We ventured up to Cloudcroft, NM , which sits at almost 9000 ft in elevation, high in the Sacramento Mountains and Lincoln National Forest, just east of Alamogordo. This old mining town is a really neat place to visit and offers many activities including skiing, hiking, mountain biking, hunting, golfing, shopping, and dining.

Alamogordo has some really great public art. In 2024, they opened an art alley, which is just off Main Street. Unfortunately while we were there, the alley was under construction, so access to some of the artwork was limited. My (Kate) personal favorites are the butterflies created by @taylorojedacreations and @truly_warpedbeautyart

You all know how much I (Kate) love all the public art in cities we travel to. Over the past (almost) three years of full time RV travel, we have seen a LOT of murals . This one in Roswell, NM really struck me. Not only are the colors eye-catching, it shows a lot about the town, the history of the area, and even the state in just in one long wall. New Mexico in general is known for its space history.

It’s Star Wars day! What better way to celebrate than going to an alien themed McDonald’s for breakfast? It was super hokey, but fun, nonetheless! Steve begrudgingly took a photo with his new alien friend and I scoped out the nicely done mural next to the drive thru!

May the Fourth be with you!

On one of our last days in Carlsbad, we went to the neighboring town of Artesia. Artesia has been hard at work the last few years working to bring more visitors to the area - you can tell by all the newly installed artwork around town and that various parts are being fixed up very nicely.

Went to see this amazing new mural by artbyfish showing the Carlsbad Caverns, and came upon a strongman competition called King of the Cave. What a cool thing to happen upon! We watched the competition for a few minutes and were super impressed with everyone’s dedication and hard work! These competitors are amazing!

We took a quick stroll around Carlsbad, NM one evening in search of the town’s public artworks. They have an amazing plaza and arts center that has several murals and statues, but also a few murals around other parts of town. Even the police logo is artwork! Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious Mexican dinner with margaritas!

Our first stop of the year is in Kerrville, Texas. Kerrville is in the heart of Texas Hill Country and was where jewelry maker James Avery first began creating jewelry. We really enjoyed seeing the public art here and in the surrounding cities of Johnson City, Boerne, and Comfort.

We spent an afternoon walking around downtown Brownsville looking at the public art. There are cities where mural locations are well documented, but Brownsville is not one of them. It took about an hour of researching to find locations on 12 murals. Was it worth it?