Windswept in the American Southwest

My four-month journey through New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Colorado

Sitting in the only place offering shade in the park — a lonely gazebo in an empty, dry field pockmarked by hundreds of Prairie dog holes (Prairie dogs included) — I thought, “I’ve surely had enough wind winding at me the past four months to last me a lifetime.”

Sunshine every day, dry air, and gusts of wind: these certainly describe my trip last winter/spring through the American Southwest.

A different winter than what I was used to, in more ways than one.

You see, a year ago, I was off on a different than my usual kind of adventure, one that marked the beginning of my professional gap year of sorts. I left my full-time job of 8 years to allow myself to experiment with a new way of working and living, to discover what else is possible.

I wrote more about my motivation for the decision here:

To start this professional gap year with a bang (a wind chime?), I left the East Coast and ventured west.

I had no plans per se, just a general idea of the months I’d be traveling and the states I’d like to visit.

I’d done many road trips across the United States, but this time, I no longer had my car. I had sold it after I found myself working remotely from overseas in 2020 and 2021.

Because I couldn’t drive, camping along the way, I decided to choose a base in each state, live and work from there, explore it by walking, and use public transport or rent a car to visit nearby areas, if I so desired.

I wanted to stay in each location long enough to both have days of work or rest and days of long walks, wandering the streets of my temporary home or venturing out for longer trips.

It was my mini-experiment with slow-travel.

And I absolutely loved it.

Maybe not the dry air and strong winds, but the experience definitely taught me much about desert and arid areas, reminded me that water is life, and showed me how even in the harshest of conditions, people, animals, and plants can thrive, only if the first don’t ruin it for the rest.

Ultimately, the trip highlighted that slow travel works for me. I absolutely enjoyed living in each location for a few weeks, spending some days mostly working, reading, writing, and watching movies, only venturing out to grab some food, and other days leaving at the crack of dawn and coming back after sunset, walking, wandering, exploring.

I can’t possibly cover everything I did and saw in one article, but I thought I’d share the bits and pieces that stood out from each location.

Albuquerque, NM

Though the city wasn’t bustling or hustling in Jan/Feb, I appreciated exploring it in winter because no way I’d have walked 40K steps from my Airbnb to downtown or the Sandia Mountains in the summer heat.

Depending on where you are in Albuquerque, you can go out your door and walk to the mountains. Quite a few roads and urban trails made biking or walking to the mountains manageable.

The Sandia Mountains earned their name from the color they embrace as the sun sets (sandia means watermelon in Spanish). I marveled at some of the firest sunsets during my Southwest adventure, but nothing compares to the glory I witnessed in the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico.

I love walking around old towns and Historic Old Town Albuquerque was no exception. In the heart of the city, it features adobe buildings, many of which are now restaurants, shops, galleries, and cafes.

And as much as I enjoy visiting museums and galleries, I’ve come to realize that often, the streets are the real museums and galleries in such places.

Since I visited in winter, I also pretty much had the place to myself, especially in the early mornings.

Being in Albuquerque, I couldn’t miss an opportunity to walk along the Rio Grande, and trails are available to allow you to do just that.

As I sat down by the river to enjoy a snack, I checked Google Maps to see where the trail leads and noticed something called Glass Garden that seemed right off the trail further down the road. Not sure what it was but curious to find out, I made my way there.

When I first glimpsed the thousands tiny glass pieces shining their multi-colored lights, I felt even more intrigued. Seeing my confused expression, a passing family explained that Glass Garden is 20 acres of broken glass and china from years ago.

Glad I had my hiking boots on cause you can’t walk on broken glass with just any shoes on!

For two days, I took the train to Santa Fe, the second oldest city in the US and an art mecca. As three of the gallery hosts I chatted with on my exploration of Canyon Road (one half mile packed with galleries and art studios) mentioned, it oscillates between being the 2nd and 3rd largest art market in the US (NYC holding 1st place).

If you love art, you’ll enjoy Santa Fe, and if you have considerable discretionary income, you can even buy some of it! :)

I chose walking and admiring (it’s free!), though it didn’t take long to walk around the plaza and downtown. What takes time is visiting all the galleries and museums, which is why I decided to come a second day. That’s when I got to experience Santa Fe blanketed in snow, which was a nice bonus.

