Every year growing up, my parents made a road trip with me in the backseat, from the South Bay Area to Albuquerque.

Back then, I couldn’t be bothered to look out the window. I was like “cool ok that’s normal, next”. It’s a long drive!

It’s a testament to how kids can get used to anything. :) These days my face would be glued to the window... I don’t know if there’s any place on earth remotely like that. Just breathtaking.

New Mexico is beautiful, and the only place I've felt "at peace" in the US.

Agreed, and brings back fond memories. Elephant Butte and Ruidoso were some of my most memorable camping trips as a young adult. The first time I drove solo for more than an hour was out of Alamogordo to visit a friend in Albuquerque; I never did forget how dramatic the scene transitioned entering the Valley of Fires close to sunset. A few years ago while accompanying my kid sibling to Palo Alto for freshman preview, we detour road tripped into Carlsbad to hike the caverns. The experience flying into SFO a few days later still serves as a reminder of how much I dislike city life.

I'd be interested to know if more people were visiting it since "Breaking Bad" aired.