Day 1: Algodones Dunes
I was leaving LA on December 23rd, driving a rented Chevy Cruze in the direction of Arizona.
There is a rest area on Interstate 10, just after Morongo Valley, where I always stop for restroom. Mount Jacinto, sometimes snow-capped, can be seen from the parking lot. By the time I arrived there, I started feeling slightly sick. The sickness would follow me for the next few days. Apparently, I was having some inflammation...
The plan for day one included escaping SoCal and visiting some dunes on the way. The downside to going on vacation in December is a short day, so the schedule is always tight.
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| Algodones Dunes. |
I drove past the Salton Sea, barely seen from the highway, and stopped briefly in Brawley at a gas station. Following Highway 78 going east, I arrived at Algodones Dunes Wilderness Area, where I found a side-road climbing one of the dunes. At the end of it, there was a parking area with an overlook. I was in the Hugh T. Osborne lookout park.
The Algodones Dunes is a large sand field that does not look anything like the regular Mojave Desert. I had seen other sand fields in California, for example in Death Valley or Kelso Dunes in Mojave National Preserve, but nothing on the scale comparable to Algodones.
Granted, the dunes looked pretty cool. The only downside was a buzzing noise coming from omnipresent dune buggies...
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| Dune buggy. |
As it was getting late, the only other task was finding a way to Yuma. I took S34, a lesser used country road across the desert. By the time I arrived at my motel, it was already dark, so I stayed inside for the rest of the evening.
The night was very cold and the bedding was inadequate for low temperatures. I could hear helicopters circulating around Yuma, apparently patrolling the border. That brought memories of the movie Sicario about Mexican drug cartels. I was sweating from the sickness, freezing and waking up several times. Finally, I fell asleep, after stuffing myself with aspirin.
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| Sunset over the Mojave desert in Yuma. |
Day 2: Yuma, Picacho Peak
Next day was December 24th, the Christmas Eve. I woke up to a chilly, but sunny day. Not a surprise, as Yuma is the sunniest city in the US. In fact, 9 out of 10 days are sunny here!
The first order of business was trying to see the US/Mexico border from Yuma. Following Google maps and circulating on agricultural roads, the furthest I could get was a canal filled with stinky water, beyond which there was supposed to be the border somewhere...
Giving up on seeing the border, I returned to the city and wanted to check on some railway infrastructure, as always. Failing at that too, as I could not locate the railway station, at least I visited the Yuma Armed Forces Park. Not quite a park, but rather a small cactus garden dedicated to veterans.
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| St. Thomas Mission Church in Yuma. |
Before leaving Yuma for good, I visited (on the outside) the St. Thomas Mission Church, a typical Spanish missionary church. It was a bit of a shame not to explore Yuma more, but the time was running out so quickly.
Travelling on Interstate 8 going east, I made a brief stop at a rest area, to stretch my legs. The weather was beautiful and sunny, and yet chilly, which is my favorite type of weather. I am no fan of the heat, but I love the Sun.
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| Stylish rest area on Interstate 8. |
At around 2 PM, I arrived at Picacho Peak State Park, where I was planning to do some little hiking. I paid the entrance fee of $8 and assured the lady at the booth to be back before the sunset, because "I am a quick hiker". On the parking lot at the trailhead, there were some cars, but overall the park was rather empty on the Christmas Eve.
I started the ascent of Picacho Peak, a rocky spire standing in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. At 3374 ft (1028 m), Picacho is not a tall mountain, but is very steep. Just after the parking lot, a sign warns hikers of a difficult trail ahead. I met a few people going down, but the hike was overall solitary.
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| The ascent of Picacho Peak begins. |
The park is just next to the busy I-8 freeway, and a railway, so there is quite a lot of noise coming from passing cars and trains. However, after reaching the saddle, the second part of the hike is on the quiet, desert-facing side of the mountain. One important observation with regards to Picacho Peak: the mountain is densely covered with giant Saguaro cacti, Arizona's favorite and iconic cactus. The cacti make a memorable impression when seen for the first time.
After about 1,5 hour of technical hiking, climbing via ferrata-type of ladders and slaloming between cacti, I was standing on the summit, overlooking the vast expanses of the Sonoran desert.
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| Views of the Sonoran desert from Picacho's summit. |
Back at the parking lot, it was getting quite dark and the other cars had already disappeared. After a 20 min drive, I reached the outskirts of Tuscon, where I was supposed to stay over the next two days.
