New Mexico
Known as the Land of Enchantment, the rainbows of red mountains and vibrant cultural history made New Mexico a must-see Mummy and Singh Trip. I will admit that traveling abroad to other countries tends to be our norm as it’s much easier to fly out of Orlando to get to South America than it is to go out west. But I wanted to see what this side of the United States had to offer besides a bar on layovers. So West we went!
It took two Southwest flights to reach Albuquerque from Orlando. The flights were jam packed, but thanks to some passengers who opted to get McDonalds instead of board their plane, we got their seats. Southwest doesn’t mess around with final boarding calls. The flights themselves were uneventful; Singh slept and I read. Albuquerque airport is a tiny one for those unfamiliar, and once we landed we were in our rental car in less than ten minutes.
Our first stop was some vegan food on the historic Route 66. Unfortunately this segment of the famous roadway was under some major construction and didn’t offer the typical atmosphere one would expect. Oh well. It was time for some grub! There are about three blocks full of vegan restaurants and Asian food that stretch along Route 66 right in the heart of town. Singh and I enjoyed some fantastic vegan fish and planned out the remainder of our day just outside the famous landmark 66 sign.
After lunch we hopped in the car and drove an hour to visit Santa Fe, the cultural mecca of New Mexico. We passed deserts, mountains, and saw our first real tumbleweed! Definitely don’t see those in Florida. The artistic vibe of Santa Fe is obvious as soon as you near the city from the highway. Unique buildings, colorful adobe huts, and streets lined with Native American merchants welcome you to the state capitol.
We parked and decided to hike around and explore the area. Santa Fe is a very walkable city with winding sidewalks and open park squares. We navigated our way through markets, a cultural museum, and a lot of Pokémon stops (hey, don’t judge). We drove up in the mountains to check out a local hot spring and enjoyed some incredible views of the desert valley. One of the coolest buildings we saw was the Santa Fe Opera House, an open-air building built right into a mountainside overlooking the wide valley.
A vegan tip we had heard was that the best vegan pecan pie could be found on the outskirts of the city, so of course we headed straight there as soon as our stomachs began to rumble. Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café is a local chain restaurant throughout the state offering fantastic vegan food. We stuffed ourselves with a Mediterranean wrap, vegan mac and cheese, cookies, and a delicious pecan pie. With bellies full and bodies still on east coast time, we headed to our hotel in Albuquerque and went to bed early.
We woke very early the following morning as our plan was to take a sunrise balloon ride over the desert valley. Albuquerque is known for their yearly balloon festival and I wanted to experience that without having to deal with oversold flights and expensive hotel rooms. Unfortunately the seasonal cold temperatures and high winds (over ten knots) were too much for a hot air balloon, so our ride was canceled. The balloon operator did give us a neat tour of their facility, showing us how each balloon was created. We were able to walk through the whole process from the weaving of the basket to the sewing of the actual balloon. It was a very cool and immersive experience. Just bummed we couldn’t actually fly in a balloon.
Our next stop for the day was Roswell, a three-hour drive South. After a quick detour at Whole Foods to stock up on car snacks, we hit the road. And whoa, talk about a boring drive. New Mexico is definitely awesome and the towns we had seen so far gave us a unique look into this state’s history and artistic style. But damn, the drive to Roswell was by far the most boring one I have ever experienced. A tumbleweed sighting was the highlight. I’m not kidding.
Once we got to Roswell we went straight to the UFO museum. Why else would you come to this city in literally the middle of nowhere? The museum is nestled on the main street of this 1950s town and is located in what looked to be an old movie theater. The price of admission was under ten dollars (Singh was free) and it housed a neat collection of framed UFO encounters and kitschy alien memorabilia. A chorus of giggles erupted form Singh as he ran the length of the museum pointing out all the aliens and airplanes. This museum is definitely worth a stop if you are driving through; the written UFO encounters of anal probes are hilarious to read. (Sorry, but aliens aren’t traveling thousands of light years to look in our asses).
While at the museum we heard a few people talk about the “Bottomless Lake” that was on the outside of town. Uh, I’m listening. It’s apparently a very deep lake that you have to hike a few miles to see. So naturally, we hopped in the car and drove to the entrance of the nearby state park to see if we could steal a glimpse of this supposed cavernous body of water.
Only about fifteen minutes outside of downtown Roswell, Bottomless Lake State Park is nestled in the hillsides of deserted New Mexico. The unique lakes in this park were created by sinkholes and are, indeed, incredible deep in some places. This park offers non-motorized boating, kayaking, and swimming. The waters’ greenish-blue hue is due to the aquatic plants that thrive in the deep sinkholes.
