New Mexico - The Land of Enchantment | Uphill Zen

New Mexico - The Land of Enchantment

New Mexico is one of my favorites!

I love the history, with Anasazi ruins and Spanish conquistadors. I love the tri-cultural heritage and the southwestern architecture. I love the mountains and the high desert scenery. And then there’s the food! 🙂

New Mexico camping and attractions

Route for Zennie's 2017 US Road Trip, Summer Chill-Out

Summer Chill-Out – US road trip recap

I was sitting in Tucson during June 2017, trying to work on some Zennie projects in temps that reached 115 ...
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Campsite view from Echo Amphitheater campground

Echo Amphitheater campground, New Mexico

If you're looking for a lovely free campground while you're exploring the O'Keeffe country of New Mexico, here's a great ...
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View of Brazos cliffs

Brazos Overlook, an unofficial campsite

If you're in northern New Mexico, the northern drive across the Carson National Forest on highway 64 is gorgeous!! It's ...
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Sample of a Motor Vehicle Use Map

Finding campsites using a Motor Vehicle Use Map

When I'm looking for a good boondocking campsite, I usually research it beforehand. I have some standard information sources, that ...
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View from Taos Junction boondocking campsite

Taos Junction – Free camping near Ojo Caliente, New Mexico

Ojo Caliente is a famous hot springs resort west of Taos, and quite a luxurious place to stay. But if ...
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Santa Cruz Lake Overlook campground

Visiting Chimayo? Santa Cruz Lake Overlook campground

Chimayo is a small town along the High Road between Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico. It's famous for its ...
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Gateway to Dawson New Mexico

Dawson, New Mexico – Grandpa and the ghost town

Dawson is a ghost town in northeastern New Mexico. Like so many abandoned places, it was a mining town whose ...
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Boondocking in Carson National Forest

New Mexico free camping – Cool, green, and beautiful

Who knew New Mexico was so green? This isn't just photoshop, either! 😉 If you're looking for a camping spot ...
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Costumes at the Taos Pueblo Powwow

Taos Pueblo Powwow – A cool New Mexico event

I hadn't really intended to go to the Taos Pueblo Powwow. In fact, I didn't know anything about it until ...
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Perfect spot at Rio Grande del Norte

Rio Grande del Norte (Wild Rivers) – Awesome camping!

If you're looking for a place to go camping and/or hiking in northern New Mexico, go to Rio Grande del ...
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Some New Mexico pix

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I could save time by taking I-10. 🚛🚙🚐🚛🚚🚌🚙🚗🚚💨 But a thousand times over, I would prefer this! 🚐🐌😎 #slowtravel #backroads
.............
#usa #newmexico #arizona

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The ghost town of Chloride has a very cool museum, a true "time capsule". In the early 1900s, the mine was closed and the town was being abandoned. The family who ran the general store boarded it up and sent their son out east for an education, thinking someday he could return and reopen the business. That day never came...
... ...
Fast forward 75 years and the place was sold. The new owner was astonished to find everything in the store was still there, ready for the customers who never appeared. Aside from mice getting into some foodstuffs, everything else was intact! ... ...
Today it's a museum, a fascinating window into life here in days gone by. Well worth a visit! #chloride #timecapsule .............
#usa #newmexico

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I love ghost towns! ❤️👻 Visiting places like this gets my imagination going, trying to picture the scene back in the day when an old mining town was bustling. 🤔💭 I imagine the lives of the miners and others ⛏, the summer heat and winter cold ☀️❄️, the shops and saloons 🍺, the main street comings and goings 🐴, and the peaks and valleys of hope and despair. 🤩😰 ..... .....
I'm sure there was a lot of excitement in the early days, when people dreamed of striking it rich 😴💰. But as time went on and the finds petered out, eventually it was time to leave. Perhaps on to the next place where folks say gold or silver has been found... #ghosttown #boomandbust .............
#usa #newmexico

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The entry to San Lorenzo Canyon, a very cool little slot canyon, well worth a visit and a hike! 🚶‍♀️😎 ... ... I camped a few miles away, so I can only imagine the scene by firelight - I bet that would be magical with the light of the flames dancing over the walls... 🔥 Maybe next time! 😊 .............
#usa #newmexico

