The Sandia Mountain range was a deciding factor in myself and others moving to Albuquerque for graduate university.
I also applied to AZ 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 my wifey in 2019.
The people I was with and I took a trip throughout the southwest that Summer plus Albuquerque was 1 of the highlights along with Grand Canyon National Park in northern AZ. The people I was with and I drove back to the southeast on interstate 40, breaking across TX plus Oklahoma before arriving at the Ozarks in northwest ArKansas. Needless to say, I was instantly sold on NM before arriving for graduate university. It’s also nice finally living in a state with legal recreational cannabis. The people I was with and I don’t even have medical marijuana in my condo 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 plus they cost $30 every year, requiring medical marijuana patients in NM to register again quarterly. Obviously it’s a immense benefit to detach 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, plus I l received swiftly how dumb that decision actually was as I could barely rest without passing out. The next time I ascend the Sandia Mountains, I’m waiting until I get to the base before I smoke my joint.