Editor’s note: Hopefully you’ve all read Tamara’s full story about her family trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico as a guest of Visit Las Cruces. If not, it links below. When she and I were talking about angles on stories to write from the adventure, we thought it would be fun and meaningful for you…
Editor’s note: As The Royal Tour grows, and more destinations want to work with me, it is impossible to find time to go everywhere myself. After meeting the amazing staff of Visit Las Cruces at a convention, I suggested they might want to work with our writer Tamara, who is a bit closer, being based…
The cities are in two different states, but are less than 45 minutes apart. El Paso is a city of about 800,000 at the western tip of Texas. Las Cruces sits just north, in southern New Mexico. At just over 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state (behind Albuquerque). Both are cities…
There is an exhilaration that comes from doing something child-like. That feeling dominates my morning as I slide down sand dunes on a sled that reminds me of a trash can top. Lean forward to start the momentum downward, then lean backward to stay on. Fail, and fall off into the soft sand, spinning onto…
The feeling of descending into the yawning mouth of a cave is one of largely excitement, but also a bit of trepidation. While today’s natural entrance into Carlsbad Caverns is a paved path of switchbacks, well marked and lit, this would have once been done with a rope ladder and lantern. As I descend, I…
When I think of southern New Mexico, this is exactly what I picture. An old adobe, a plate of food topped with green chile, and a margarita, with the view of some desert mountains just outside. Mesilla is a historic town just outside Las Cruces, New Mexico. Once a major town, it was spared the…
El Paso is a place I’ve only ever driven through. But with the city in the news so often - mostly because of its border with Mexico, one of the busiest crossings in the country - I felt it time to actually stop and explore the place. Plus, the beauty of southern New Mexico’s national…
Editor's note: Like Christian, I also love White Sands National Park, both for its unique white gypsum sand and the ability to run as fast as one can down a dune. It is worth a visit, and Christian's page (click here) is as well, especially if you like national parks. I’ve always made an effort…
New Mexico. Land of Enchantment. Red rock cliffs, wide open deserts, UFO sightings, and more are all found here. But those aren't what draws me to the state. No, I am here in the tiny village of Hatch for the annual Hatch Chile Festival, the ultimate celebration of everyone's favorite spice-bearing ingredient. Arriving in Hatch,…
Most people seem to think of New Mexico as a splotch of land between the desert of Arizona and the flat plains of Texas, thereby having little to no appeal as it relates to beauty. While geographically they may be right - New Mexico is, in fact, between Arizona and Texas - this is a…