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#Boondocking on a hill in the desert, with not another soul around. Blue skies, wide open spaces, peace and quiet and room to roam. ... ...
We are so lucky that the US has public lands like this available to all of us. The BLM and National Forest areas offer a tremendous diversity of environments to explore and experience, open and free for the general public. Some people talk about public lands like "government land grabs", but to me it's a wonderful gift to us all. #publiclands #zennie .............
#usa #newmexico

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I don't often stay in RV parks. But when there's one with its own #microbrewery, I can make an exception! 🚐🍺👍😊 #brilliant .............
#usa #newmexico

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Another fun surprise! 😊I went to Farmington because Zennie needed new tires 🚐😕, and stayed at this free BLM area because it was convenient (and free!) 👍 Finding trails right from my campsite and loads of fun #rocks to climb around was a nice side benefit!🚶‍♀️It's a much cooler area than I realized! 😎 .............
#usa #newmexico

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Sunrise in Columbus, NM - a lovely way to start the day! 😀 (And I am as surprised as anybody that I’m up for the sunrise!) 🌅😱 We are camped here 3 miles north of the border, and will be in #Mexico soon! 🚐🇲🇽😎 #newmexico

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#Hiking in the Bisti Badlands. There aren't really any trails here, you can just wander wherever it looks interesting. Some parts have typically eroded #badlands, some areas are full of hoodoos, and other places are covered in unusual rock formations. Cool place! 😎 #newmexico #wp

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Black hills with white accents. Just one of the odd scenes at the Bisti #Badlands. #newmexico #wp

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Hiking the South Mesa loop at #Chaco Canyon. I was there for the ruins, but the scenery was a wonderful surprise! Take this hike clockwise, and the south entry is spectacular. You descend from the mesa top to the valley floor, then walk between the cliffs until the great houses of "downtown Chaco" appear before you. 😎👍 #newmexico #wp

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One of the reasons I love #Chaco is that it's isolated enough you can get away from chattering crowds and immerse yourself in the ruins. That's especially true if you take a backcountry trail to one of the lesser-known ruins like this one. Out here, it's just me, the breeze, and ancient ghosts. #newmexico #wp 😎

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T-shaped doorway in the ruins at #Chaco Canyon. A thousand years ago, this is where the Anasazi civilization reached a unique peak, as shown in the fine stonework here, and the immense great house it's part of (5 stories high, with 700+ rooms). They had astronomers, grand roads, sophisticated irrigation, and a far flung trade network. ..................
This peak at Chaco is where the fascinating book "House of Rain" starts the story. From here it traces the #Anasazi across geography and time as they migrated, mingled, and evolved. The T-shaped doors are one of 7 markers he uses to trace them. Their route includes Aztec, Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, the Hopi mesas, and many more places in the southwestern states. Then it continues into Mexico. I hope to visit the end location soon... 😎🚐👍#archaeology #newmexico #wp

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One thing I always loved about Key West was the sunset parties. 🌅🎉🎈 It's such a nice way to end the day! So I've decided to continue that tradition, having one of my own each evening! 😀💚 ..................
Of course, my sunset parties don't have musicians, jugglers or hundreds of people! But at the minimum, it's a time to stop, savor the beauty of the last light, and reflect on what I'm most grateful for that day. ☀️🌅🍷🙏😎 #newmexico #gratitude #wonderfullife

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I love this campground, with it's amazing #badlands views! 😱😍 Did I mention it's quiet, free, and has cell service? ✅✅✅ Whenever I'm headed through Farmington, this is the place to stay! 😎🚐👍 #angelpeak #newmexico #wp

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My weeklong loop back to Española failed to get the steering fixed, since they got the wrong part. 🚐😰 But on the plus side, it gave me more time in O'Keeffe country! 🎨👍 Morning view from my campsite, with flat topped Pedernal in the distance. 😎#cantcomplain #newmexico

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I love the massive towering #clouds of summertime! Everything else seems tiny and insignificant, in comparison to one of these puffy giants. ☁️😀 #wp #newmexico

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Another day, another vista! 😀 I was planning to go further, but figured this could be the best view of the day, so why not camp here? 🙄 I think this'll do... 🚐😎 #justfine #wp #newmexico

