Some people wouldn’t dream of going on a road trip by themselves. Those people are missing out! Never let the lack of a travel companion stop you from traveling. Things happen and schedules can be hard to sync up sometimes. If I waited for the stars to align and my schedule to sync with my husband’s, I would miss out on so many adventures! A great example of this is my trip to New Mexico last week.
Originally, we had planned a short 3-day trip to Albuquerque, NM to help me meet my All 50 States Goal by my birthday in July. We had already booked plane tickets and everything. Unfortunately, the Friday before we were scheduled to leave, my husband informed me that he had a work emergency that required him to cancel the trip. I was pretty bummed, but still needed to go to meet my goal and complete my own work project. So I went alone….and I’m so glad I did! It was an amazing adventure!
I landed in Albuquerque around 5:45 pm Thursday night. Once I got my rental car (a stylish Chevy Cruze), I headed straight for the Sandia Mountains. I had originally planned to drive to the base of the mountain and take the tram to the top, but my GPS had other plans. I typed in the address and set off. After a while, I began to realize something was off. I was pretty high up the mountain. A little while later, the GPS stopped working and I rounded a curve and found myself at the Sandia Crest. Hmm, I’m still not sure what went wrong, but I am so glad it did. The views from the top of the mountain were absolutely incredible!! You could see all of Albuquerque as well as the surrounding mountains. Also, I was there just in time for sunset. I love when a GPS mistake turns into an awesome adventure!
On Friday, I worked in our local office for most of the day before taking off on a highly recommended adventure north of the city. Several of my coworkers said a trip to Albuquerque wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the Tent Rocks National Monument. The Tent Rocks were about an hour north of the city. The further I drove from the city, the more foreign the landscapes looked. It was like being on a different planet with all the mountains, plateaus, rock formations, and desert areas! I spent hours hiking through the Tent Rocks and then driving over to Santa Fe and down the Turquoise Trail back to Albuquerque.
On the way back the GPS took me on another “short cut” that turned into an adventure. Instead of taking me directly into Santa Fe via I-25, it took me off a side exit through the Waldo Canyon. If you are ever passing near Santa Fe and see the exit for Waldo Canyon Road, I would highly recommend checking it out. It’s a 7-8 mile long gravel road that connects I-25 to Highway 14 (also known as the Turquoise Trail). It’s pretty remote, but so beautiful! It was like stepping into an old western movie. I kept waiting for Clint Eastwood to jump out from behind a rock! A couple of times along the way I would pull over to take pictures or check out the strange little rabbit-like creatures that kept crossing the road in front of me. During one of these stops I noticed there was even the strange musical sounds from a Clint Eastwood movie. I’m not saying it was a rattlesnake, but it did scare me enough to get back in the car and moving along quickly!
As I was flying back home Saturday night, I worked on my journaling and began reflecting on my adventures in NM. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I would have missed out on these adventures if my husband had joined me. Not that we wouldn’t have had other fun adventures, but my husband isn’t quite as adventurous as I am…nor as patient with the GPS shortcuts! So, the next time plans change and your travel companion has to back out at the last minute, don’t stress. Accept the gift of time to make your own adventure! You can pick exactly what you do, where you go, what you eat, everything! It’s a great way to spend some “me time” taking care of yourself for a change. So embrace the solitude and take the trip!