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| Looking to the west from Picacho. |
It was 6 PM when I pulled over to a MacDonald's at North Cortaro Rd, just next to the I-10 freeway. The time was appropriate for the Christmas Eve supper. I ordered a filet-o-fish and sat there chewing the burger for some time. Several other customers were hanging out too, chewing their meals.
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| Merry Christmas... |
Finding my Motel 6 was a bit tricky, since there was some construction work going on and I had to take a detour. I liked the motel, it was quite upscale compared to other Motel 6's I had visited. In fact, it looked more like a hotel. The lot was full of cars, a little surprise, as one may think that people would prefer to spend Christmas elsewhere.
Day 3: Saguaro National Park, Wasson Peak
After waking up, I called my parents on Skype, just to let them know what I was doing during Christmas.
Saguaro National Park is split into west and east parts, and the city of Tuscon sits in between. Beginning at my motel, it was a 20 min drive to the west part, where I had some hiking planned. I first wanted to check on Old Tuscon, a supposedly cool theme park, but unfortunately I found it closed on the Christmas day.
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| King Canyon trail to Wasson Peak. |
I continued towards the King Canyon trailhead, just vis-a-vis Sonora Desert Museum. It was a bit of a bummer that all facilities in the park were closed, but at least I did not have to pay the entrance fee. There were some cars parked at the trailhead, which is always a good sign: the trail is accessible. A pickup truck was parked there too, park rangers sitting inside, keeping an eye on hikers (for whatever reason).
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| A rather large specimen of Saguaro. |
The trail to Wasson Peak, the highest point in the park at 4687 ft (1429 m), is moderate. The area is densely covered with Saguaro cacti that adopt all types of crazy shapes and sizes. Some are really giant and old, sometimes in a state of decay, others are just fresh baby cacti. I find so much joy in just looking at different forms of life, cacti being probably the most interesting when it comes to plants.
I met a couple of people on my way to the summit and we greeted each other with "Merry Christmas". The weather was excellent, sunny and dry, and not too hot. Overall, the hike was great and my health had also improved after the previous two days of feeling sick.
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| Final section of the trail, summit ahead. |
Wasson Peak's summit was quite spacious, covered in chaparral and cacti. There was a metal box there too, holding a register and the usual random junk that hikers leave. I very much liked the panorama from the top. Tuscon was fully visible, as well as the eastern part of Saguaro National Park. On the opposite side, Picacho Peak was barely visible in the distance, and Interstate 10 that I had been driving on the day before.
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| Tuscon from Wasson's summit. |
After some snacking and rest, I descended from the mountain back to the road, taking a slightly different trail down. On my way back to Tuscon, I pulled over at the park's welcome center, closed, but still worth checking out. Always nice to get educated on nature, geology and history. Once back in town, I first headed to the same MacDonald's as the day before. By the time I arrived at my motel, it was already dark and chilly.
Day 4: Tuscon, White Sands National Monument
The second day of Christmas was for the most part a traveling day, with some sight-seeing along the way.
I would have liked to explore Tuscon in detail, especially downtown area, but I had a 550 mile (750 km) travel ahead and only a few hours of daylight. I restricted myself to visiting the missionary church Mission San Xavier del Blanc, the oldest building in the state of Arizona built by the Europeans. In fact, it was constructed in its present form by the late 1700s.
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| The oldest building in Arizona built by Europeans. |
The church is just outside of Tuscon and sits in the middle of a desert, which is a bit peculiar. As I was walking around the property, an elderly women approached me to offer a free guided tour that would have taken 45 min as soon as a sizable group of visitors forms. Unfortunately, I had to skip on the tour, as I was in a hurry, but appreciated the offer.
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| At a rest area in New Mexico. |
After leaving Tuscon, the next several hours consisted of a lengthy drive across the eastern parts of Arizona. I made a couple of short stops, first at some unnamed rest area, then at a visitor center just after entering New Mexico, in the vicinity of Lordsburg. At the visitor center, I picked up for free a really nice road map with wishes of good travel from Governor of New Mexico, Susana Martinez.
Continuing on Interstate 10, I eventually reached Las Cruces, where the freeway takes a turn south towards El Paso in Texas. I was, however, driving on US 70 in the direction of Roswell. At this point, I was beginning to get tired from too much sitting in the car, but things were about to get more interesting.
