The Chin's Adventure Across America: Sopapillas, billboards, and casinos oh my!

Day 4 – Stops: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona; Sedona, Arizona

Hike: Harding Springs Trail (Distance: 0.7 miles, Elevation gain: 720 feet )

We woke up in Albuquerque and quickly made our way to El Modelo’s for some delicious sopapillas and a hot tamale. I did not really understand what a sopapilla is and I still don't think I can correctly explain it but there are tons of refried beans, fresh lettuce and tomatoes in a soft pastry like shell. We only ordered one sopapilla initially but the texture and taste were so awesome that we went back and ordered another. This place is like a Mexican food making factory, they are so quick with their orders that it came out in only 2 minutes and it was equally delicious. The tamale was initially very subtle but then minutes later became incredibly hot. It just looked red.

El Modelo's in Albuquerque

Our sopapilla at El Modelo's

Downtown Albuquerque

From there we drove through the city and took in the brilliant buildings -sand colored pinks and baby blue paint the town of Albuquerque. After a quick drive through town we headed to Flagstaff and Sedona. There is nothing in between these two places except for more Casinos, billboards, random towns, cattle, and some Indian reservation land which just made me sad that we forced these people to live in a desert without any farmland. The Route 66 Casino just an hour or so outside of Albuquerque was packed with cars on a random Tuesday afternoon. On the road there were many more Route 66 billboards and advertisements for Native American Artwork and the Trucker’s value meal. And I can’t emphasize enough the love of Dairy Queen in New Mexico and Arizona based on the advertisements. Furthermore, the number of hitchhikers in this area is unbelievable in this day and age.

Perhaps due to sheer boredom we stopped at the Petrified National Forest, as you can see from the pictures it's like a mini version of the badlands. We didn't get to see the petrified wood because it was another 25 minute drive in the wrong direction.

Petrified National Forest Badlands

We hit Flagstaff, which apparently is a ski town next to the mountain, and stocked up at Walmart before heading out to Cave Springs Campground in Sedona. Upon arrival we did a 0.7 mile hike with 700 feet elevation to an outlook of the mountains (Harding Springs Trail). Then arrived back and cooked up some hot dogs and veggies. The Deutsches Red Chair beer we bought was decent, but a little too hoppy for my taste.