New Mexico is the Best Road Trip State
Prove me wrong.
I just finished a road trip through New Mexico with my bestie, something we’ve done together many, many times over the years. And I’m here to say that New Mexico is the best road trip state.
Any debate over which state is the best road trip state should begin and end with this picture. I mean, look at this place. But if you need more proof, I have it.
The Weather Is Amazing
I painted this in February. Sure, it was a bit chilly, and yes, there was a little snow at higher elevations, but in general, when you go to New Mexico, you can count on sunshine and mild temperatures—not too hot in the summer, not too cold in the winter. It is very unlikely that your New Mexico road trip will be spoiled by inclement weather, and if it is, you can probably—in the spirit of a road trip—re-route to the north or south and find a more suitable climate.
New Mexican Food is the Best Road Trip Food
Green or red? Ah, there is no better question. Also, there is only one right answer. A stack of cheese enchiladas, smothered in green chile, is the perfect food. And if you’ve had enough of it, which is nearly impossible, there are breakfast burritos and so many tacos and when I was there last week, I was served a sopapilla the size of my head with a big squeeze bottle of honey and I think I might’ve blacked out a minute from sheer bliss.
New Mexico Has Many Large Roadside Attractions
Do not even attempt to suggest that another state is a better road trip state if it does not have enormous roadside attractions such as a giant roadrunner (which, by the way, is not only an excellent state bird but also a bird that represents the very idea of road trips in a way that no other bird could), a giant pistachio nut, giant Hatch chile, among others.
There Are Interesting Stops Everywhere
Petroglyphs. Old abandoned adobes, probably haunted. Cliff dwellings. Bird refuges. Hot springs. Trading posts selling turquoise jewelry and terrible paintings. Roadside stands selling (see above) roasted chiles. A three-hour drive will take you eight hours if you do it right.
So Many National Parks
New Mexico has an astonishing array of national parks and monuments, including the weird and wonderful White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, and Bandolier. Show me another state where you can see stalactites and stalagmites and bats, AND ancient cliff dwellings, AND get inspected by the Department of Homeland Security before going sledding in a weird white desert just down the road from a missile test site.
Aliens and Rockets
It’s not a road trip unless you’ve had an alien sighting, and for that you need Roswell. (Or, in the case of this photo, Hatch.) There is a LOT of weird space stuff happening in New Mexico. The truth is out there. You will discuss it during the late-night, moonlit hours of your road trip through this mysterious place.
Route 66
If you’re not convinced, I present my closing argument, the ultimate road trip road, Route 66. Yes, I know it goes through other states. But no state does it as well as New Mexico.
Go ahead, name a better road trip state.
I dare you. Put it in the comments.
Would you like to draw some pictures on your next road trip?
Of course you would! Supporters of this newsletter get an extra email every week with some kind of tutorial (usually a how-to video) about how to do anything and everything in a sketchbook. Remember, drawing and painting are technical skills! Anyone can learn them! I didn’t know how to do this either, but then I took some classes.
Right now we’re walking through the basics of watercolor. There’s a very substantial archive that you’ll have full access to as well! It only costs a few bucks a month and you can check it out here:
The bit at the end
Order signed copies of my new book, The Tree Collectors, from Broadway Books here in Portland.
Come find me on Instagram, or see paintings for sale- Right here
Order signed copies of some of my books from my husband’s bookstore, or order my books and many books I love at Bookshop.org
Take one of my online writing or art classes here
Oh geeez you've opened up a great debate 🙂 New Mexico, as a road trip state, wouldn't make it in my top ten. As for food, yes. The Hatch green chili is the best ever. And for red or green, you order both. It's known as "Christmas" style.
The roads thru the Colorado Rockies, northern Arizona, and coastal Oregon ... now THOSE are some stunning road trips! Take that as my opening shots :)
I did enjoy your trip.
Ah the sight of those hanging ristras really brings me back.
I lived in Las Cruces for a couple of years, in the 80's. But first I built my own adobe home about 100 miles west of it, just north of Palomas Mexico. (And saw a UFO once!)
So what I hate most about floriDUH life, apart from the abysmal politics that have now taken over the whole country, is that I can't order a green cheese enchilada plate ANYWHERE.