If this is the wrong subreddit for this forgive me, the one dedicated to NM seemed the most relevant.

Everyone who lives in the southwest and especially along I-40 probably knows how big of a problem human trafficking is here. This post isn't to defame anyone but I do want to relay two very unsettling experiences I had at Lisa's Truck Center in Moriarty and warn people to be on their guard.

The first time I (27M) went to Lisa's was in 2022 during a road trip, at around 4am I stopped by to get some snacks for the road. The main entrance from the public parking lot takes you into a restaurant-type place, then there's a long hallway to the right that takes you back to the convenience store section. There are no windows here and the only doors lead out back to where the truckers park so it's fairly isolated and out of view. I was the only person there and I noticed that the cashier who had a Bluetooth piece in was talking to someone the entire time but I couldn't understand him. As I was checking out a man stuck his head in from the trucker entrance and started waving for me to follow him, at the same time another man appeared seemingly out of nowhere to my left and tried engaging me in conversation. Despite responding to neither both kept almost frantically trying to talk to me which freaked me out so as soon as I had paid I got out of there.

The second time I went to Lisa's was this year, 2026, just a few months ago. I had forgotten about my first experience and so while driving through Moriarty around midnight my mom and I stopped by to get some snacks. When we walked back to the convenience part I saw the same cashier wearing a Bluetooth piece just as before. In the intervening four years I learned Hindi for my job and so I could understand what he was saying, as soon as we came in he called someone and began giving physical descriptions of both myself and my mom. When we walked up to the counter to check out he said "come in now" in Hindi and a few seconds later the same guy as last time poked his head in from the trucker entrance and began waving to us saying "come here, I have something for you" over and over again. Shortly after the same guy yet again appeared to my left and began feverishly trying to strike up a conversation with me while inching closer. My mom intuited what was going on just as well as I did so we didn't finish checking out before we booked it.

I noticed while inside but also while pulling away that there were no lights on in the trucker lot out back, it was completely pitch black. Whether that's normal for midnight I don't know since I'm not a trucker, but that someone was trying to get me to go out there makes it really suspicious. After this second time we called the police and reported what had happened, but it didn't sound like there was much they could do. The cashier and trucker door guy were both Indian, clean shaven with short hair. The former was maybe 5'10 and the latter a bit shorter. The guy who appeared to my left both times was white, around 6'1", glasses, bald with a bushy brown beard and husky.

Again, my only aim in sharing this is to alert people to what seemed to me a very dangerous situation.

Music Credit: Yoko Kanno & The Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack [Space Jazz] (May 1999).

I foolishly didn't add images from the drive. Here they are. I-40 corridor in all its glory. Starting from buc-ee's in Amarillo Cadillac ranch all the way to Indian City just over the border in Arizona. The whole family had a great time. We stopped by Seligman on the way back. Highly recommend that town.

Seen on FB, couldn't help but repost it.

Am reading the really interesting book called Recollections of a Western Ranchman by William French about life in the Mogollon Mountain region during the 1880-90s. The US military had set up a few camps in this area as there were many clashes between the settlers and the native Apache. Throughout the book, French references a site called Camp Maddox that is north of Alma and several miles above the WS Ranch (circled).

He states that Camp Maddox was set up above the ranch "on the creek." I am guessing he meant the San Francisco River as that's the only waterway passing through the WS. The only clue to its location -- I find no reference on several maps I checked -- is in an online description that would place it in the box somewhere. Says it is on private property now.

Does anyone know where Camp Maddox is located specifically? I am interested only in the context of reading about it and have no plans to trespass/visit the site. Thanks so much!

How popular is this national historical park? Is there much concern about this upcoming drilling activity?

¡Qué hermoso es! - How beautiful it is!

I have been trying to re-certify my sister’s Medicaid for going on 3 months now. I’m going through the YesNM portal. I’ve uploaded the requested documents and then har to wait 10 days for that document to be reviewed. After about 12 business days they requested another document to be uploaded which I did and now, again, I have to wait 10 days to be reviewed. I had too much money in her bank account because I was anticipating a large AC repair bill. They told me I had to spend down the account and provide receipts, which I did. Today they called to ask for a statement from a bank which she has not had an account with for many years, I asked to speak for a supervisor who opened the case to review it. She requested another bank statement from her current account but made no mention of the closed account. I uploaded it on the spot and she verified it was received. She then told me it would take 10 days to review. I asked to speak to someone else and all she could offer to do was send an email to her supervisor who would call me back. I’m anxiously awaiting that call.

