Arizona and NM

There’s a reason this is one of the most iconic spots along the Grand Canyon. Located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation and hidden deep within a 20-mile round-trip hike, Havasu Falls’ sparkling turquoise waters are a popular...

The rock formations in this area of South Coyote Buttes and amazing. The series of fins facing every direction will blow your mind. There is so much to photograph here!

A little over a mile from where the deer roam in the saguaro-studded foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, sit down for some izakaya-style dining. Japanese "tapas" might not be a completely accurate description for this genre of shareable...

No matter how posh, there's always a place for something deep-fried to go with drinks, eh? Tucked into its own private canyon on the far northwestern edge of Tucson, the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain resort is the epitome of understated desert...

I love mountain biking! I am basically obsessed with the activity, have been racing for half my life, and spend the majority of my disposable income on bike related activities. I would do it every single day if I could and at times I do. There are...

Just to the southwest of Tucson, on the San Xavier Reservation, sits the late XVIII-century Mission San Xavier del Bac, one of the finest examples of Spanish colonial architecture in the U.S. The combination of late Baroque and Moorish-inspired...

Mexican-Korean fusion has arrived in the desert! Every few weeks, all the food trucks in Tucson converge in different neighborhoods for a 'food truck roundup' fiesta, and now, Mafooco (the Mexican Asian Food Company) is among them. Folks in ...

Outside Scottsdale, the little Western town of Cave Creek is full of kitsch. One shop in particular stands out. The Town Dump is a sprawling indoor/outdoor store devoted to eclectic curios of every kind. From antlers and Mexican glass to beads and...

Most of us like to travel to learn about the world. If you have an interest in science and history, then Los Alamos should definitely be in your travel plans. The interesting sites are centrally located so seeing the little city on foot is fun and...

I fell in love. I fell in love with the town of Marfa. Safari tents. Stand alone bathtubs. Vintage trailers. Twinkle lights. Hammocks. An off the beaten path campground takes you to another world. You can choose to stay in one of their hip vintage...

So bizarre to stumble across a Prada store in the middle of the desert. This art installation by Ballroom Marfa depicts a life-size Prada store. Look closely and you'll find that only one shoe of each pair is displayed and that the store is...

Think of beverages in Arizona, and maragaritas may come to mind, but green tea? Lapsang souchong? Pu-erh? A few blocks east of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Seven Cups was recently named one of the best places in the U.S. to have authentic...

This is a great option for a day hike in the Grand Canyon. South Kaibab Trail is a well-maintained (but steep!) stretch of dirt with very little shade and a trailhead that’s accessible only by shuttle bus. No private vehicles are allowed in...

Mirroring the jutting red rocks sits this Frank Lloyd Wright inspired chapel. Worth a visit but fairly crowded.

Escaping the lower elevation heat of a southern Arizona summer, my wife and I headed up to the mile-high red-rock country around Sedona. This was the view from our hotel: red rocks all around... Sky Ranch Lodge is perched on the summit of...

There's more than sand in the southern Arizona desert. Come mid-winter through spring, or after the mid-summer monsoon rains, and you'll find flowing water and reflecting pools among the cacti-studded hills. On the northwest flank of the Santa...

If you come out to visit Arizona any time between December and March you will see trees laden with citrus. Oranges, lemons, and grapefruit abound. This was my daily harvest from the tree in my own backyard this morning. We have started a family...

Adobe streetfront: door...window...sky. Color. Much of Tucson, like most western U.S. cities, is devoted to strip malls and parking lots, but the historic core still has blocks of 19th-century Sonoran-style row houses. In the 1960s, acres and...

In downtown Scottsdale, Arizona, there's a new taco place called Barrio Queen Tequileria. They serve more than 50 kinds of tacos, and I wish I could have tried them all. I lingered there yesterday, and enjoyed a long lunch of shrimp and carnitas...

Popsicles that are prickly? Well, prickly as in 'prickly pear' juice from the cactus fruit that ripens into a sweet, amethyst treat in midsummer in the deserts of the Southwest. They're called tuna in Spanish. Stop by the Farmers' Market on a...

In Bisbee, Arizona, a quirky mile-high mining town not far from the Mexican border, you'll come across this façade on winding Tombstone Canyon Rd, just north of the Victorian center--unlikely art including etch-a-sketches and firemen's helmets....

This is a great place to learn about and respect Wolves. Many of these beautiful animals arrive here after enthusiastic owners realize they are not dogs, but in fact wolves! Jackie (an amazing artist long past) began this refuge. It is still ran...

Partially shaded trail heading to Placitas. Give it a shot!

In Ranchos de Taos, the San Francisco de Asis Church is the most photographed and painted building in the state. I was once in Boston at a gallery and saw a painting that was simply a sandy-brown curve and blue sky. I knew immediately it was this...

New Mexico has the reputation for 364 days of sunshine every year. But occasionally it snows a lot, blanketing and softening the rocky scenery New Mexico is so famous for. Ghost Ranch is a conference center about 50 miles northwest of Santa Fe,...

The Spanish-style bed and breakfast is famous for lavender, the focus of lectures, festivals, cooking classes, and a line of spa products distilled on-site. Rooms feature beehive-shaped kiva fireplaces, wood floors, and traditional New Mexican...

Once a month there is an opportunity to camp under the stars and witness a full moon in White Sands, NM. But rarely do rain clouds fill the sky making for a spectacular display of a gray sky against the stunning white sand. I was lucky enough to...

I’ll never forget my first trip to New Mexico. Believe it or not, we were on a skiing vacation, and when my father told me that we were going to New Mexico, my first thought was, “We’re going to ski in the desert?!?” Little did I know, Taos, New...

