South Piedra Lisa Trail, June 2020.

Beautiful little hike just outside Albuquerque in the Sandia Foothills. I had just returned to New Mexico from Oregon, so this one was a beautiful "welcome back home" hike.

Find the full description on AllTrails HERE.

Ellis Trail, North Sandia Peak, main Sandia Peak, summer of 2020.

Started out at the Ellis Trail parking lot and then meandered between Ellis Trail and the trails between North Sandia Peak and the main Sandia Peak.

Find Ellis Trail on AllTrails HERE.

Embudo and Three Guns Spring (Tres Pistolas) Trail, summer of 2020.

On two separate occasions I hiked the Embudo Trail starting in the Sandia Foothills, and the Three Guns Trail that originates in the Tres Pistolas open space north of Carnuel and Monticello.

AllTrails combines the two into the Embudo Canyon hike.

Rio En Medio Falls and Rio En Medio Trail, summer of 2020.

This trail originates outside of Santa Fe, east of Tesuque Pueblo and the Chupadero neighborhood. This trail is currently closed. I hiked it during the summer of 2020, there was plenty of water and wildlife around.

Find the details on AllTrails HERE.

Pajarito Mountain Loop, summer of 2020.

This one is located outside Los Alamos, by the ski area. Amazing views, highly recommend!

Check it out HERE.

South Sandia Peak, my favorite hike!! Summer of 2020.

This lovely trail originates in the Canyon Estates neighborhood in Tijeras Canyon and then loops up on the south ridge of the Sandias, passing by Travertine Falls. I love this trail because it is long and somewhat difficult, and not a lot of people go up to South Sandia Peak so you will have it all to yourself.

I have done this hike three times over the past years, twice from Canyon Estates and another time starting in the Sandia foothills on the west side of the mountains.

Find the loop on AllTrails HERE.

Agua Sarca Trail, summer of 2020.

This trail originates outside Placitas and then winds its way up the north side of the Sandias, at first through steep canyons and later on the gently sloped back side of the Sandia Mountains. You can connect from there to North Sandia Peak and the main Sandia Peak and many other trails.

HERE it is on AllTrails.

La Luz Trail, summer of 2020.

This is generally a long and challenging trail, and you can do it in a variety of ways. I started out by the tram station, parked my car there and then hiked north to meet the La Luz trail. I went up from there and hit the peak by the visitor area and parking lot. From there I went south on the crest trail past Kiwanis Cabin and to the tram station on top of the Sandias. Had a snack at the bistro and took the tram back down. Beautiful hike, beautiful day.

HERE is La Luz Trail on AllTrails, but you may have to pick some other trails to combine it into what I did.

Find the Sandia Tram website HERE, and the restaurant on top of the Sandias HERE.

Next I hiked the Canoncito and Cienega Loop twice in a row, summer of 2020.

You start on the east side of the Sandias and work your way up to where the trail meets the Pino trail coming up from the Sandia foothills. From there you go south, back down the mountain, and back north to where you started. I think I hiked it once this way, and the other time vice versa, in the other direction, south first, then up the mountain, north, and back down.

HERE is the loop on AllTrails.

I used Montem hiking poles for the first time, I quite like them, they make ascending the mountain a little easier.

Oso Ridge and Embudito Trail to South Peak, summer of 2020.

Hiked up to my beloved South Peak again, this time via the Oso Ridge Trail on the way up and the Embudito Trail on the way down. Quite amazing!

Osha Loop Trail via 10k and Sandia Peak, summer of 2020.

Here I started out with the 10k Trail and the Osha Loop and ended up hiking to main Sandia Peak and back to the 10k trailhead.

Find the Osha Loop and 10k Trail HERE.

Pino Trail, spring of 2021.

Attempted the Pino Trail but there was a lot of snow and I didn't have snow shoes or yak tracks/crampons. Still very beautiful.

Find the whole Pino Trail HERE.

First drive of the collection! Spring of 2021.

I went down south to visit friends and came through Lincoln on the way home.

Really interesting local history, check it out HERE.

Explore the lovely Capitan Peak Trail and other hikes in the area HERE.

Cedro Peak, spring of 2021.

Took a drive out east from Albuquerque and drove up as far as I could on Cedro Peak, then hiked the rest up to the top.

If you have what it takes you should take your vehicle on the Cedro Peak OHV Trail.

Took a long drive south, visited some cool spots, and drove on some beautiful roads:

Abo Pass, Salinas Pueblo ruins, WSMR 7 south, then back home over the Quebradas Backcountry Byway.

For snacks I carried some good old turkey jerky and trail mix.

Spring of 2021.

White Ridge, Ojito Wilderness, and Cabezon Peak, spring of 2021.

Long drive again, this time around the White Ridge, Ojito Wilderness, and Cabezon Peak.

Drove north on the 550 from Bernalillo, turned onto Cabezon Road, then followed the pipeline road northwest for a while, turned left to get to Shark Tooth Ridge, and then north from there around Cabezon and back onto the 279 past San Luis and back to 550.

White Ridge Trail System.

Ojito Wilderness.

Cabezon Wilderness Study Area.

Sandias, Salinas ruins, and Quabradas Scenic Byway. April of 2021.

Drove around the Sandias on the 165 between the Crest Road and Placitas, then down to Salinas and Quebradas.

First drive in my then new baby, a 1997 GMC Suburban. It has since then undergone some modifications. Sadly right now it sits in Albuquerque with a broken transmission. I am saving money to get her fixed up and back on the trails.

Update (04/15/2025)!! Zippy the Snowflake is fixed and more or less ready to roll on the trails again. Stay tuned!

