New Mexico: White Sands National Monument

In southern New Mexico resides White Sands National Monument, which is a desert made of dunes of gypsum crystal that give it the white color.  The sand dunes go on for miles and miles.  The photos below don't capture just how vast the white sands are.

New Mexico: Abandoned towns

Across America, there are abandoned towns where factories have closed or the only source of the economy moved out of the town.  As a result, many of these towns have been deserted or left with only residual populations.  Below is the town of Encino, New Mexico that had a population of 94 in the 2000 census, according to wikipedia.   The town used to be a stop-off point for truckers traveling across the state until a larger highway was built north of the town, which caused truckers to now take a different path.  As you can see below, many buildings have been left abandoned in Encino.

New Mexico: Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks

About an hour's south of Santa Fe is Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks park, where after a short hike through canyons, you reach an incline to climb above the tent rocks.  From the top, you overlook the tent rocks of the park, as seen below, and can see for miles in the New Mexico flatlands.  The hike was very minimally trafficked and its a great spot to have beautiful scenery all to yourself.

New Mexico: Bandelier National Monument

About an hour drive from Santa Fe, New Mexico is Bandelier National Monument, which is just outside Los Alamos in New Mexico.  Bandelier National Monument has a hiking trail as well as many creeky ladders that lead to caves where Ancestral Puebloans lived in the South West.  Its well worth a visit.