Needless to say, I left the Land of Enchantment quite enchanted and you can bet I’ll be going back for a much longer stay and for a much wider area of exploration.

Tucson, AZ

I’ve been to Arizona on multiple occasions, both on camping/hiking trips and work-related conference travel, but I hadn’t been to Tucson.

While in town, an interesting fact I learned about Tuscon is that the city takes reducing light pollution quite seriously.

So if you walk 3 miles to a nearby park (as a I did), to watch the sun set and bathe the mountains a glorious color, and if you then walk back to your Airbnb (as I did), you may find yourself walking not quite in pitch dark but in a darker dark than you expected (as I did).

Good thing I always carry a headlight in my backpack! On the bright side — pun intended — Tucson is the perfect city of its size for star-gazing.

Back to streets being galleries. One of my favorite things about walking around Tuscon was noticing all the murals, some in places you expect and some in places you don’t.

I happened to be in Tucson during my birthday month, and when a friend gifted me a ticket to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, I decided to make it my birthday destination.

I had initially planned to walk there — silly me! — but upon discovering it’s located very much outside the city and as far as I could tell, only accessible by car, I took an Uber to get there and back. In fact, I had to reserve my Uber on the way back because I couldn’t just request one when I was ready to leave — I was too far from the city!

Bakersfield, CA

My 3rd location seems random, I know, but by this time in my journey, friends and former colleagues who live in the area and learned of my travels started reaching out, inviting me to visit.

The beauty of having a flexible itinerary is that you can tweak it without much trouble, and that’s how I ended up in Bakersfield for about a month. If you love antique malls, this may be a place you’d love checking out.

I happened to visit as the transition to spring commenced, so flowers and budding trees became regular features in my everyday walks and adventures. This is also the only place I experienced a bit of rain. I mean, it was more of a drizzle, but still, water fell from the sky so it counts.

I couldn’t pass through CA without dipping my feet in the Pacific Ocean. One weekend, my friend and her family drove me to Pismo Beach and let me wander on my own for a few hours. I appreciate friends who know exactly what I look for in an experience: an opportunity to walk a lot!

Boulder City, NV

I’d traveled to Boulder City numerous times, visiting a friend, but each visit happened over a holiday, wasn’t longer than a week, and we’d spent every day climbing at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area or other local climbing areas.

I certainly did that again during this visit. The strong gusts of wind and sand added the extra challenge no one needed, but it was so good to be back on the rocks.

Also, in spring, even the arid regions bloom.

During my 2022 visit, however, my friend and I both worked, and I’d start my days with long walks, admiring the sunrise, learning about the town’s history, checking out the many statues along the streets, and enjoying hot chocolate at a local cafe.

There were hardly any cars on the roads — so peaceful and quiet, I absolutely loved wandering about.

On one of my walks, I noticed signs about a free audio walking tour, so I put my headphones on and followed directions to 11 sites sprinkled around the historic district, learning about how the place came to be.

Boulder City — and Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US — exist thanks to the Hoover Dam. The town housed workers hired to build the dam, who brought their families, and as it became clear that the project would take years, the temporary “Ragtown” became a real town.

Views of Lake Mead were a highlight during my walks, though unfortunately the lake has been under capacity since 1983 and in 2022, the water level was at an all-time low.

We all know water is a precious resource, but it truly hits you how precious once you visit the American Southwest.

Denver, CO

I lived in Denver for two years and I love coming back any chance I get. Though Denver was my base this time around, and I did spend a few days walking around the city, my old stomping grounds (University of Denver), and a couple of local parks, I also rented a car to venture out.

For a person who loves rock-gazing, not just rock-climbing, Garden of the Gods is a must-visit. It’s free to enter so it gets crowded pretty quickly, especially because most people drive from parking lot to parking lot, and many of those are quite small.

Knowing better, I parked at the first parking lot, and then ventured out on the many hiking trails in the area, enjoying the park without the crowds.

I also drove to Boulder, specifically Chautauqua Park, the perfect spot to both enjoy a lovely, strenuous hike with views of the Flatirons and then walk into the city for a treat.

My slow travels through the southwestern US exceeded my expectations, and it’s no surprise that I’m now eager to do similar adventures in other areas of the US, and in other countries as well.

Slow travel while remote working seems to offer the perfect balance between working, exploring, and simply living. Count me a convert!