I’m back with the third post from my trip to New Mexico — a rather cumbersome nine-day adventure, if I must say so. As a refresher, in my last post I shared about the first half of my trip down Route 66 from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Adrian, Texas, complete with falling through a sand dune (twice), gashing my hand, getting a flat tire on I-40 after dark, and ultimately ending up stranded in Tucumcari for a night.

If you’d like to catch up on the first two posts, you can read the first post here and the second here.

After getting stranded in Tucumcari, I spent a night at the Roadrunner Lodge until I could get into the tire shop down the street — a neat mid-century-style building run by a local family. I’d resigned myself to losing an entire day of my trip, and though I was eager to get back Albuquerque and put on fresh clothes that weren't covered in dirt and coffee, the tire shop had me back on the road by 8:30 which opened the door for me to find some photo spots I hadn’t planned to visit on this trip. This is one of the many reasons I keep detailed maps — because you just never know when you’re gonna need to pivot.

I’d seen photographs from a town called Nara Visa for years and I really wanted to see it for myself. But it was just far enough off my planned route that I considered it out of reach, figuring I’d get it on a future trip to New Mexico. When I realized Nara Visa was less than 50 miles from Tucumcari (and after the previous day’s mishaps), I decided I deserved a little treat, so I went for it.

Nara Visa is a photographer’s paradise, complete with abandoned buildings and derelict motels on both sides of the highway. The town sits mere miles from the Texas border off Highway 54 which is a busy thoroughfare for travelers and truck drivers looking to commute between the two states. Navigating the nonstop highway traffic made it challenging to get photos of all the abandoned goodies, but I didn’t let the threat of getting hit by a big-rig stop me (100% kidding — after the previous days challenges, I was on my best behavior this time around).

Nara Visa, NM

After leaving Nara Visa, I had a two hour trek ahead of me. My next stop was in Puerto de Luna, a small mountain village nestled off the Pecos River, before making my way down to Vaughn.

I opted for a quick pit stop in Santa Rosa for the second time in as many days, hoping to get photos of two of my favorite abandoned restaurants which both had cars parked in front the day before. Luckily, both were free of obstruction this time around and I got photos as planned. Score!

Santa Rosa, NM

After Santa Rosa, I made the nine mile drive to Puerto de Luna. It’s a charming town, but the elements weren’t right for my visit which was slightly disappointing after two hours on the road. The church was interesting enough, but not any different than the dozens of other missions I’ve seen in the Land of Enchantment. The old red-stoned schoolhouse was the main draw, but it was on private property and I didn’t want to risk trespassing for the sake of a photo. The sun also wasn’t in the right spot, making photos of the schoolhouse incredibly dark and nearly impossible to get anyway.

Puerto de Luna, NM

After Puerto de Luna, I mosey’d my way down to Vaughn. I’d visited Vaughn before, but I didn’t like the photographs I took the first time around. I’d also discovered that I missed a few photo opportunities and I was glad to have a second crack at it, even if I reeked of dirt and spilt coffee.

Vaughn did not disappoint. I don’t know what was different this time around — maybe I was just feeling grateful to be back behind a camera after nearly losing an entire day of my trip. But I felt like I’d struck gold in Vaughn. This place has so many gems that I went through nearly four rolls of film.

This time, I got all the things I’d missed the first time around, including the Americano Motel, abandoned gas station with pumps (!!!!), and the old Coors and Schlitz beer signs still hanging atop the ol’ Spurs Saloon. I even found some new things — abandoned buildings complete with old cars hiding out on some side streets on the outskirts of town.

Vaughn, NM

I finished up in Vaughn and drove over to Encino, another town that had been on my list for a long time, mostly due to the abandoned Encino Motel. The motel is fenced off due to its complete state of disrepair, but you can still get a photo or two from the road.

Unfortunately, I visited at the end of the day when the sun was starting to set, and it made it challenging to get photos without lens flare or shadows from the trees. I made the best of it and snapped a few more photos before embarking on my journey back to home base in Albuquerque.

Encino, NM

Though this particular day was shorter than the others, I was grateful for it. I got back to home base, the Ace Motel in Albuquerque, with enough time to shower up, change into fresh clothes, decompress for a bit, and then made my way over to the motel food court for a delicious meal and cocktail.

I found myself in that same food court and bar several days over the course of that trip, making friends with folks from around the world, and laughing at the insanity of it all. They were some of the highlights for me and I’m fortunate to still keep in touch with them.

As always, here is a round-up of the towns. If you plan to visit, I hope you’ll respect the land and the locals. Please keep in mind that much of New Mexico is Native land and we are lucky they share it with us. Take photos and leave only footprints.

• Nara Visa

• Santa Rosa

• Puerto de Luna

• Vaughn

• Encino

Lastly, if you enjoy reading my posts and have change to spare, I hope you’ll consider signing up for a paid subscription. Every cent helps me stay on the road, make new photos, and keep the costs of my prints and books as affordable as possible. I also understand that times are hard, so I appreciate your support either way.

Stay tuned for part four, which will have the rest of my Route 66 photos!

Kat