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I got this little hummingbird eating right out of my hand! 🤚😀 The ranger said to just hold this and stand still... and it worked! This tiny creature spent about 10 sec sipping the nectar before another one chased him off. I've never been so close before! 😎 #amazing #newmexico #dk

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Had to go back to #Taos to return my broken solar controller. 😰 Feel like I'm going in circles! 🌀 But on the plus side, I get another green chile #beer out of the visit! 🍺😎👍 #wp #newmexico

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Hiked up to explore this old mica #mine. 🚶‍♀️ Sparkles everywhere! 😀 And shiny little mineral sheets so thin you can see through them. 👀👍#prettycool #newmexico

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Another #CampsiteView... 😀 I've been through Chimayo many times, and never even realized this #lake was right next door! There's also a trail from this bluff-top spot down to the water's edge, where you find private little beaches shaded by massive cottonwoods. Nice spot! 😎💚👍 #newmexico

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He looks like he's giving thanks for the good food he's about to receive! 🙏🙂 Back at an old favorite! Chimayo is a fascinating place, and the Santuario is amazing. But this trip it was to the Rancho, for the best sopaipillas! 😎👍 #newmexicofood #newmexico

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The #monsoon rains are coming! ☁️💦⚡️ #sogladifixedtheroof 🚐☂️👍 #newmexico #zennie

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There's not much left in the ghost town of Dawson besides the cemetery, but I had to visit because of a very odd connection... Back in the day, this was one of the biggest towns in New Mexico . But when the coal mine closed down ⛏, the company town went up for sale. 🏠💰 My grandpa bought the hotel, and his best friend got the hospital. They left from Texas with an assortment of relatives and friends, whoever they could muster to make the trip north.
My dad was a kid at the time, and remembered it well. They camped out in the buildings they were demolishing, and it was freezing cold. The hardware floors were some of the best parts, so they'd soak the floor in water at night. By morning, the wood swelled enough to make it easier to pull the nails out (which they also saved for reuse). They took everything they could carry back to Texas, where my granddad built a family home out of the old Dawson hotel. So that's why I spent the night camped out at this lonely little graveyard! 👻😎 #ghosttown #history #newmexico

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The Palisades stand guard over the road through Cimarron Canyon. 🚐😎👍 I wasn't expecting such a beautiful drive! #lovelysurprise #newmexico

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Who knew New Mexico was this green? 💚 That's real, not image enhancement! 😀 Sweet little #boondocking site about 9,000' up in the Carson National Forest. 😎🚐👍 #newmexico #zennie

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One more from the Taos Pueblo Powwow. Love to see the little ones out there! 😀👍 #nextgeneration #passiton #newmexico

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The Taos Pueblo #Powwow was very cool to see. They had 15 drum groups with singers from different tribes & regions, and hundreds of dancers with stunning, elaborate outfits. #beautiful #newmexico

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Soaking in the view from the top of the Canyon of the Rio Grande. Days like this are hard to beat! 💚😎 #liveit #loveit #newmexico #dk

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Hiking along the Rio Grande on a glorious New Mexico day! 🚶‍♀️☀️🌲 It's amazing to me that there aren't more people in this fabulous spot... but I'm not complaining! For most of the day, we seemed to have the canyon all to ourselves! 😎👍 #newmexico

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I can't come to Taos without stopping at Eske's for a green chile #beer on the patio. 🌶🍺👍 It's one of the things I love about this town... the history, architecture, scenery, art, and the beer! #classicnewmexico #newmexico

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And then there are big volcanoes ... This is a partial view of the massive Valles Caldera super volcano 🌋, source of the wild tuff formations around #Bandelier. The caldera is over 13 miles across! 😳 Looks like a great place for further exploration. 🚐😎👍 #newmexico

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There are little volcanoes ... This is standing inside the Lava Bowl at El Malpais. 🌋 Bad country indeed! 😉 This otherworldly landscape is a very cool place to explore, but perhaps not best in summer! 😜 #hothothot #newmexico

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A remnant of an earlier age, standing by the side of the road. It looks quaint & charming to me now, but I imagine it was a tough place to face the winters! #backroads #logcabin #newmexico

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What are the odds?? 🙄 Here at this out-of-the-way campsite in New Mexico, I meet a sailor from San Francisco, who has a ⛵️ boat in San Carlos, and gives me a copy of my favorite magazine? 📗😎 #smallworld #newmexico

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