Sarah WallockIn 11 days, my boyfriend and I drove from New York to California, hoping to find the best food, most interesting places and manage to fit in some of the best hikes. We ended up having a really rewarding adventure.
From Austin, Texas, we headed to Lubbock, Texas to stay with a friend from Couchsurfing. Lubbock is a small college town, so we drove around Texas Tech and had tacos at a local Texas spot. Then we rested up to head to Santa Fe, New Mexico. We drove through Texas and New Mexico, and finally to Arizona. On the eighth day of our road trip, we arrived in Santa Fe. We stayed right near the Railyard and walked around Santa Fe upon arriving. Because it was a Sunday, it was pretty quiet everywhere. And a few hours in, there was a hailstorm. In Lubbock, there was a massive thunderstorm and accompanying lightning the night prior. Santa Fe was a really interesting city. The adobe buildings were beautiful and the food was good, but it definitely felt like a small town rather than a city.
On our way to Kaibab National Forest in Arizona, we stopped at Sandia Peak in Albuquerque. It was such an incredible experience. At first, we were hesitant as the price for the tram seemed expensive and we did not know what was at the top. But I would 100% recommend it or do it again and bring hiking gear next time! There are really incredible canyons in front of a ski field that they use for winter and the city wanted to increase access to the area, so this tram was put into place. The guides were knowledgable and had interesting facts about the history of it and were all rock-climber types. At the top of the peak, there were abundant trails and you could even hike the mountain and take the tram down. It was a 30-minute ride total- 15 minutes up and 15 down.
The view ascending the cable 
The view straight into the canyon 
The ski fields dried up for summer 
Finally, at the end of day eight, we camped in the Kaibab National Forest outside the Grand Canyon. This was the most spectacular night on the trip as we sleep next to elk. Check it out here, or if you missed Parts One or Two, you can find them through these links.
