I have a winter birthday, January 19th to be exact, and living in Colorado, it’s not always the most ideal time to travel due to snowstorms. I always like to do something exciting on my birthday though, despite the snowy weather, generally going out of town for the weekend. For my 28th birthday, my fiancé, Scott and I went skiing in Breckenridge, and on my 30th, went to Joyful Journey hot springs and Great Sand Dunes National Park.
I had been wanting to go to Albuquerque, New Mexico since 2015 when we were on a six-month tour with Scott’s band when passing through New Mexico where they had a show in Santa Fe. I tried to convince him to stop in Albuquerque, but we didn’t have much free time. I was mostly interested in going there because I’ve watched the whole Breaking Bad series which takes place there.
Anyways, fast-forward to more recently, I decided we would go there for my 32nd birthday this past January. And this winter has been no joke, we had the most snow, and most extreme cold since we moved here in 2017. Luckily, on the Saturday morning we were driving down to Albuquerque, it wasn’t snowing in Denver and we knew New Mexico wasn’t snowy… but we didn’t check the weather of the towns in Southern Colorado… we were in for a semi-rude awakening.
We stopped for breakfast in Pueblo which is just south of Colorado Springs. We went to Solar Roast Coffee and got coffee and breakfast burritos. If you ever need to stop for coffee in Pueblo, I would go to Solar Roast, there aren’t many options in Pueblo, but this one is solid. It has a cute, artsy vibe and they also sell their roasted coffee beans which you can buy in the coffee shop – you can also buy the beans online or at most Natural Grocers grocery stores in Colorado.
About 30 minutes south of Pueblo near Walsenburg, it started lightly snowing and gradually got worse. The weren’t a ton of cars on the road which was good, but the visibility and road conditions weren’t the best. By the time we were passing through Trinidad, it felt like a full-on blizzard. The sketchiest part was Raton Pass which is the mountain pass over the Colorado border to New Mexico.
I was actually warned by a co-worker at the time about being safe when crossing the Raton Pass because the weather conditions can be rough combined with the windy roads that crawl up the mountain make for a dangerous combination. My co-worker’s premonition turned out to be true. The whole drive on the Raton Pass was pretty scary, I felt fearful at times – but luckily, Scott is a really good driver, I don’t think I could’ve done that drive.
Once we crossed the border in New Mexico, the snow let up, and the sun came out. We breathed a sigh of relief and vowed to check the weather a little bit closer for all future road trips. As you can see in the photo above, the roads are clear, and the skies are blue.
We stopped at a gas station about 30 minutes past the border in a charming little town which had pretty adobe houses everywhere. When driving through any town in New Mexico, you’ll notice that turquoise blue is prominent just as adobe houses are. There wasn’t a lot in the town, so much so that an older man that lived in the town was hanging out in the gas station at one of the dining tables watching TV and chatting with the cashier. I should note, it was a nice gas station, very clean, and even had a freezer full of locally-made breakfast burritos.
The drive was breathtaking, with vast grasslands and mountain backdrops – similar to Colorado Front Range, but New Mexico overall has less housing and developments crowding the views. Then we drove through Santa Fe where we had already been in 2015, laden with a multitude of gorgeous adobe houses in the hills surrounding the city.
Just an hour southwest of Santa Fe sits Albuquerque to the west of the Sandia Mountains. The mountains are unique looking, they’re craggy and don’t exactly look easy to hike up. The elevation is 5,312 feet above sea level, only 32 feet above Denver’s which is 5280 feet. It’s very much a high desert landscape.
The photo on the right is my sweet Poogie taking a nap. When we first started driving with him, he would get very anxious and scared, but after several hours-long road trips, he’s used to it and now enjoys road trips. I sit in the backseat with him to keep him company while Scott drives.
We were scheduled to arrive in Albuquerque around 3 PM, and the first thing on my agenda (since it was my birthday trip) – see Walter White’s house.
I was expecting Walter White’s house to be in a nice neighborhood, which it wasn’t a horrible neighborhood, but the houses were close together and right behind a shopping center, so it wasn’t exactly what I imagined. If you haven’t seen the show Breaking Bad, it’s about a chemistry teacher (Walter White) in Albuquerque that gets cancer, and teams up with one of his students (Jesse Pinkman) to cook meth in order to pay his medical bills, and naturally, chaos ensues.
A family actually lives in the house, and apparently hates when people come to visit and take photos, so as you can see, it’s fenced and coned off to prevent people from running up on the lawn and trespassing. It was cool to see, but not as exciting as I thought it would be. After that, our goal was to find some legit Mexican food.
We navigated to one place which no longer existed, then to a taco truck that was closed, so we had to keep searching. I looked at nearby restaurants on Yelp, and Los Olivos popped up and had 4.5 stars. I always try to go places that are 4.5 stars and above. If it has 4 stars or less, chances are its mediocre.