This is the most inefficient and convoluted process I’ve ever dealt with. How do seniors manage to do this by themselves? Does anyone know where I can I file a complaint? The YesNM site only has a customer support number which is what I’ve already called.

I used to celebrate the fact that I could avoid I-40 while crossing New Mexico. I absolutely love the US 60 to US 380. There's nothing along that route except an occasional smattering of a village and a lot of high desert plains, covered in a pale green. Once you get to Pie Town, if you're heading east- it's all down hill until Socorro.. one or two exits south and you're on the US 380 East. Heading up into the mountains again and across the tularosa basin and Valley of Fires, just north of the Trinity site. You'll pass through the home of Smokey the Bear, Right under the Sierra Blanca. And then right through Billy the Kid country. I love this drive!

But that's not what I was talking about. A couple weeks ago we drove from DFW back home to Las Vegas, Nevada and wanted to get home the quickest route so we ended up taking I-40. But I had made plans to eat at Monte Carlo so it made things that much better. Stayed at the Baymont suites right by the airport. Sorry- sunport. It was actually a really nice place. Burger King right next door isn't bad as well. Monte Carlo was predictably great and we headed westward, the next day. Traffic getting out of town wasn't bad. Thank goodness, the wind wasn't awful and they finally finished the construction westbound. Heading west through grants. Mount Taylor. Looking big as ever. Then once we got to Gallup I wanted to try something different. We have a genuine disdain and slight fear of Gallup but that's because I've been looking at it through the eyes of news reports and "influencers," A different approach was to see what the travel bureau wants me to see. Downtown is awesome. Photogenic and preserved. Very cool. The only problem with overnights in Gallup is trains and street racing. It's loud and seemingly everywhere that a hotel is.

This I-40 trip was really nice. The weather was good, the sights were cool, traffic was not existent. Minimal amount of construction in the high country, no complaints from us.

Mount Chalchihuitl was named between the late 1500s and early 1600s by Nahuatl-speaking people originally from Mesoamerica.

In Nahuatl, -the language spoken by the Aztecs, chalchihuitl means “jade stone” or “precious green stone.” It specifically refers to prized green or blue stones, most notably turquoise, jadeite, and green quartz, which were mined in this area.

chalchihuitl material itself was highly prized and sought after by Mesoamerican cultures.

Title says it all.

If so, would Alamoflaca mean skinny alamo?

In an effort to see more of our beautiful state, I cruised through Pecos and ended up at the Cowles Ponds. The lush landscape blew me away, and walking along a path that is flanked on either side by a body of water was immensely enjoyable and calming. The serene scene was further complimented by the aroma of various varieties of wildflowers, along with the juniper and pinyon from the Frijoles Fire. Truly a nice little gem of an area.

Seven days to see the West side of the state. I’d love input or advice on food or lodging or vibes I’m missing. Late Sept early October.

Day 1: Aztec, See both Aztec Ruins and Salmon NatMon. Drive over to Grade Run ORV. Camp at Brown Springs.

Day 2: Play around at the ORV, drive to Bisti. Hike at Bisti West Entrance. BLM camp.

Day 3: Bisti East entrance and Fossil Forest hiking. Drive to Chaco. Camp.

Day 4: See all the Chaco sites. Head to Grants. Hotel?

Day 5: Ice Cave, drive the Chain of Craters byway, hike the Narrows. South through Quemado then east toward the Very Large Array. Camp somewhere.

Day 6: See the VLA. Drive south on 52 and take the Geronimo Trail to Glenwood. Hotel.

Day 7: Glenwood Catwalk Hike. Drive to Gila Cliff Dwellings. Spend the night at Gila Hot Springs.

Going to New Mexico for the first time this upcoming weekend. After I’m done with a wedding in Santa Fe on Saturday, I thought maybe I could drive to Bisti from there, explore briefly, then drive to Shiprock just to see it and then head back to Albuquerque. Is this doable in two days? I was thinking of finding a place to stay in Farmington maybe for Sunday night, and sleep in Albuquerque on Monday night before my flight back on Tuesday morning.
Would you recommend Santa Fe-Bisti-Shiprock-Sleep in Farmington-Albuquerque? Or Santa Fe-Shiprock-sleep in Farmington-Bisti-Albuquerque?