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| Las Cruces. |
Some miles after passing Las Cruces, I spotted a large turnout area, so I pulled over. Interestingly, in addition to regular parking facilities, as well as information boards explaining the wildlife and geology of the area, there was an actual, but obviously decommissioned, Nike Hercules missile put on display. Standing vertically pointing to the sky, the missile looked as if it was taking off at any time. These anti-aircraft missiles were apparently tested at the nearby White Sands Missile Range during the Cold War.
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| A Nike Hercules missile. |
(Side note: It is the same missile range where the first nuclear test in history, Trinity, took place in 1945! The actual detonation site of the atom bomb is open to the public for sight-seeing, but only for two days a year, in April and October, and the event always draws huge crowds.)
Some more miles into New Mexico, I run into a "surprise" border patrol checkpoint. At a distance, it looked like one of those checkpoints for agricultural inspection, usually seen between California and Arizona. This one was no joke though. I was pulled over by a border guard and ordered out of the car. Dogs showed up and started sniffing around. The guard wanted to see the documents, but "not your driver's license". I had my passport, visa and some forms from my employer to show him. He was cool with that and let me go. I was lucky, as I usually do not travel with documents other than my driver's license.
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| Entering White Sands State Park. |
Finally, I arrived at the visitor center for the White Sands National Monument, a unique state park that has the largest gypsum dune field in the world. I was very excited to see dunes made from gypsum, not sand. The park was swarming with tourists, a little surprise considering the fact it was a late afternoon in December. Of those, the most visible and audible were large families from India and China, probably on tours across the US.
After picking up maps and brochures, I took the loop road that encircles the park. Simply put, white is the color that dominates here. The dunes make up a vast area stretching beyond the horizon. The area that is completely barren, with the exception of small yuccas and shrubs here and there, where probably some water accumulates.
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| This isn't sand... |
Walking on gypsum is different than on sand, because gypsum is water-soluble and forms a hard layer on the top. Much nicer to walk on, if you ask me, as no grains get into your shoes.
It was slowly getting dark and the mix of colors of the red sunset sky and the white dunes was looking increasingly intriguing. I changed to warmer clothes and prepared for leaving the park.
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| Sunset at the White Sands. |
The remaining travel was done entirely in the dark. I passed Alamogordo (quick stop at a gas station for snacks) and continued on US 70, followed by US 380. The only sign of passing the Sierra Blanca mountains was a sudden temperature drop in the car. Otherwise, I could not see anything.
Late in the evening, I finally arrived at Roswell, New Mexico. The dark streets of downtown were illuminated by Christmas decorations. The motel was run by an Indian family, a pattern that I keep seeing during my travels. After checking in, I took a shower, dropped on a very comfortable bed and that was it for the day.
Day 5: Roswell
The day started with cloudy skies and freezing cold, a stark contrast to the warm deserts of Arizona just two days before.
Once I stepped out of my room, I realized that I wasn't going to make it without proper insulation. So I put a hoodie on, added a denim jacket and another hiking jacket on top of it. Now, I was ready to explore Roswell.
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| I'm here... in Roswell, New Mexico! |
The first order of the day was visiting the International UFO Museum and Research Center, right in the middle of downtown. The museum was packed. Again, why would there be so many tourists in places like Roswell in late December? Once inside, I took time to carefully examine everything they had on display.
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| International UFO Museum and Research Center. |
The collection consisted mostly of photographs, press reports, old newspaper articles, documents, excerpts, etc. All related to the (in)famous Roswell UFO incident from 1947. Something has definitely happened here and regardless of the event's true nature, the government always tried to cover it up ("It was a weather balloon"... Just how many times have we heard that?).
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| It was Christmas after all... |
After finishing the museum tour, I took a walk along the main street of Roswell, passing numerous souvenir shops with t-shirts, books, posters, refrigerator magnets... the usual stuff.
No visit in Roswell would count without dining at the famous UFO-styled MacDonald's, special in that it looks like a flying saucer. I pride myself of having dined at their restaurants in many interesting locations, so this one was practically obligatory for me. I ordered two cheeseburgers with Sprite and sat there for some time eating. I ate one burger and kept the other for the travel. In the meantime, one customer commented on the weather outside being colder than in Alaska...
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| The one of its kind UFO-Mac. |
On the way back to the car, I got myself a Roswell t-shirt, green as an alien. Then I hit the road. Progressing north on US 285, I left the grey clouds of Roswell behind and the temperature started raising as well. It was still chilly, but I could at least drop the outer hiking jacket.
