Tag: Capulin Volcano

5 Fun Things to do in Southeastern Colorado

In this post I detail a trip to see the Royal Gorge, an extinct volcano and a tarantula migration near southeastern Colorado

 

A deep gorge, volcanoes and large spiders…oh my!

Southeastern Colorado is a bit of an undiscovered gem! It doesn’t provide the fancy, ski resorts that people think of for the state so it’s kind of overlooked. It does still have much to offer though with beautiful mountains, lovely weather, and the best part for many of us…fewer crowds! Also, some of the attractions are lower-cost as they aren’t as well known!

Cañon City Colorado and the Royal Gorge

Cañon City is located in south-central Colorado about 40 miles west of I-25 and the larger town of Pueblo. This small town features a fun, downtown area that reminded us of Grand Junction. It offers lots of outdoor opportunities including hiking and rafting (when weather permits). It is also home to Colorado’s iconic Skyline Drive as well as a cool, scenic railroad and the incredible Royal Gorge!

Skyline Drive

Skyline Drive is a one-way, single-lane route that runs for about three miles, parallel to US 50, on the western edge of Cañon City.  The drive traverses the spine of some nearby hills and towers about 800 feet above the nearby town. There are also some fossilized, dinosaur footprints found near the road!

View of a narrow, mountain road with dropoffs on both sides and rocky edges, overlooking a scenic valley and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.

Skyline Drive: Would you believe this is considered one of the scarier drives in Colorado?! Hehe, I could call with a few shelf roads we’ve grown familiar with over the years!

The next two pictures are views of Cañon City from Skyline Drive:

A scenic view of a winding road passing through a valley with hills, scattered vegetation, and mountains in the distance under a partly cloudy blue sky. Sunlight breaks through the clouds, casting light on the landscape.

A wide landscape view of a small town with scattered houses, open fields, and mountains in the distance under a clear blue sky with a few clouds. Sunlight casts shadows across the valley.

Royal Gorge

I have mentioned my immense fear of heights in the past. That was challenged on this trip! We visited the Royal Gorge which is also on the west side of Cañon City–this one has been on my bucket list for several years!

The Royal Gorge is a gorge–as the name implies–that is more than 1200 feet deep! Here the Arkansas River cuts a deep canyon through the local bedrock. The site is open all year (weather-permitting) and offers a number of attractions including: walking the bridge across the Gorge (which is ironically also about 1200 feet long); both a zip line and gondola ride across the Gorge; yummy–albeit expensive–food choices; playground-type areas for kids and some theaters that offer various informational shows on the history of the Gorge. There is also a via ferrata!–my fear if heights said ABSOLUTELY NOT to this option! Most of the activity options are included in the general, ticket price with the exception of the zipline and via ferrata (and the food, of course!) There is also a scenic train ride that starts in town and travels through the bottom of the gorge (for an additional cost of course)–some of the cars even have glass ceilings!

The Royal Gorge is a great attraction for adults and it is absolutely family-friendly, so bring the kids too!

The bridge that spans the Gorge:

A long suspension bridge spans a deep, rocky canyon with a river at the bottom, surrounded by rugged, reddish cliffs and distant mountains under a cloudy sky.

A deep rocky gorge with steep cliffs, spanned by a suspension bridge on the rim. A river flows at the bottom of the canyon, surrounded by rugged terrain and sparse vegetation. Mountains are visible in the distant background.
If you look closely at the bottom you can see the train traversing the bottom of the gorge

There are no vehicles allowed on the bridge (with the exception of employees of the site). The crossing was a little rough for me! The bridge moves in the wind (as it’s designed to do) and is especially nerve wracking when golf carts used by the employees are driving across it!

The pic below is through the wooden slats from the middle of the bridge, looking at the river 1200 feet below! 

View of a rocky canyon and river far below, seen through a narrow gap between two wide, weathered wooden planks.
“Long way down!”–I’m feeling my inner GooGoo Dolls with this pic!

We also enjoyed the gondola (or tram) ride on our return trip across the gorge. It was also a bit frightening as the cars swing back and forth some in the wind (again, as they are designed to do) while you dangle above the yawning chasm of the gorge!  I’m really glad we both walked the bridge and took the gondola-tram as both options offered amazing views and opportunities to see the gorge differently!

The gondola-tram across the Gorge:

A deep rocky canyon with a river flowing at the bottom, surrounded by steep cliffs. A red tramway car travels across the canyon on cables under a cloudy sky.

There are also some hiking trails in the park that we enjoyed. Just realize these don’t offer much shade and this area can get pretty hot in the summer months (it was in the 80s when we were there in October!)

The Royal Gorge–facing east!

A scenic view of a rocky canyon with a river winding through it, surrounded by rugged mountains and dry vegetation, all under a partly cloudy blue sky. In the foreground, there are shrubs and a twisted, weathered tree.

Below is a pic of the tracks for the incline tram that was the original way for tourists to access the gorge–this is no longer in use:

A steep, rocky canyon with reddish cliffs, sparse green trees on top, and a narrow railway track running down the side of the canyon, under a partly cloudy sky. Mountains can be seen in the background.

 

Royal Gorge facing west!

A deep rocky canyon with steep, rugged cliffs and a winding river at the bottom; train tracks run alongside the river. The sky above is cloudy, and distant mountains are visible on the horizon.

A winding river flows through a deep, rocky canyon with steep, rugged cliffs and sparse vegetation under a cloudy sky.

Capulin Volcano National Monument in New Mexico

**Author’s note: Just a word of warning, as this is a National Monument, no dogs are allowed on any trails (exceptions for Service Animals). They are only permitted in the campgrounds and parking lots.**

Ok, Capulin Volcano is actually in far, northern New Mexico but it’s REALLY close to Colorado and can easily be implemented into a southeast Colorado road trip! 😁  

A large stone sign for Capulin Volcano National Monument stands beside a road, surrounded by grassy fields and hills, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Capulin Volcano is found in the far, northeastern corner of New Mexico about three miles north of the tiny town of Capulin. It’s also about 25 miles east of I-25 and Raton, New Mexico and about 60 miles southeast of Trinidad, Colorado.

The volcano is pretty cool!  It is technically extinct–though from my extremely limited understanding of volcanology, an “extinct” volcano simply means it hasn’t erupted in a REALLY long time…but that in no way ensures another eruption isn’t possible (case in point)!

We have not had good luck with this attraction! In 2017 we tried to visit it on a road trip. By the time we arrived the gate to drive the road was already closed for the day. We could have walked up but I was still recovering from a NASTY stomach flu so there was no way that was going to happen.

When we visited in 2025 it was in the middle of a lengthy, Federal government shutdown so the gate was again closed. I was pretty frustrated as this had been on my list for SO LONG and it was a beautiful day! Fortunately there was a friendly ranger volunteering at the closed visitor center. (He was offering safe views from his telescope of solar flares that were occurring on the sun. That was pretty cool to see!) He also assured us we were still welcome to walk the four miles up and down the closed road to the top of the volcano.

A paved road ends at a closed gate with several warning signs and a stop sign. Trees and greenery line both sides of the road under a clear blue sky.
EVERY. TIME. we have tried visiting Capulin Volcano, we see this!

At the time I was about 8-months out, still recovering from my NASTY, broken ankle (though by then my PT was telling me, “use your ankle!”) So…we did! I was NOT missing this volcano again if I had anything to say about it and the experience was actually pretty cool. We literally had the entire mountain to ourselves! The hike up and down was on a paved road so it wasn’t too bad! (Though there is NO SHADE in northern New Mexico so it could be pretty hot depending on the weather. When we were there in mid-October it was a LOVELY 75-ish degree day with a breeze at 7000 feet elevation!)

