Ever since my best friend Michael and I met in college, we bonded over music and our love for writers like Jack Kerouac and Hunter S.
Thompson. The two books that both are most famous for—On The Road and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas—embody a youthful energy and drive for exploration and road travel. I had never seen the western United States and had only gone as far west as the MIssissippi River banks in Missouri. Michael had been as far west as Kansas and was desperate to see the Pacific Northwest. We plotted out a dream road trip, but we didn’t realize that it would become a reality in four short years. One of the stops that we planned ahead of time was Albuquerque, New Mexico. Not only did I want to try cannabis from a New Mexico dispensary, but Michael has family in Albuquerque. They live in Old Town Albuquerque near the Native American shops and monuments. I was in awe driving down Mountain road on our way to the Albuquerque Museum and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Aside from the rich Native American culture that has existed in Albuquerque for generations before American settlers occupied the area, it is also the location of many major archaeological and paleontological digs. The dinosaur bones at the Museum of Natural History and Science were awe inspiring, especially with some cannabis in our systems! Before we left Albuquerque, we took the time to explore West Mesa after smoking a bowl of weed on the banks of the Rio Grande river. If I take another cross country road trip, I’ll be sure to stop in Albuquerque again.