Having traveled through much of the American Southwest, from the golden California coast to the red deserts and majestic forests of Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado, I had one state left to see.
But when I proposed a tour of New Mexico, all my California friends asked, "What's in New Mexico?" I wasn't exactly sure myself, but I'd heard of the white sands and adobes and I was able to convince my dad, who was not too thrilled at first, except for enticingly cheap flights.
I had him at "less than $100 flights round trip," LAX and Albuquerque. Allegiant Air offers fares as low $35 each way _ if you're OK with random seat assignments and just one small personal item to carry on. You leave Thursday, late afternoon, and return Sunday night.
My proposed itinerary was to spend the first day in the south at White Sands National Monument and see anything else along the way. The second day would be split between Santa Fe and Taos, and our final day would be between Taos and Albuquerque.
Soon, after doing his own research, my dad added a handful of other places to explore.
When we landed in Albuquerque International Sunport, we were greeted by a mostly empty but beautifully adorned, turquoise and tan building. Ground transport was easy _ free shuttles to the rental car area, with audio welcoming us to the "Land of Enchantment."
We drove south straight to our Comfort Inn & Suites at a town with the most unusual name I'd heard of. I-25 was flawlessly smooth compared with the highways Southern Californians are used to, the sky vast and full of stars.
At the crack of dawn, we had a continental breakfast and took pictures at the Truth or Consequences sign before hitting the road. The town with a population of about 6,500 is known for its spas, but with our lightning itinerary, we had no time for that.
After an hour and 45 minutes south on I-25 and east on U.S. Route 70, we reached White Sands. As we drove through the gates of the national monument, the landscape around us faded from generic brown to white so bright it looked like snow.
There were dunes of snowy sand as far as the eye could see _ equally photogenic, minus the ice cold. On a longer trip, I would definitely have gone sledding.