View from our hike up Capulin Volcano–I feel the need to remind my readers again of my utter fear of heights! 😂  

View from above, a wide vista from high above of grassy plains, scattered trees, and patches of forest under a clear blue sky with distant hills and mountains on the horizon.
You can see other volcano cones in the local area

View of a vast landscape with green trees and shrubs in the foreground, open plains in the middle, distant mountains on the horizon, and a blue sky with scattered clouds above. View from above, a vast landscape view of a grassy plain with scattered trees, rolling hills, and distant mountain ranges under a clear blue sky with a few clouds. The foreground features dense, green shrubs and trees.

When you reach the top of the volcano there is a small parking lot (apparently sometimes the road is actually open to cars!–Mr. Trekker actually visited here in college and they WERE able to drive the road.) There are also some hiking trails that traverse the rim of the volcano crater and one that takes you down into its center. Of course we did this one–it was a little unnerving!

Views from inside the hardened crater inside the volcano:

View from the bottom of a crater...a dirt path leads to a wooden bench surrounded by dry grass and shrubs at the base of a sunlit, sloping hillside under a bright blue sky
View from the bottom of the crater looking up the crater walls
View from the bottom of a crater, a bright sun shines over a sloping hillside with green bushes and brown, dry grass complete with black, lava rocks comprising much of the hillside; all under a clear, blue sky.
LAVA!

A paved road ends at a closed gate with several warning signs and a stop sign. Trees and greenery line both sides of the road under a clear blue sky.

Highway of Legends

The Trekkers love their scenic drives and we found another one on this trip! We drove the easier (read “paved”) portions of the Highway of Legends. If I had known about this and researched it more we could have done the whole highway as the rougher (read “dirt”) portion of it ran very near our Air B&B–but as I mentioned earlier this part of Colorado is often overlooked and I had never heard of the highway until we arrived to the region.

The Highway of Legends Scenic Byway is a dirt road that basically cuts through the middle of this wilderness area. It runs largely east and west and roughly connects the tiny villages of Aguilar and Cuchara and traverses Cordova Pass–this portion of the route is largely closed in the winter and should be approached with more caution if you drive a lower-clearance sedan or any time the weather is wet/snowy as conditions may be far worse than on other, more-traveled roads.

The Highway of Legends is largely a scenic loop that runs along Highway 12 and eventually connects with US 160 near La Veta. It meanders through the beautiful, Spanish Peaks mountains of southeast Colorado and many small and historical towns like Cokedale, Valdez, Stonewall Gap, Monument Park and Cuchara. It ultimately connects the towns of Trinidad and Walsenburg. (If you want to take the REALLY easy way between these two larger towns–read the “BORING!” way–you can just take I-25. 😝)

Sites along the highway included some artifacts of the old, coke ovens used in the processing of coal out by Cokedale. This was a lovely drive through the mountains and it gave us ideas of potential, quieter places to camp in the future!

THE Spanish Peaks that the range was named after! 

Two mountains rise in the distance under a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds, with a dense forest of green pine trees in the foreground.
We had this incredible view from our Air B&B!

We happened to drive the Highway of Legends on a cloudy, rainy day in October…it was BEAU-tiful and perfect for Fall colors!

A two-lane road runs past a wire fence and grassy field, with rocky hills, scattered trees, and cloudy skies in the background. A road winds through a forest with vibrant autumn foliage. Trees with yellow, orange, and green leaves line both sides of the road, and the sky above is cloudy and gray. A road runs through a rural area lined with trees showcasing bright yellow and some orange autumn foliage under a cloudy, gray sky.

A landscape of rolling hills covered in trees, with vibrant, yellow autumn foliage mixed among dark green pines, under a cloudy, gray sky.
Colorado, being moody!

Tarantula Migration in the grassland of southeast Colorado!