We pulled off on the side of the road where the trailhead began. It was a three mile-round trip hike to and from the infamous Bottomless Lake. So we hit the trail under the bright orange desert sun. The trail was mostly flat, allowing us to take advantage of some off-trail exploring to gage the land and see if we could see the lake. Singh had a blast climbing boulders and watching for sunbathing snakes. Atop these outcrops of rocks and debris, you can see just how isolated you are outside of Roswell. There is absolutely nothing else around apart from some roaming tumbleweeds and the lost tourist car driving down the park’s dirt road.
After hiking through trees and winding our way past other sinkholes, we finally made it to Bottomless Lake. It wasn’t as large as I had pictured it, but it was a beautiful site. The juxtaposition of greenish waters next to yellow desert plants was gorgeous. Singh enjoyed running around the lake and playing in the nearby jungle gym that lay forgotten by a closed visitor’s center. During the summer months this area is probably bustling with weekend campers and bar-b-quing locals. But it was completely empty the afternoon we visited.
A quick hike back to the car and we were on our way a few hours outside of Roswell to our AirBnB in San Patricio. Tucked away in cascading mountains, we rented a cute little cottage in the middle of nowhere. We were so isolated, it was 45 minutes to the nearest gas station. My goal with this rental was to spend the evening cooking delicious vegan food and watching the stars in a completely dark environment. After filling our bellies with veggie burgers and watching the sun set, we were treated to an amazing nighttime spectacular. We moved our Adirondack chairs outside and bundled up (it was freezing!) and gazed at the expansive night sky. I taught Singh how to spot satellites and how to easily find the Milky Way. He liked Orion’s bow and arrow, and was lucky enough to catch a few shooting stars near the trees. There is so much light pollution from Disney where we live in Orlando that I was happy with the decision to drive to this cottage and spend the night under this illuminated show.
We hit the road early the next morning shortly after the sun rose. We had an hour-drive south to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. I told Singh we were going to go explore a famous cave and he seemed excited despite not knowing what a cave was. Once we got there, we ate a quick lunch in the car and then explored the visitor center.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is breathtaking. Truly incredible. Deep below the Chihuahuan Desert, 119 caves make up Carlsbad. For a cheap entrance fee (although I suggest investing in a National Parks annual pass) you can hike through the natural cave opening or ride an elevator deep into the mountainside. With a toddler I chose to ride the elevator, although I regret not hiking through the switchbacks into the craggy opening. If you are into exploring local wildlife, make sure to check out the Carlsbad website I have listed at the bottom of this post to see when the famed Bats of Carlsbad are in season and you can enjoy quite the show at sunset. Unfortunately they were not there when we went cave exploring.
We stepped off the elevator and were immediately hit with cool, stagnant air. The large cave engulfed us and we were surrounded by towering stalagmites and stalactites as we began our trek through the “Great Room.” Allow at least an hour and a half (closer to two if you have a toddler who decides he is done walking) to thoroughly enjoy this meandering path. Make sure to keep your voices down as the entire chamber can echo your whispers. I have visited a fair few National Parks and I can easily say that this is my new favorite. When museums or Hollywood design caves, they use this cavern as their inspiration. It’s everything you imagine a cave would be and more.
I honestly could have spent all day walking around and exploring the different pathways deep into the mountainside. However, traveling with a three-year old doesn’t always allow that luxury. So after one large lap around the monstrous cavern, we headed back up to the warm sunlight and windy weather at the top of the visitor center.
We checked into a chain hotel in the tiny town of Carlsbad and went to bed extremely early. This trip to New Mexico was a trip to explore isolation and really bond with each other as we looked out over a barren land of tumbleweed and cavernous mountains. However, to enjoy this middle-of-nowhere atmosphere, we found ourselves three hours from the closest airport. So our morning commute home would consist of waking up at midnight and driving three hours through the mountains to El Paso, Texas, to hitch a ride back to Orlando via Southwest. Not ideal, but there is a reason New Mexico is known for its’ enchanted deserts. I will gladly sacrifice a bit longer ride home to enjoy the peace and solitude this landscape offers.
Exploring the state of New Mexico was an excellent choice with a toddler. I definitely suggest renting a car, bring your own car seat, and really jump into the depths of the desert solitude. My regrets this trip include not experiencing an Albuquerque balloon ride and trekking through the Carlsbad Caverns natural entrance. But we still had a fantastic trip and I enjoyed showing Singh the culture surrounding Roswell and hiking through the hidden caves of Carlsbad as well as cuddling under the stars and catching Pokémon on Route 66.
TRIP PLANNING LINKS:
Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café: https://www.chaishoppe.com/
Bottomless Lake State Park: http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/spd/bottomlesslakesstatepark.html
Roswell UFO Museum: http://www.roswellufomuseum.com/
Carlsbad Caverns National Park: https://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm