Land of Enchantment

I've been to New Mexico several times. It's definitely a land of enchantment. In 1986, my mom and I passed through on our way to California. I attended two professional meetings in Albuquerque: the AMPIC of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) in 2001 and the 3rd National Small Farm Conference in 2002. I traveled about with different friends/colleagues, including Niki W., Eddie J., and Janine B. 

Black-eyed Susans for Susan

Pigs in New Mexico?

The Sandia Mountains are located immediately to the east of Albuquerque. There is a tram and ski lift. Janine and I went up the ski lift. The views were breath-taking.

Sandia Peak Ski Lift

Janine and I

Great views

Niki and I took a train trip. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a National Historic Landmark.  At 64-miles in length, it is the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountain West. Owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, the train crosses state borders 11 times.

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

All aboard

Beautiful mountain scenery

You can't go to New Mexico and not go to Roswell, home of  UFOs. In actuality, the UFO crash site is some 75 miles from Roswell. But who cares? Roswell's tourism and business centers around UFOs. Roswell is home to the International UFO Museum. Of course, we went.

Free Spirits at Noisy Water is a sculpture of eight horses running through natural landscape. It is part of the Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso, New Mexico. The monument depicts seven American breeds. It is one of the largest equine statues in the world.  Niki and I stumbled upon it during our New Mexican journey. It was impossible to capture all the horses in one picture. 

Seven American breeds

Beautiful setting for the sculptures

The horse's ass

Camel Rock is a natural landmark in the New Mexican desert. It is composed of pink sandstone and measures 40 x 100 feet. We encountered it along our drive. In 2017 (long after we saw it), a large part of its snout fell off. Camel Rock is now the name of a Native American movie studio. One of their productions is Dark Winds. The show is about Native American police officers. I watched the first season. It was good.

Namesake for Camel Rock Studios

Still has its snout (2002)

Other places I/we visited include the Taos Pueblo and White Sands National Park.  Plus, both conferences included farm tours.