Authors note: I feel the need to remind my dear readers of my utter fear of arachnids! 😂 

La Junta, Colorado is a small town located about 60 miles east of I-25 and Pueblo near the Comanche National Grassland area. A unique occurrence happens here every fall. From September through early November thousands of large spiders trek around the dry grassland in search of love! (As someone with a severe case of arachnophobia, even I say, “aww!”)

This is a website put out by the town of La Junta–they even tell you prime places to go to see the spiders!

Basically, the male spiders hang out in their burrows mostly sleeping and eating for 5 – 10 years. Then, one fall, they get an urge and go searching for lucky lady spiders–who pretty much just hang out around their burrows for their MUCH longer lives (the females can live up to 25 – 30 years!)

A large, black and tan tarantula crawls on dry, sandy ground scattered with sparse green and brown grass.
Just an old man looking for love

There are a bunch of places to view the spiders but honestly, just drive the dirt roads around the Vogel Canyon area around sunset. (This is located in the Comanche National Grassland off Route 109 south of La Junta, Colorado.) The spiders use those roads as a highway!

Drive slowly and cautiously so you don’t hit them…and you can’t miss them! They are about the size of a human hand–legs included. I HATE spiders but these guys are SO CUTE as they kind of dance across the dirt! (Click here for a quick spider video!)

A long, straight, dirt road stretches into the distance across a dry, grassy plain. In the foreground, a dark tarantula, crosses the road. The sky is pale blue.
Spider on the highway!

Give these old guys their space though! The spiders aren’t venomous (though individual people could be allergic to their bite. Apparently they can also jump up to like two feet if they feel threatened…😮 and they can shoot the hairs off their back a ways which can imbed in your skin and get really itchy.)

Also, the spiders are pretty fragile so if you try to pick them up and accidentally drop them they can be injured–overall, just give these poor, old men a break. Most of them have completed their final molt and they’ve got one purpose left in life before they either become prey for a passing bird/snake, die of starvation or, as is common in spider world…they become dinner for their hungry mate!–there are worse ways to go out I suppose though, then enjoying a little romance. 😉

A close-up of a large, black ant walking on a gravel road, scattered with small pebbles and white spots.
The spiders were SO CUTE!
To Conclude

Southeastern Colorado isn’t nearly as well-known or popular as the majority of the rest of the state but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a visit. It is kind of a hidden gem that still offers some incredible beauty as well as a quieter, more secluded experience than much of the rest of the Rocky Mountain State.

So if you’re looking for a different, family (and wallet)-friendly travel option in Colorado, check it out!

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5 “Don’t Miss” Places for Your New Mexico Road Trip

We spent an interesting few days in New Mexico on our 2017 road trip. Included is our trip to the International UFO Museum in Roswell, an excursion at White Sands National Monument and…the flu?

 

New Mexico was next on our list for our 2017 road trip after the Great Plains.  Originally we had planned on visiting Amarillo and the Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the Texas panhandle.  However, with the expected 90-degree temperatures and plenty of scrub-land ahead of us, we decided to press on into New Mexico, instead–as we found out later, this was a VERY wise choice…

Tucumcari, New Mexico

We stayed at the Tucumcari KOA, in the northwest corner of the state, for our first night. 

Aside from a two-hour rain delay in the tent setup, it was a decent campground, though it was noisy.  It is actually located on Route 66, but, unfortunately, is literally only a few hundred feet from the coursing vehicles on I-40 (Route 66 runs with the highway in this area).

  The tent sites all came with grills and protected picnic tables, though again, firewood was hard to come by and there were no fire rings.

I was unclear as to the discouragement of campfires in this part of the country.  It is the desert, to be fair, but it’s comprised mostly of sandy scrubland.  It’s not entirely clear to me where the concern about the spread of wildfires lies (but I will defer to the experts on this).

