The_NM_TX

  When it comes to Route 66 in New Mexico there are so many great stops that you can see. To the east you have all the great murals and hotels of Tucumcari, and the car museum in Santa Rosa. To the west you have the iconic sign in Grants, and the famed haunted hotel in Gallup. But part of Route 66 that is often overlooked is the part of it that drives through Albuquerque. While construction and modernizing the city has left it disjointed and a shell of itself if you look closely there are still great aspects of Route 66 alive in Albuquerque that are must see items.  While most of Route 66 is now Central driving through downtown there is still plenty to see, and things to do that will remind you of the famous highway. A great place to start is at the 66 Diner where you will feel nostalgic before even stepping inside. The outside looks like a quintessential diner, and at night the neon reflects it, but the main feature before you walk in is a massive wall full of vintage signs from gas

  Last time we did a farm to glass piece the focus was on blue corn, and lavender exclusively. Well after thinking about it, I realized I had so much fun working on that piece that I couldn’t wait to do another one, only this time expand not only the ingredients, but also the variety of beverages. While this type of blog will be ongoing piece and I will be trying multiple drinks featuring New Mexico ingredients here are some of my favorites that I have had recently. To start there are 2 ingredients I was very intrigued to see in beverages, and those are pinon and red chile. Zia Soda uses both though in their Pinon Cola and Red Chile Ginger Ale. In addition, this is a high-quality soda using natural ingredients, so I was ok with drinking it. The Pinon Cola was amazing, and I was surprised by it in so many ways. For starters they don’t use caramel coloring so the cola was clear, but the taste was what every cola should strive to be. The pinon flavor was front and center making this a v

  I know I have said it before, I’ll say it again, and I will continue to say that I am amazed how many independent coffee shops there are in New Mexico. It seems like everywhere I go no matter what part of any town I am in I find a new coffee shop to try. On my most recent explorations I found two more coffee shops that are both delicious and have great environments to enjoy their coffee.  O’Beans Coffee: Depending on where in Albuquerque you live this can be a bit of a drive to get to, but between the scenery and great coffee it is totally worth it. Driving along Tramway Road the first thing you notice is the gorgeous views of the Sandia, and once you arrive you will find the O’Beans is one of the coolest coffee shops you will ever visit. The entire shop is decorated inspired by Volkswagen including the counter which is mimicked to look like an iconic VW Bus. Of course, the theming should have been more obvious with a classically restored beetle outside the building. The decoratio

  Nature is everywhere, even when you least expect to find it. I was reminded of that recently while exploring in Santa Fe where a multi-use sidewalk took me under the highway and to a trailhead full of great scenery in all directions. Of all the places I discovered this behind an outlet mall and running parallel to Cerillos Road. This impromptu walk led me to the Arroyo Hondo Trail.  While the trail head can take a decent walk to access, it was about a mile from the outlet malls it will be worth it in the end. You know you are at the right spot when you see the dinosaur sculptures nearby. Once at the trailhead you can go either north or south. People that have read my walking/hiking blogs know I always follow the mountains so north it was. While this was not a hike, the path was paved the entire way and the scenery around was beautiful. The flowers were blooming showing pops of colors along the walkway, the trees were all full of leaves, and the mountains off in the distance were be