We needed whatever restaurant we were going to to have a patio so that we could have Poogie with us while we dine, so that always narrows down our choices. Yelp has a ‘Dogs Allowed’ filter which is always helpful. Anyway, we pull up to the restaurant, and it’s in an unassuming area, kind of an automotive repair shop/industrial area. The parking lot was spacious, and it didn’t seem too busy. I knew they had a patio, but I wasn’t sure if they allowed dogs. I went in to ask if we could sit outside and if dogs were allowed – the male waiter was kind and said yes. We had to walk Poogie through the inside of the restaurant to the door that took us out to the patio.
The patio was cozy, it felt like we were in somebody’s home. The walls were painted bright colors and of course some hints of the signature New Mexico turquoise. It was a little chilly considering it was still January, so the waiter set up the large heat lamp next to us which was great. We had the patio all to ourselves; quite relaxing after spending several hours in the car. I got a cup of coffee, too, adding to the coziness.
So we know the environment at Los Olivos is great, the coffee is good, and the chips and salsa you can tell are homemade – but what about the tacos?! I knew in my soul that they were going to be amazing. Scott ordered Birria tacos which I had never heard of until then, but they’re basically half taco, half quesadilla – tacos lined with cheese with a side of Birria stew laden with spices that you dip the tacos in. The dish originates from the Mexican state of Jalisco. I tried a bite and it was delicious, super flavorful.
I got four carne asada tacos and a side of rice and beans for Scott and I to split. I think they were the best tacos I’ve ever had, and I’m not even exaggerating. They were the Mexican street taco style with just a corn tortilla, meat, diced white onion, cilantro, and lime wedges. And Scott and I have been to several border towns in Mexico on a tour with his band, stopping in Tijuana, Mexicali, San Luis Colorado, Nogales, and Agua Prieta – so we’ve had our fair share of real Mexican tacos. The tacos are simple in the ingredients but so above par in flavor – and it seems the flavor is all about how you marinate the meat. The salsas were next level, too. The whole experience of dining here was perfect.
Other than seeing Walter White’s house, getting some exceptional Mexican food was at the top of my list for this trip to Albuquerque, and I can safely say: mission accomplished. Up next, get our nature on.
We found a trail near our Airbnb on the edge of a nice neighborhood, the City of Albuquerque’s Foothills Open Space. There are some gorgeous houses in that area, many of them have elements of the signature New Mexico adobe house, but bigger and grander. It was a short enough and easy hike to take Poogie on. We weren’t wanting to do a long hike, just enough to pass the time until we could get into our Airbnb, and enough to get a taste of the landscape.
The weather in Albuquerque is a bit warmer than in Denver, but it was January, so when the wind blew, it was a bit chilly. The landscape was gorgeous – I loved all the cacti and the yellow flowers popping out of the cactus plants. Poogie is so low to the ground being a Bassett hound, we had to dodge him around the cacti so that he wouldn’t get poked by the thorns. (After the hike, we checked his ears, and he did end up having tiny cactus needles on his ears that we had to pull out.)
Here’s a picture of Scott and I on the hike, just as proof that I was there 🙂 I don’t have many photos of myself, but I have thousands of photos of Poogie and Scott.
The trail in one direction has views of the Sandia foothills, and on the other, an expansive view of Albuquerque’s skyline and beyond. It was 4:30 PM, around sundown, so the lighting highlighted the whole landscape beautifully.
There was just a bit of snow on the trail, but not enough to warrant winter hiking gear. I highly recommend this trail if you’re visiting Albuquerque for the views of the city and the high desert landscape. Short and easy hike, and accessible/easy to get to from the city.
We chilled in the car for a bit after the hike until we could check into our Airbnb at 5 PM – we were only a few minutes down the road from it.
As we were getting close to the house, I knew it would be nice because the neighborhood was stunning with adobe New Mexico-flare houses that backed up to the foothills. We pulled up to the cute one level which had hints of New Mexico turquoise trimming. The host, Jennifer, greeted us at the driveway and showed us to the side gate to access our room. She is in the army reserves and moves around often, doing Airbnb hosting for a few years in the various cities she’s moved around to. She had only lived in Albuquerque for about a year and said she’s relocating to Florida within the next year though she was enjoying her time in New Mexico.
Jennifer showed us to the side gate to the back side of the house and up onto the deck. The deck was super long, with half of the deck being where our room was, and the other half to the left the main quarters where our host resided. We walked up to the sliding glass door and entered our access code into the keypad. As we walk in, we hear the sounds of birds in a peaceful forest coming from a bedside noise machine. The room was pristine; the bed had a crisp white bedspread and a welcome basket on it with two small wine bottles and glasses, a bag of dog treats, and even an Albuquerque postcard which we now have on our fridge at home. The room was bright, and the decor had a Southwest flare. And lots of amenities: a Keurig coffee machine with creamer and flavored syrups, hot chocolate, tea, and a basket full of snacks.
The host was dog-sitting the sweetest Great Dane and let him come over to our room to play with Poogie. She even let Poogie come over to her side of the house to hang with her and the dog, so all night they were wandering in and out of all sides of the house and running through the backyard.