Lack of tent sites in “campgrounds”

Another frustration we encountered in the early part of our trip was what seemed to be catering to RVs by the parks.  There’s nothing wrong with RVing, but if a park’s facilities are better matched to an RV and not a tent, then proprietors, you are an RV park, not a campground.  I say this because when travelers who are unfamiliar with the area locate a “campground” on Google, it is frustrating to then find they offer no tent sites. 😡   

When daydreaming of road trips, it’s easy to drum up iconic images of a station wagon pulling a tiny camper, cooking outside, and even sleeping out under the stars.  But until we reached the more remote parks in Colorado, we saw very few tents.  Does no one tent camp anymore?  Is it a bygone pastime?  For the first half of the trip, we felt like “tenters” were just an afterthought to many of the campgrounds we visited.

Strange Animals in New Mexico

We encountered several new fauna in this state.  One, a Western Kingbird, is a beautiful bird that resembles a robin, though it is grey and has a yellow rather than red breast.  It’s also apparently known to be quite social.  Our new friend planted himself on a tree branch only a few feet from us for the majority of the morning and proffered us a lovely serenade while we packed up camp. 

I found favor with another local while washing dishes that morning.  I saved a Carolina Wolf Spider from the outdoor sink! (I found the name ironic as I don’t remember seeing them when we lived in the Carolinas.)  As I learned later, this is the largest of the wolf spider species.  For a fervent arachnophobe, I thought this rescue was quite an impressive feat!  Its body was grey and tan and it appeared to have black “socks” on its feet.  I could also see black mandibles that it was unsuccessfully attempting to use to clean the water off its legs.   

I’m not usually a fan of spiders in my home—though after learning that a favorite food of the benevolent wolf spider is the fearsome black widow, I do try to release them in my garage.  Feast my friends!  My zeal for killing “those that skitter” has been lessened by sage advice I received from my father-in-law, “When a critter comes into your home he’s trespassing on your space, but when you go outside you’re trespassing on his.”  So, I try to uphold this mindset and maintain a tolerant coexistence with our creepy, crawly, outdoor cohabitors.

International UFO Museum, Roswell, New Mexico

Later that day, I was able to knock another item off my Road Trip Bucket List when we visited Roswell, New Mexico, and the International UFO Museum!  Yes, it is just as wacky as it sounds! 

I was a little disappointed with the actual town of Roswell.  It’s a fine place, but it is, in fact, just another town (with the occasional alien waving at you from a hotel sign).  They do have a McDonald’s shaped like a UFO, but even that was underwhelming as it’s just the playground portion (apparently the inside is rather cool as it is alien/space-themed, but we chose not to partake). 

The actual “alien crash site” is located on private land so we weren’t able to visit, but the town is missing out on great revenue potential.  The Deep South has ghost tours, the Plains has tornado-chasing tours, and Roswell should have UFO-viewing tours!  (Seriously, an enterprising person should get on this, you’d make a killing!) 

The museum was interesting.  I’ve long been a fan of Unsolved Mysteries, X-Files, Ancient Aliens, etc. so nothing we saw or heard was really surprising.  Mostly it was comprised of a lot of suppositions and hearsay (though my coworkers used it as a prime opportunity to make numerous jokes at my expense upon my return).

A colorful large sign on a building with a green, alien head. The sign reads, "International UFO Museum Research Center Roswell, New Mexico".
The International UFO Museum in Roswell, New Mexico!

We reached Alamogordo in the southcentral part of the state that night with plans to camp at the Oliver Lee Memorial State Park which we had heard many good things about.  However, as we pulled into town and storm clouds were again becoming entrenched directly over the park (and we still suffered from a lack of firewood), we opted for a shower and a hotel instead.

White Sands National Park

**Author’s note: Just a word of warning, as this is a National Park, no dogs are allowed on any trails (exceptions for Service Animals). They are only permitted in the campgrounds and parking lots.**

The next day we ventured to the White Sands National Park to tour the sand dunes.  We were EXTREMELY lucky as the high for the day was only going to be in the mid-80s and there was a breeze and a fair amount of clouds to provide respite from the sun (I honestly couldn’t think of better weather in that area in early summer ). 