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| On the way to Santa Fe. |
The travel between Roswell and Santa Fe was pretty uneventful. The empty plains surrounding Roswell gradually gave way to a more rugged terrain. When I finally arrived at Santa Fe, the Sun had already set. I had no problems finding my motel, a Quality Inn on Cerrillos Rd, outside the city center.
The motel was somewhat upscale compared to what I am used to, with the exception of both the TV and the Internet not working. There was a pool too, but covered for the winter. I drove to a nearby supermarket for food and drinks, then returned to my room and prepared to sleep.
Day 6: Santa Fe, Atalaya Mountain, Albuquerque
Since it was impossible to get online the day before, after leaving my motel I headed towards the nearby MacDonald's. Without getting out of the car, I updated the offline maps for Santa Fe, relying on the generosity of their free wi-fi (I do not use mobile Internet on my phone).
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| A Rail Runner train. |
Ready to explore the city, I headed towards Santa Fe Railyard Park. What used to be a railyard, has been largely turned into a modern pedestrian and shopping area. A Rail Runner Express train was parked at the nearby platform, reminding me of the Road Runner bird from the cartoon. Apparently, roadrunners or chaparral birds live in the southwestern US and Mexico.
After returning to the car, I changed my clothes, because I was slightly freezing, and continued to the historical part of Santa Fe.
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| Pueblo architecture, Santa Fe. |
Santa Fe has its own special architectural style, called Spanish Pueblo style. All buildings are brown- or earth-colored and are made of adobe bricks. They also have round edges and corners. Structures that are obviously made of concrete consistently follow the same style. They are simply colored in brown, for example parking structures or freeway overpasses (!). I really like the Pueblo style and I would go as far as to say that Santa Fe is the prettiest town in the US.
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| Pueblo architecture continues. |
My next target was the St. Francis Cathedral, a 19th century Roman Catholic church. I am nowhere close to being religious, but still like exploring churches for their atmosphere. Especially now that I live in America, a place generally devoid of interesting architecture (with some exceptions). So after nearly a week of staring at same-looking motels, strip malls, gas stations and highways, arriving at the Santa Fe cathedral brought me some actual joy.
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| Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe. |
As much as I liked my accelerated tour of Santa Fe, the day would not have been complete without a hike. My next stop was at St. John's College, outside the city center.
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| At the trailhead to Atalaya Mountain. |
The trail initially goes past campus buildings and some private, upscale houses, all built in the Pueblo style and well hidden in the bushes. Then it continues through a pine forest until reaching the summit. On the way, I met a few hikers, but the walk was mostly quiet.
The summit is below the forest line, so the views are somewhat limited. Still, the city of Santa Fe is perfectly visible. With a good eye, one can see the cathedral sticking out of lower-rise, adobe structures. Regardless of the views, it is always nice to "bag" another mountain, adding it to my collection of hiked mountains.
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| Overlooking Santa Fe from Atalaya's summit. |
Back on the parking lot, it was already dark. I returned to the city and stopped at the same MacDonald's with generous wi-fi. Chewing on a double quarter pounder, I realized that the freeway to Albuquerque was closed due to a car crash, so I would get there via a country road in the mountains.
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| Christmas decorations at one of the houses. |
Fast forward 1,5 hour, I was checking into a Super 8 motel in the outskirts of Albuquerque. To be perfectly honest, it was one of the worst motels in my experience. The bedding was too thin for a December night, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Bugs were running around the room, towels were missing in the bathroom, the bathtub was making squeaky noises, smell of cheap disinfectant everywhere, a 1990s TV... Shame on you, Super 8. Bonus! The person at the reception desk was sitting behind a bulletproof glass.
Next morning, I checked out, then headed towards Albuquerque International Sunport (yes, they don't call it airport here!), and at 9 AM returned the Chevy. Not only was the Sunport brown-colored on the inside, but when I finally found myself on the plane, I realized that the whole terminal was made to look like an adobe structure...
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| About to get on the plane back to LA. |
In summary, I could only wish the trip had lasted one day longer, because I had no chance to explore Albuquerque. The problem was with prices, especially for plane tickets, as they get ridiculous the closer it gets to the New Year's Eve. Still, I had a tonne of fun and both Arizona and New Mexico took me by surprise with their beauty. I would surely visit these two states again at some point.
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