Went on a road trip with a group of new off-road friends I made. We went to Socorro, and then into the foothills and canyons of the Magdalena Mountains. Really fun ride. Made me hungry for more off-roading and camping. Purchasing the Suburban was the right choice because I (6'2) can comfortably sleep in the back of it without having to mess with a tent. Summer of 2021.

Explore some of the trails around Socorro HERE.

Went up the Sandias again, this time in the snow. I had just had eye surgery so the snow was very bright. Luckily they gave me some sexy sunglasses. December 2021.

The Sandia Crest area has amazing trails all around, they might be inaccessible in the snow, however.

Went down south, east of Belen to cruise around some of the dirt roads there and visit a piece of land I had just bought in the area. Spring of 2022.

Via the Navajo Loop and Trigo Springs Road you will get to some cool trails in the foothills going all the way up to Osha Peak.

Explore some of them HERE.

Drove around some dirt roads outside Placitas and then up Mount Taylor. I had just gotten a lift and new suspension for my truck (I named her Zippy the Snowflake), so this was sort of a test drive to see how it rode and felt now. It was super fun. Had some rain up on Mt. Taylor but it was beautiful, fairly wet, very green and lush all around (for New Mexico). Spring of 2022.

There are far too many awesome trails in those areas to list them all here, especially around Mt. Taylor, but I drove the Placitas Loop, stopped at the Tunnel Spring trailhead for some pictures, then drove up to Mt. Taylor and hiked to the top from the saddle on a portion of Gooseberry Trail. 

Hiked the Cienega and Canoncito Loop again. Came very close to some deer. Summer of 2022.

With me again my trusty hiking poles, and I am featuring Oboz hiking boots.

My mom came to visit. This was her second visit to New Mexico and this time I had the means and transportation to take her around the state. On her first visit in 2018 she went to Santa Fe, the Sandia Crest and Madrid, and around Albuquerque, so for her second visit in September of 2022 we decided to go elsewhere. We went to Taos, Mt. Taylor, White Sands, and some other amazing places in between.

We visited too many wonderful places to list them all, but check out the beautiful High Road to Taos, Rio Grande Gorge and Taos Earthships, Taos Pueblo, Los Alamos, the Valles Caldera, and White Sands National Park. 

A few months after my mom my dad and his wife also came to visit. It was their first visit to New Mexico, so I did a similar tour with them as with my mom, plus a few places I didn't go to with my mother. We went up the Sandias, to the old mining town turned artist and hippie colony called Madrid, to Santa Fe, Taos, Bandelier National Monument, around Albuquerque, to White Sands, Truth or Consequences (ToC), Elephant Butte Lake, and the Very Large Array (VLA).

It was quite amazing. June 2023.

South Sandia Peak once again, summer of 2023.

This was sort of a going-away hike for me. Little did I know that I would be returning home very soon to resume my adventuring in this wonderful state.

We hiked via the Travertine Falls Trail with the trailhead in the Canyon Estates and completed the whole South Sandia Peak Loop.

Spent a week in Los Angeles, California. Very beautiful, I have visited before, but every time it is a different experience. The beaches, the views, the driving. Some of the highlights were the sunsets, the Huntington Botanical Gardens, the Getty Museum and Gardens, and the Hollywood Hills.

Drove back from there to New Mexico with a stop in Flagstaff, Arizona and that was a whole adventure in itself.

End of February 2024.

Took a drive into the Zuni Mountains outside Grants and then hiked to the top of Mount Sedgwick, the highest point in the Zunis. Very beautiful drive and hike, the dirt roads in and out were mostly fine except for a few spots. Summer of 2024.

AllTrails has it as a point to point hike HERE.

Find more info on the Zuni Mountains and Mount Sedgwick HERE.

All in all I have been to Tucson five times now, between December 2023 and December 2024. I love the drive to get there, from Grants through the mesa and lava landscapes to Quemado, into and through the Gila National Forest and the Apache National Forest, and then down into the desert of Arizona. Absolutely gorgeous. Below is a collection of pictures from all those trips. Sometimes there was snow on the drive, sometimes there wasn't, last time we went we drove with the sun setting in our back. On route you can explore the Catwalk Recreation Area, and the Chiricahua National Monument.

I really like Tucson and the surrounding area. I am definitely a fan of year-round summer. Tucson itself is about the same size as Albuquerque and the landscapes around are equally as stunning, not to mention the sunsets!! The Cactus Forest Loop was close to where we stayed, but there is an incredible amount of trails, parks, and museums all around.

We shall see where my adventures take me next, but Tucson is definitely high on the list of places to visit and perhaps even move there sometime in the future. The German in New Mexico may become The German in Arizona at some point :)

Went to Aztec Ruins National Monument and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Incredible places, history, masonry and structures. If you haven't been there I highly recommend it. Getting there from either Albuquerque or Grants is very lovely, and can be accessed both ways in a passenger vehicle, if there is no snow or water. The landscapes you will see on the way are truly stunning. Chaco Canyon offers a few fairly easy hikes, we did the Pueblo Bonito Overlook Trail, a part of the Pueblo Alto Trail.

From there you could connect to the Bisti Badlands or go into southern Colorado to make it a multi-day trip. We did this trip in March 2025.

Below you will find some of my adventures from my YouTube channel. 

The first clip is from the Grants/Milan Car and Air Show that happened over the summer of 2024.

Next is a collection of short clips from the Gallup Red Rocks Balloon Rally from December 2024.

The last one is a compilation of random moments from around New Mexico and the Southwest.

I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think, and please subscribe to my YouTube channel!