We got a bit of a late start, not beginning our trek until around 10 am, though we were well-prepared with plenty of water, sunscreen, light clothing, and sun hats.  We also had a plan to not venture too far, to watch each other for heat stress, and to only be gone an hour or so (there is NO SHADE at the dunes and the reflection of the sunlight on the white sand makes heat stress an even greater risk—as do the dry winds that increase the chances of dehydration).  

The dunes were fascinating!  The sand was a beautiful light cream color (hence the name) and we saw several similarly colored lizards that would have been perfectly camouflaged had they not been dashing across the hot surface at the time.  There’s an airbase and missile range nearby so we were treated to military jets zooming overhead, the thunder from their engines ricocheting over the heat waves as the San Andres mountains loomed in the distance.

Sick while on vacation

 We ended our hike around noon, just as we were both starting to feel the sun’s effects and went to the shaded picnic area for lunch.  I was feeling a bit queasy, but that’s not unusual when I get overheated and hungry.  We were out of the sun, getting some food and a cool drink, and relaxing in the shade, so all should have been well…   

…after lunch, we drove around a bit more, took some pictures, and then started to make our way across the rutted road back to the Visitor’s Center (we had plans of camping that night at the State Park)…and then it hit, hard and fast!  I’ll spare you the grisly details but let’s just say I’m not proud to admit that I failed miserably in my “Leave No Trace” practices on the dunes that day. 🤮  We thought it was just the heat so we made plans to go to a hotel that night so I could have a cool shower and recover in the air conditioning.  Eight hours later, with the illness still racking my body, Mr. Trekker wisely suggested we visit the urgent care just a scant five minutes away. 

I’m a fairly healthy person and I usually prefer to allow nature to take its course in these types of situations but, 1000 miles from home, in a strange place, in the middle of vacation, and facing a possible trip to the ER for treatment of dehydration, I decided to heed his astute advice. 

I am happy to say the Urgent Care treated us very well–side note, whoever invented Zofran (anti-nausea med) should be Sainted!  The medicine worked like a charm and rehydration/rest finally began!

We ended up spending two days at a lovely Fairfield Inn, playing several card games of War and watching COUNTLESS hours of Last Man Standing (the hotel also had a lovely patio I was able to enjoy the next day).  See, even a severe stomach ailment on vacation can offer some opportunities for enjoyment (a wonderful traveling partner turned incredible nursemaid didn’t hurt either!) 

We still don’t know what made me sick.  The urgent care didn’t run any tests, they didn’t seem too concerned about why I was sick, they just wanted to make me better.  It could have been heat exhaustion, something I ate or drank, or just the basic flu (Mr. Trekker had ingested basically the same things I had with no negative side effects). 

We did drink strange water at the National Park that day that tasted TERRIBLE (due to chlorine) but it was marked for drinking.  I have a sensitive stomach and heat sensitivity that I’ve noted in previous posts, but this seemed different.  I’m hopeful it was just a badly-timed case of the flu–and continuing proof of our bad luck on this trip–that won’t be making a reappearance any time soon!

Related Posts:  Lessons Learned on a Road Trip;  11 “Don’t Miss” sites in Colorado;  10 “Don’t Miss” Places for your Great Plains Road Trip

Giant Pistachio, Alamogordo, New Mexico

By that time we were ready to throw in the towel on this vacation.  It just seemed that we were stymied at every turn.  We did manage to stop at “The Giant Pistachio” on our way out of Alamagordo—which is exactly what it sounds like.  It’s a pistachio ranch with a store where you can buy various food items (including delicious green chile salsa and of course, pistachios).  It also has a giant statue of a pistachio out front! 

