New Mexico: I'm enchanted.
Due to a number of silly reasons I'd rather not go into, New Mexico has been one of my favorite states for the past couple of years despite the fact that I hadn't ever set foot here until today. Luckily, the Land of Enchantment is wonderful.
The drive today was gorgeous. New Mexico, like Arizona is greener than I'd expected. And the rocks and mesas and whatnot make the drive across the northern part of the state pleasantly varied.
Tonight, my mom and I are staying in Albuquerque and we made an effort to get here early enough to enjoy the city for a few hours. It's colorful, with the big blue mountains in the distance, fluffy white clouds overhead, and brightly colored storefronts and homes. There's also a whole heck of a lot of adobe around here. Adobe's been a rarety in my travels and I find it to be more than a little charming. Old Town's nice and Route 66 is slightly less seedy here. Also, the Rio Grande flows through town. The Rio Grande! It's one of those geographic things that's come up frequently in my history classes but has never seemed all that real. I think my mom was a little alarmed by how excited I was when we first crossed it.
The only fault I can find with New Mexico is the hotel that my mom and I were originally booked at. We pulled up to find an empty reception desk, a dirty lobby, and a general feeling of sleaziness. After waiting around for the receptionist to turn up, we left and I talked our way into a full refund from Priceline (their "policy" was no match for my negotiation skills). Anyway, we're now ensconced at a cleaner and hopefully safer hotel, so Albequerque's back in my good graces.
Tomorrow we're driving through the northern part of Texas and spending the night at some small town in Oklahoma. I wish I could spend more time in New Mexico, but I'm consoling myself with the thought that they'll need some campaign volunteers (or possibly workers) here in the next couple years.
The drive today was gorgeous. New Mexico, like Arizona is greener than I'd expected. And the rocks and mesas and whatnot make the drive across the northern part of the state pleasantly varied.
Tonight, my mom and I are staying in Albuquerque and we made an effort to get here early enough to enjoy the city for a few hours. It's colorful, with the big blue mountains in the distance, fluffy white clouds overhead, and brightly colored storefronts and homes. There's also a whole heck of a lot of adobe around here. Adobe's been a rarety in my travels and I find it to be more than a little charming. Old Town's nice and Route 66 is slightly less seedy here. Also, the Rio Grande flows through town. The Rio Grande! It's one of those geographic things that's come up frequently in my history classes but has never seemed all that real. I think my mom was a little alarmed by how excited I was when we first crossed it.
The only fault I can find with New Mexico is the hotel that my mom and I were originally booked at. We pulled up to find an empty reception desk, a dirty lobby, and a general feeling of sleaziness. After waiting around for the receptionist to turn up, we left and I talked our way into a full refund from Priceline (their "policy" was no match for my negotiation skills). Anyway, we're now ensconced at a cleaner and hopefully safer hotel, so Albequerque's back in my good graces.
Tomorrow we're driving through the northern part of Texas and spending the night at some small town in Oklahoma. I wish I could spend more time in New Mexico, but I'm consoling myself with the thought that they'll need some campaign volunteers (or possibly workers) here in the next couple years.
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I have the exact same reaction any time I meet someone from NM. The problem is simply that you're not meeting the right kind of people with whom you should be friends.
Posted by
North Maple |
11:26 PM