Because I’d detoured through Portales upon crossing into New Mexico, it wasn’t until I left Tucumcari for Albuquerque that I got to experience New Mexico’s take on Route 66. I finally had a day of blue skies and Simpsons-intro-worthy clouds, so it made for an extra photogenic day on the road.

I don’t know that it warrants much commentary; I stopped for a time lapse at a junkyard in Cuervo and to peep the geological wonder that is the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa. As I approached Albuquerque I made a pitstop to do a scenic hike in the Sandia Mountains, but I’ll give that its own post.