Don’t let frustrations derail your vacation plans

We drove north with plans to cancel the rest of our trip, hit I-25, and be home the next day…however, almost as soon as we left town, the terrain seemed to change.  The dry, soulless scrub-land filled with nothing but dirt and cacti that we had been experiencing the last several days transformed into an area that, while still dry, also sported dark green pines, bushes, and tan prairie grass all set against a backdrop of bright red earth!  This in conjunction with the sun that had finally broken through the rain clouds, and the desert mountains towering on either side of us as we traversed the valley, brightened our hopes a bit. 

We had already canceled our plans in the Great Sand Dunes (see this post for info regarding our rescheduled trip there)*, but I casually suggested to my loyal driver that maybe we could still try to push for Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado…and I got a hearty, “I was just thinking the same thing!” in reply.   The Adventure was back on!

*A side note, apparently the last week of May/first week of June is when the Medano Creek runs high from spring snowmelt and it’s an INCREDIBLY busy time at the park.  We weren’t aware of that until we canceled the reservations but it is something to keep in mind if planning a visit. 

The Flora of Northern New Mexico

This trip allowed me to verify again for myself that the desert isn’t my favorite place to visit.  It’s hot…it’s dry…it’s hot…there’s pokey plants…did I mention it’s hot? 😓  I’ve discussed on several occasions that heat and I are not the best of friends, so I was looking forward to trading in the dry deserts of New Mexico for the lush forests of Colorado. 

But I learned something along the way…northern New Mexico is absolutely beautiful!  The mountains and plains surrounded us in a verdant spring green which contrasted with the black volcanic rocks.  I assume we were lucky to be there so early in the summer season so things were still green (it also seemed that they had an unusually wet spring, who would expect to see standing water in fields in New Mexico?  We had rain almost every day we were in the state!) 

Capulin Volcano National Monument

Did you know there is an extinct volcano in northern New Mexico?  From my extremely limited understanding of volcanology, an “extinct” volcano simply means it hasn’t erupted in a REALLY long time…but that in no way ensures another eruption isn’t possible! (For more information on this national monument, click here.) 

So, we arrived at the Capulin Volcano, in northwest New Mexico, with plans to hike around it a bit before heading to Colorado for the night.  FYI, the park closes at 5:00 pm promptly, even during the summer months.  We learned this when we arrived at the park…just as the ranger was locking the gate. *sigh* Seriously, at this point our bad luck on this trip was becoming laughable!  😜

Click here for info on our largely successful, return trip to Capulin Volcano in 2025!

So instead, we took the long way back to the Interstate on back roads, enjoying the beauty and solitude of the northern New Mexican countryside on our way to the hotel in southern Colorado that night.  Yes, after 1600 miles, we had finally reached the Interstate (this was by choice.  We could have continued on back roads but this was actually a more direct route to our destination and we decided for that short time we wanted to get where we were going quickly). 

With that, after five days of chaos, we left New Mexico behind.  We do intend to return though, at least to the northern section, as I still want to investigate that volcano and there are more places (like Taos and Sante Fe) we want to explore!

A two-lane, paved road stretches to the horizon amidst desolate, desert scrubland
The barren New Mexico countryside
Desert scrubland in the foreground leads to dark mountains in the far background
The scrubland against the mountain backdrop was beautiful!
A dark picture where desert scrubland in the foreground and dark mountains in the background are barely visible. In the far background appears to be a white, shimmering lake.
The white mirage shimmering in the distance is the sand dunes at White Sands National Park.

Have you enjoyed any of these destinations?  Tell me about it in the comments!

 

Did you enjoy this post?  Pin it!

3 pictures: 1) Brown road sign that reads, Historic New Mexico 66 Route; 2) A colorful large sign on a building with a green, alien head. The sign reads, "International UFO Museum Research Center Roswell, New Mexico"; 3) A dark picture of desert scrubland with a milky, setting sun. Pin reads, 5 "Don't Miss" Places for your New Mexico Road Trip

 

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