then it was time to get high on the mountain so off to the Sandia Peak Tramway. Wow, what a neat place. One side of the mountain was rocky and the other side covered in snow and trees. The wind had picked up that day so the slopes had been closed though the views spectacular. Sitting at over 10,000 ft. the wind chill factor was right at 0 degrees. We also visited the Old Town Square, drove down historic Rt. 66 and viewed parts of the city.

 

We made a slight detour on our way to Santa Fe. The town Madrid was on a scenic road in between the two cities and we thought would be interesting to see. If you saw the movie “Wild Hogs”, this was the town they saved and spend a couple of nights.

 

Our next visit was Santa Fe New Mexico. This was a very nice town to visit as well. If you like to shop head down to the old downtown area. There are blocks of old stores for shopping. Santa Fe is a artsy town and the shops reflect it. You can find anything from jewelry to framed art and pottery. Also down in the same area are some really neat old churches. Mrs. M did find a casino out of town so of course we had to pay it a visit and give our small donation. We had some great food in town. The Tune Up Café was very good for dinner one night and the Tecolote Café was outstanding for breakfast.

 

From Santa Fe, we headed to Roswell, NM. Mrs. M wanted to look for aliens and see if she could find a space ship crash. We visited the Roswell Aliens Museum and checked out the city. We did not spend much time here, we were trying to get down to Carlsbad, NM. Once in Carlsbad, we went to check out the Pecos River Flume. We had other things to do though were just running out of time. I will say this about the area and town of Carlsbad, they have become a larger oil town. The city is full of workers and the outskirts of town is nothing but oil wells and construction, a beautiful country side being destroyed.

 

We wrapped up our trip with a night in San Antonio, TX. We both have spent many nights in the city and still love each visit. We picked a place for dinner that had been featured on one of Bobby Fley’s challenge shows. They are famous for their puffy tacos. Mrs. M had those, me fajitas were on the menu!

 

Hotels for the trip:

La Quinta Inn and Suites (El Paso)

Hampton (Albuquerque0

Marriot (Santa Fe)

La Quinta (Carlsbad)

Marriot (San Antonio)

 

 

Life is meant to be enjoyed. One way we accomplish this if by getting out and exploring new places, new restaurants and meeting new friends. Get out there, there are a lot of things to discover!