New Mexico

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Death Valley sunset

How a Year of Solo Travel Transforms a Life

When I started traveling alone on a long road trip, it would be for three months. It ended up being almost two years. I didn’t intend to transform. Now, I know that experiencing and learning so many new things about myself and the world makes it unavoidable. Inevitable. My solo travels have taken me through many states in the US, parts of Mexico and Canada. With time alone in ways that we are otherwise never alone, I dove deep. It...

Climb into Cliff Dwellings at Bandelier National Monument

Imagine if you could go back in time and see the way that ancient people lived. Pretend you could even go into their homes, see where they planted their food, and learn about how they survived. You can, at Bandelier National Monument. I spent a day hiking around the park, climbing ladders, and exploring these ancient homes. All of it was amazing; some parts were easier to get to than others. Regardless, it is a one-of-a-kind experience that everyone interested...

Rene Cizio standing on a white sand dune

5 Reasons White Sands National Park is Worth Visiting

There aren’t very many people at White Sands National Park. I don’t know how many national parks you can say that about anymore. On the days I was there, weekday and weekend, I was mostly morbidly alone. The sand is lovely, but who wants to go to a beach without water? And hiking in the sand, I can now tell you from experience, is precisely as difficult as you might expect it to be. But this place isn’t about the...

New Mexico sunset

10 Things to Love About New Mexico (Photos)

I spent a month in New Mexico, and on my last day, I walked around enjoying the ever-present perfect weather and frequently stopping to smell the flowers. Those were the biggest surprise in this place I’d never been to before—the flowers. But they weren’t the only things I loved. Here are images of 10 things I loved about New Mexico. 1 Flowers in New Mexico It’s springtime, but I didn’t expect it to be so grand in New Mexico. I...

Tsankawi

5 Things to Do Around the Rio Grande Gorge

For one month, I stayed a few miles from the Rio Grande Gorge and spent a lot of time in it. It turns out that there’s quite a bit to do around it for only being a gorge – which is just a big hole in the ground. I hiked it many times, rafted through it, walked across the bridge, and even had a few relaxing spa days at the hot springs. The gorge is a spectacular New Mexico character....

Seeking Georgia O’Keeffe in New Mexico

I knew I’d write a story about Georgia O’Keeffe after leaving New Mexico. In it, I expected to say I understood her better after traveling through “her” New Mexico. But, after a month, she is still as elusive as a ghost. Previously, the extent of what I knew about O’Keeffe hung above the stairs of the Modern Wing at the Chicago Art Institute. “Sky Above Clouds IV” is a massive cloudscape. It’s eight feet high and twenty-four feet wide. She...

Petroglyphs National Monument

Hiking Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico

They say that the petroglyphs at Petroglyph National Monument may be hard to see at certain times of the day because of the glare from the sun. But Pueblo elders believe it’s more than that. They believe the petroglyphs choose when and to whom they will reveal themselves. Visiting Petroglyph National Monument When visiting Petroglyph National Monument, GPS will take you to the visitor’s center, but there isn’t anything to see there. The center sits in between the two main...

New Mexico Earthships Sustainable Living

I used to think I was an environmentally friendly person. Then I visited the Earthships of New Mexico and realize I’m a total slacker. I’ve long practiced “reduce, reuse, recycle” habits. I try not to use plastic if I can avoid it and conserve water, paper, and electricity in a dozen ways. This is nothing compared to what Earthship dwellers are doing. These people and their houses are a showcase of next-level sustainable living enthusiasm. But they’re also probably a...