US Route 34, New Mexico, and Oklahoma

In October, I embarked on a trip to New Mexico, passing through Nebraska and Colorado on the way there.  I passed through Lubbock, Texas, and through Oklahoma on the way home.  Each day looked like this:

• October 5: Head west on US Route 34 to Lincoln, Nebraska. This included driving all of US Route 34 in Iowa.
• October 6: Continue west on US Route 34 to Brush, Colorado. Took a detour northeast on I-76 to Sterling so I could see the southwestern end of US Route 138. Then continued west on US Route 34 to Interstate 25 near Loveland, Colorado.
• October 7: Do some hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park to break up the driving days. I hiked up Deer Mountain and went to the Alpine Visitor Center.
• October 8: Drive south from Loveland to Santa Fe on I-25. 
• October 9: Spend time in the Santa Fe area, visiting Bandelier National Monument and the state capitol building.
• October 10: Drove a loop from Santa Fe to Durango and then down to Albuquerque.
• October 11: Head south on I-25, then east on US Route 82 to Lubbock, Texas.
• October 12: See McKenzie Park in Lubbock. Drive all of I-27.
• October 13: Drove US Route 82 and I-44 to Oklahoma City, then I-40 to some local highways northward to Tulsa.
• October 14: Spent the day in Tulsa
• October 15: Drove home on I-44 and I-55.

I now have completed the entire length of US Route 34, I-27, and I-44. I-25 is completed south of Douglas, Wyoming, and US82 is completed west of Wichita Falls, Texas. I entered a lot of new counties and saw a lot of amazing things! New Mexico is a beautiful state! Don't miss out! I have always loved Colorado, but now New Mexico is another state I have found to be lovely. Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Cloudcroft each had their own unique beauty.  And I can easily see why Georgia O'Keeffe feel in love with the beauty of the Abiquiu area in north-central New Mexico. The drive on US 84 north from Santa Fe is an unforgettable one.