The house sits more elevated in the foothills, making for a great view of the city skyline and beyond. We sat on the back deck and watched the mesmerizing and expansive sunset. Just one day in Albuquerque, you appreciate the surrounding beauty – it’s a big city with so much around it being untouched land.
On top of the gorgeous views from the deck, there was a legit fire pit on the deck and a hot tub. I mean, you really couldn’t ask for more from an Airbnb.
We were full from our late lunch at Los Olivos, so we just ate muffins from the complimentary snack basket, with plans for a big breakfast in the morning. We got the fire pit going and sat around it for about two hours which was very relaxing after a long day.
Scott took advantage of using the hot tub; I was too tired to join. He was totally in his best life mode with a glass of wine and wrapped up in one of the bathrobes that the host provided. I just relaxed on the comfy bed and watched Antiques Roadshow.
There was a dog bed on the floor for all guest’s dogs to use, we tried to get Poogie to sleep on it, but we were unsuccessful since he always sleeps in the bed with us. We went to sleep relatively early to enjoy the city the following day and do another hike before driving back.
We woke up around 8 AM; check-out at an Airbnb is usually around 11 AM, but we wanted to get out earlier to get breakfast. We let Poogie go over to the other side of the house to play with to dog again. He was having such a good time he didn’t want to leave. It was such a nice stay, so we gave it five stars. I highly recommend selecting places to stay that are as close to 5 stars as possible. The higher the rating, generally, the better the experience.
Something worth noting about Albuquerque, most restaurants are closed on Sundays, so I had to research to find a good open spot. I came across the Grove Cafe & Market on Yelp, which is open every day except Mondays from 8 AM – 2 PM. It has 4.5 stars and an extensive menu with breakfast and lunch options.
The Grove is located downtown and has a big parking lot, so parking is easy. The patio wasn’t open since it was still semi-cold in January, so we couldn’t dine outside with Poogie. I just went in and ordered take-out; the line was super long, I can imagine since it’s one of the only places open on Sundays. It has a pretty interior, very spacious and bright. I liked the book decoration on the center table ‘Foodheim’ by Eric Wareheim (he starred in the goofy Adult Swim series, Tim and Eric Awesome Show from the early 2000s). I ordered two coffees, avocado toast for me (my guilty millennial pleasure), and a breakfast sandwich for Scott. The staff there seemed to mainly consist of hip college students that were attentive but also too cool to be too attentive.
It took about 30 minutes until it was ready, and then we ate in the car on the way to our hike. The food was pretty good; it got us satiated and ready to hit the trail.
Scott found a trail, Rinconada Canyon Trail, that has some ancient Petroglyphs on the black volcanic rock along the trail. There are several trails around Albuquerque to spot Petroglyphs; this is just one of them. The trail was only a 15-minute drive from downtown.
The trail had a very desert-y vibe. I can imagine this trail in the summer can get hot, so we were there at a good time. The trailhead sign warned of rattlesnakes, which is concerning for Poogie being so low to the ground, but I think it was still too cold for them to come out of hibernating.
Here’s an expansive view of the volcanic-black rock to the right of the trail. The Petroglyphs don’t appear until a ways down the trail when the rocks become more and more prevalent, and you can see them up close.
Of course, Scott was the first to spot a Petroglyph; he’s got quite the eye. If you’re unable to spot them, there are some helpful educational signs along the way that signal where some of the Petroglyphs are and where. Above to the left is a Petroglyph of what looks to be a deer or an animal similar to a deer. To the right, what looks to be a warrior and some other symbols around it.
The black rocks are the remains of a Volcanic eruption around 200,000 years ago. The Petroglyphs were carved into these rocks by Ancestral Pueblo People. The dates that these Petroglyphs were carved range mainly between 1300 AD to the late 1600s. It’s unclear what the exact meaning is behind the images.
The trail is pretty short, 2.2 miles roundtrip. We did most of the hike, then got in the car and headed home after getting gas and H20 for the road.
The drive back to Denver is a little over six hours, so not too bad. I think six hours is the max to drive somewhere and stay for one night. And the weather was 100 percent sunny on the whole drive back.
By the time we hit Pueblo, CO, we were starving – having only eaten a banana between breakfast and then. I got on Yelp and found a 4.5-star hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint, Vazquez Taco Shop. It’s on the outskirts of downtown in a quiet area with a couple of other businesses around. I got a Breakfast Burrito, and Scott got a Quesadilla. My burrito was stuffed with French fries rather than diced potatoes; it was pretty dang good. And Scott’s Quesadilla was gigantic, as you can see in the photo above.
We made it home by 5 PM, just enough time to relax before going to work the next day. What’s funny is about a week or two after we went, I started seeing various billboards around Denver promoting Visitalbuquerque.org – I guess I had the idea before it was in style.
(Worth noting, one of the things the city is known for is hot air balloon rides and the big balloon festival they have every October.)
I highly recommend visiting ABQ, if not just for the legit Mexican food all over the city.
Bridget Douglas 