The Sandia Mountain range was a deciding factor in myself and others moving to Albuquerque for graduate college.
I also applied to Arizona State University in Phoenix, but wasn’t as impressed by the Phoenix Mountains as I was by Sandia Peak when I first reached the summit with our wifey in 2019.
The people I was with and I took a trip throughout the southwest that summer time in addition to Albuquerque was 1 of the highlights along with Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. The people I was with and I drove back to the southeast on interstate 40, cutting across TX in addition to OK before arriving at the Ozarks in northwest AR. Needless to say, I was instantly sold on NM before arriving for graduate college. It’s also nice finally residing in a state with legal recreational cannabis. The people I was with and I don’t even have medical marijuana in our current home state, so I was pleasantly surprised when recreational cannabis was legalized in NM in 2021. Before then you had to possess a medical marijuana card in addition to they cost $30 every year, requiring medical marijuana patients in NM to register again daily. Obviously it’s a substantial benefit to remove this requirement for people who are simply looking to purchase cannabis products in NM for recreational use only. I made the mistake of smoking a joint when I got to the summit of Sandia Peak last week, in addition to I l earned quickly how dumb that decision absolutely was as I could barely sit without passing out. The next time I ascend the Sandia Mountains, I’m waiting until I get to the base before I smoke our joint.