While sitting among treetops on a second-floor deck overlooking the colonial streets of Santa Fe, this menu description captivated me: "Made in the traditional style of Chimayó [a village in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about a...

Snowy egrets, geese, herons, cranes, owls, pheasants and road runners abound in the Bosque del Apache. My aunt and uncle lived in their RV at the refuge for two winters, volunteering at the visitor's center and on the "farm" plowing under the...

A rainbow of colors inspired by Arizona wildflowers brightens the new Saguaro hotel. Here, 194 rooms wrap around two pools: one for fun, the other for quiet (and outdoor yoga classes on the deck). At Distrito restaurant, Iron Chef Jose Garces...

Hard to definitely pinpoint on a map, the Wave is a gorgeous rock formation near the Arizona and Utah part of the Coyote Buttes, in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. Don't rush off there expecting to just show up and visit, as this...

There is nothing like chilling on a great patio with friends on a nice afternoon. When the weather is perfect I usually rally the troupes and head to Perla's to lounge under the huge oak trees, play shuffle board, snack on great appetizers, and...

St. Elmo was once a gold and silver mining town founded in 1880. It’s now one of Colorado's most preserved ghost towns. Chipmunks out number the residents and there are also a lot of hummingbirds. St. Elmo is about two and a half hours from Vail,...

Just North of Moab, UT Arches National Park is a gem with over 2000 natural stone arches. The most popular hike is the three mile trail to Delicate Arch. It’s a fairly straight forward hike and it is uphill most of the way to the arch, but...

This is what I love about seeing a region from the saddle of a bicycle. You're able to really witness all that is around you, none of it becomes a blur outside of a speeding car window. It was late morning on the second day of a six day biking New...

One of the iconic sights of the American Southwest, Taos Pueblo has been inhabited for at least a thousand years. The adobe architecture seems to spring, organic, from the earth at the foot of Taos Mountain. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site, but...

For anyone who believes that truly historic architecture doesn’t exist in the states, Mesa Verde National Park will make you think again. Still standing in the park are cliff dwellings built in AD 600 by the ancestral Pueblo people who once...

Driving north from Santa Fe, just as you approach Taos, turn your head to the right, and there it is--the San Francisco de Asis Church. This 18th-century adobe mission architecture just south of Taos, NM, has become an icon due to the paintings of...

I remember an old tv show called, The High Chaparral. Until I visited New Mexico, I had no idea what a ‘chaparral’ was. Or what I thought it should be. It so happens that chaparral proper only exists in parts of California and northern Baja. But...

This was probably the busiest thing happening in the small town of Bluff when we visited during the off-season of October while making our way from Moab to Monument Valley. The vintage and hand-made signs created unlikely art against the Utah sky....

Nuzzled up against the Arizona border about 100 miles west of Four Corners are some 30 square miles of the most iconic scenery in the American West. Monument Valley is one of those places that you’ll recognize as soon as you see...

For those weary adventurists traveling Southeast Utah’s backcountry, craving something more than Boiled ramen and Clif Bars... Cold beer and juicy steak awaits them at the Swingin' Steak. This outdoor steakhouse is located in Mexican Hat, a tiny...

If you know your flight path is going to go over the Grand Canyon, get a window seat. Even from thirty-some-thousand feet above, the chasms within chasms stretch on to the horizon...

As someone born and raised in Austin, Texas I was shocked that West Texas had so much to offer and that I had not visited sooner. The small, but cowboy chic, Terlingua Ghost Town just outside the National Park made a great place for brunch before...

A new addition to the art hub in the middle of nowhere, Marfa Contemporary occupies a former gas station. Expect to see cutting-edge works by regional and international artists. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue.

Didn't get your permit to see The Wave? Have no fear. You can have the same experience (some say better) at White Pocket, part of South Coyote Buttes. Although you do need a permit, you don't need to win the lottery to do it and the experience is...

For a decade and a half now, Tucsonans have been coming here for fresh-baked bread...and much much more. Get some challah French toast in the morning...or a chicken-green-chile omelette...and no shortage of croissants and scones... Mid-day, if you...

Since everything seems bigger in Texas, it's no surprise that the Texas State Capitol holds the title for largest state capitol building in the union (360,000 square feet of floor space in the main building!). The building is also quite...

San Antonio's west side is one of the city's cultural hubs. Latin and Mexican-American influences are vibrantly displayed through public art and murals. The area around Guadalupe Street is an especially rich place to explore. You'll find art...

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San José—the largest and most impressive of the San Antonio Missions—has evolved not only into a historic monument, but also a well-preserved part of modern local life. Part visitor center, part parish, part museum, and part...

La Capilla de la Familia Sagrada sits at the base of Black Mesa, a sacred mountain on the San Ildefonso Pueblo reservation. It is one of the most photographed buildings in New Mexico. The little adobe chapel, against the backdrop of the Sangre de...

You haven’t truly experienced Texas until you’ve visited the hallowed grounds of the Alamo. Established in 1718 as the Mission San Antonio de Valero, the building is best known as the site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, a 13-day...

Tacos. Traditionally Mexican. These days, however, tacos are taking on some new personalities. Though some of the most memorable flavors I've ever had on a corn tortilla are still traditional, (pickled onions, please) there are a few new taco...

Sunrise tours aren't normally my thing but rising at 4:00am taking a chicken bus to the trail entrance and beginning a hike in the darkness up the side of a volcano has to be rewarding. For 2 hours in the darkness you climb relentlessly upwards...

Yaxha is an imposing classic Maya archaeological site located just off the highway between Tikal and the Belize border.

Semuc Champey, Guatemala is sandwiched between sharp mountains proving their youth and you would never know it was there unless someone told you to look for it. Thankfully, someone did. A downtown consists of caves lined with dozens of pools of...