Illustration by Chris Philpot.
RUNNETH OVER THE STATE LINE
In February, at the Saudi Cup, longtime New Mexico trainer TODD FINCHER and his stallion Senor Buscador took home the $20 million prize from the "World's Richest Horse Race." The win marked a major achievement for southern New Mexico's horse racing community—except that the TV announcer kept crediting the team from Sunland Park, Arizona, which is, of course, a horse of a different color.
SLIGHT DETOUR
When STEVE SCARANO's son and daughter were in high school, they worked as entry gate attendants at South Carlsbad State Beach campground in San Diego County. Occasionally, incoming campers would ask the siblings how far it was to "the Caverns"—confusing the two Carlsbads. "Oh, just drive an hour south to San Diego," they would advise, "then turn left and go for about a thousand miles." In our opinion, it's worth the trip.
TRAIL TRIPPIN'
Known for its impeccable taste, CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER recently put together a list of "17 Great American Road Trip Ideas," which included New Mexico's Turquoise Trail. While the writers extolled the route's "dusty pioneer trails" and quaint ghost towns like Los Cerrillos, much of the description focused on a section of the roadway that stretches well beyond its northern terminus in Santa Fe. According to the magazine, the best part of the Turquoise Trail is actually between Santa Fe and Taos! While the High Road is indeed picturesque, someone didn't spend enough time consulting a map, let alone studying the routes of NM 14 and NM 68.
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