In which I move to Albuquerque to be closer to Finley (and Erin decides to come with me!)
I supported Finley moving to Colorado a couple of years ago. She absolutely loves it there and she is thriving. But being away from her has wrecked me. I have only been able to see her a few times a year since then. She is about to turn 14 and will be going into high school this year, so I have decided to move to Albuquerque to be closer to her during these important years.
Why Albuquerque? ABQ was selected primarily for its location. It got on my radar when I would drive up to see Finley, as it is on the direct route between Austin and Durango. It is only three hours away from Finley, which means I will be able to see her much more often. Not only can we establish a much more frequent visitation cadence, but I will also be able to easily run up to attend a play, catch an art exhibition, or even just surprise her for lunch.
It would be even easier to see Finley if I just moved to Durango. I love Durango. It’s a beautiful little town. But it is a little town. It doesn’t have a Lowe’s. It doesn’t have a Target! My boycott of Target would be meaningless, if there wasn’t one there for me to not shop. Albuquerque is the biggest city in New Mexico, but it’s only half the size of Austin. It has the same population that Austin had in the 1990s, which is why I find it such a joy to drive in Albuquerque. Durango is also a little tourist town, which means it is expensive to live there. It is also just a bit too far from Austin. I expect to be back in Austin fairly often. My house (which will be rented), my job, my friends, my race team, and my unfinished project car will all still be in Austin, which is a 14 hour drive from Durango. Albuquerque cuts that drive to 11 hours, making it much more manageable for a same-day drive. It also brings Erin one hour closer to her family, who live in Lubbock. No, Albuquerque definitely hits the sweet spot for location.
Albuquerque also appeals to me for its natural environment and geographic location within the United States. Albuquerque lies at the base of the Sandia Mountains and is at the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, transitioning into the high plains of the Colorado Plateau. It is in very close proximity to the Cibola and Santa Fe National Forests, with the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests nearby, close to Durango. Four Corners is four hours away, the Grand Canyon is a little over five hours away, Moab is six hours away. In other words, after being locked in the middle of the private-land hell that is Texas, I am about to move to adventure bike heaven.
Speaking of the hell that is Texas, I am looking forward to relief from Austin’s brutal Summers. Rising average high temperatures (about +0.9°F per decade) don’t tell the whole story. The rising number of 100°F days per decade is where the real brutality is exposed. In the 1970’s, when I was a child and played outdoors all day, every day, even in the middle of the Summer, there were only 30 days over 100°F. That number has risen every decade and by the 2010s, there were 409. Only halfway through the 2020s, we have 263, so we are on pace to shatter the record. Last year, Albuquerque hit 100°F twice. I know Albuquerque can get hot, but it runs about 10°F cooler than Austin on average and the Summer doesn’t last nine months. Maybe even more importantly, because of it’s desert climate, it cools off at night. On a Summer night in Austin, it is often still 90°F at 9PM. I won’t miss that.
And of course, we are looking forward to exploring the local culture and cuisine. We have already begun, as we have passed through Albuquerque to and from Durango over the last couple of years. We have already found a used bookstore we like, we have visited the aquarium and botanic garden, taken the tram to the top of Sandia Peak (where I took the photograph at the top of this post), and tried the food from many local restaurants, most recently being absolutely blown away with the molcajete la patrona from El Sinaloense Mariscos and Grill. This dish features grilled short ribs, chorizo, bacon-wrapped shrimp, roasted peppers, nopales (cactus), queso fresco, and a salsa served in a heated, traditional volcanic stone bowl. I say salsa, because I think that is technically correct, but the bowl was full of what I would describe as a stew, packed with the flavors of deep roasted ingredients.
In so many ways – population, traffic, temperature, even politics, it feels very much like I’m moving back in time to the Austin of the late 80s or early 90s. Of course it can’t be exactly like that and I know things won’t be perfect – Albuquerque has a part of town called the “War Zone.” That can’t be good, right? But I’m excited about the discovery and adventure of living in a new place. For someone who is wired to do this more than almost anyone else I know, it is remarkable that it has taken me this long. The city slogan is “Change Your Perspective” and I plan to do just that.
