Random stops are among the best parts of going on a road trip. I don’t know about you, but I can’t drive thirteen hours without getting out of the car besides stopping for gas. For my last ABQ post, I wanted to highlight all the road trip stops on this trip.

Denver

To start off, there was no way that I would be able to drive from Minneapolis to ABQ in one day. That’s why I added Denver as a stopping point. From Minneapolis to Denver, it’s about a thirteen-hour drive. The drive itself is easy, but long. At this point in my life, I am done driving through Nebraska. I have done it four times now and I think enough is enough. Nebraska is such a long state and there isn’t a shortcut. I will say that I could have driven into South Dakota and cut south into Nebraska, but because that’s not a direct route, that also would have felt long. In the future, if I want to revisit Colorado, I will be flying.

Taos, New Mexico

If there was one recommendation I received from friends and family, it was to visit Taos. Taos is a city in the North / Central region of New Mexico known for its architecture and art. One of the most surprising things for me was the drive to Taos. After pulling off the interstate, I imagined the drive would be freeways. I couldn’t have been more wrong. We drove on narrow roads with rock formations and dark green forests on our left. There were several streams where a few people pulled off to fish. If that wasn’t enough, I saw a little brown dot on the side of the road and it was a groundhog. It was something out of a cartoon because the groundhog was on its two feet with its front feet pressed together. There were so many groundhogs! We could see them scurrying on the side of the road.

Upon arriving in Taos, Taos was a cute town. The main strip is where all the shops, restaurants, and art galleries are located. We arrived on Sunday, so unfortunately the restaurants and shops were closed. I recommend visiting Taos later in the week or the weekend to get the most out of the city.

Buc-ees

Buc-ee’s is the best gas station I have ever been to and there was a Buc-ee’s on our way home! For those who don’t know Buc-ee’s, visiting a Buc-ee’s is an experience. Buc-ee’s is a chain of gas stations mostly in Texas, although they have locations in other Southern states. I first went to a Buc-ee’s two years ago when me and my husband went to West Virginia, South Carolina, and Savannah. One of the funniest things about Buc-ee’s is their advertising. There will be billboards that say “242 miles to Buc-ee’s” as a reminder to not forget to stop at Buc-ee’s. While driving north through Colorado, I saw a Buc-ee’s billboard. I was so excited, that I had my mom look up where the Buc-ee’s was to see if it was on our way. Sure enough, it was outside of Fort Collins which we would be driving through anyway.

My mom at this point was along for the ride. She has heard me talk about Buc-ee’s but has never been to one herself. Buc-ee’s are a gas station times one hundred. There are at least 50+ gas pumps and each Buc-ee’s is huge! There’s a walking Buc-ee’s beaver mascot to take pictures with, people are making prepared food to purchase and there’s a full clothing store. I could have bought a Buc-ee’s bikini with the beaver logo on the top.

My mom was enamored! I’m telling you, it is worth it to stop at Buc-ee’s. It’s so beyond a regular gas station that it’s more of a running joke now. I took a picture of the outside of Buc-ee’s and sent it to my husband who was jealous that we found a Buc-ee’s on our trip. My mom has now been converted into a Buc-ee’s fan.

This was such a fun find and honestly, a highlight of the day considering that the whole day was spent driving to our final location on the trip.

Cheyenne

The final stop on our trip was Cheyenne, Wyoming. Wyoming is a state I had never been to before, so I wanted to cross it off the list. Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming and it’s the most populated city in the state. When I was looking at pictures online, Cheyenne had a few art murals and cowboy boots spread out throughout the city. I knew I wanted to go on a scavenger hunt to find all the art murals. While the weather could have been nicer, I still had fun running around and taking pictures. To end our trip, me and my mom went to Black Tooth Brewing Co. to have a few beers and listen to live country music.

Reflecting on this trip, we accomplished a lot in a small amount of time. As far as future trips, I think my next trip will be Gen Con in August. Me and my husband have been mulling around the idea of flying to Seattle or Portland for our third wedding anniversary. I’m looking forward to having three full months of downtime where I can catch up on my hobbies, make time for friends and family, and enjoy the warmer weather.