Hyde Memorial State Park
March 8, 2020
Today’s walkabout took me from Albuquerque northeast to Santa Fe and then another ten miles to the Hyde Memorial State Park where I got a campsite for the night.
Before I left Albuquerque, I came across an area where many of the streets are named after elite private colleges. I got a laugh from the Notre Dame and Lafayette. 🤪
Turquoise colored chairs at Whole Foods.
A fashionable area of the city.
The approximately 60 mile drive starts out on Old US 66 East in Albuquerque and then turns north on New Mexico 14 - the Turquoise Scenic Drive. It’s a beautiful drive through high desert with rugged peaks in the distance on either side.
Route 14 passes through Golden, New Mexico.
I also drove through Madrid which was a hopping hamlet with a number of funky arts and crafts shops by the road.
You probably have the picture by now of New Mexico - flat then mountains.
Random sighting by Route 14.
Yes, a mailbox painted turquoise.
Then it’s local roads to get to the state park From Santa Fe. I think Albuquerque’s elevation is about 5,000 feet. My campsite is at just a few feet under 9,000 feet. This will be the highest elevation for me for sleeping so far this trip. (Years ago I slept in La Paz, Bolivia which is north of 11,000 feet. At that altitude I was really in pretty bad shape.)
The drive into Santa Fe reminded me of the drive into Charlottesville on 29 South. I was greeted by the usual retail outlets - Home Depot, Men’s Warehouse, McDonald’s, Kohl’s, Krispy Kreme, etc. Not quite what I expected - but I have learned that my expectations of towns are aspirational. ☹️🤔. I wasn’t surprised to see the BMW, Range Rover, Lexus and Mercedes dealerships. I guess I am a lot closer to Texas than I realized. I’m seeing a number of vehicles with Texas license plates. There is snow in the mountains here (it is snowing right now) so maybe the Texans come here to enjoy the white stuff?
My campsite: for the night.
A beautiful morning after a rainy/snowy night.
