A Month of New Mexico

A Month in New Mexico…unworldly beauty with a flavor bomb in the face!

Well here I sit after a few days at The Grand Canyon Railway Park trying to find the words to describe our month in New Mexico. We were headquartered in Albuquerque just 20 minutes from the airport which made travel easy for Kimberly. She traveled every week we were there so we made the very best of our weekend time together. 

I stayed busy exploring but was rudely interrupted by a severe winter storm smack dab in the middle of our stay. Mollie loved frolicking in the snow but once it turned to ice and the temperatures plummeted, not so much.

New Mexico is stunning in its beauty. Even in the snow, everything from mountains to canyons have a glow about them. The sunrises and sunsets were like no other I had ever seen with it’s shimmering reds and oranges dancing on mountain sides and making art in the clouds.

The food in New Mexico was like a party in my mouth. Since I love spicy food anyway, I fell right into step with green chilies in everything. And chili peppers in general are used in every food and decoration hanging from everywhere.

I was happy to reconnect with a friend of well over 30 years from Atlanta. Lisa and I went exploring in Madrid with her twin grandsons, roamed through Santa Fe, ate sushi, and even had a campground lunch in Yolo with Mollie and I. Lisa also joined me on my search to find a few sculptures at the Albuquerque Zoo.

My friend Chris lived in Santa Fe for while and was a wealth of knowledge about the food scene. Chris is a foodie like me so I knew she wouldn’t steer me wrong. Her Sister, Stephanie was a local artist who had her art displayed throughout the area. Stephanie died in 2017 of Meningioma. During this trip is when I learned about Stephanie and her art. Stephanie was a Sculptor, painter, firedancer, welder, archer, beekeeper, botanist, fisherwoman, actress, model, strider, exquisite cook, shamanesqe healer, mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend to all who had the fortune of knowing her. I didn’t know her but I felt her presence as I took to the streets of Santa Fe and Albuquerque. I tried to connect with her daughter, Savannah for a quick hug, but that wasn’t meant to be. But I found “The Roadrunner” sculpture at the zoo that Stephanie sculpted.
Visit www.stephaniehuerta.com to learn more about Stephanie and her work. what an amazing human being she was.

Kimberly and I made the best of our time together in New Mexico. We ate outstanding food, went to Meow Wolf, walked and ate in Nob Hill, rode the Sandia Peak Tramway, strolled through Old Town, and took in some cultural museums. 

We have traveled to many states now and as we depart each location we ask ourselves, “would we live here?”. New Mexico is the first state we’ve answered yes to. We definitely will travel back here since a month was not enough time to do it right. Also, we wouldn’t mind experiencing New Mexico during a different season. Could it get more beautiful?