Welcome to Journal Outside: New Mexico’s top adventure source

Dear Journal readers,

You may recognize me from Donn and Ora go to the center of the eclipse, or Donn and Rebeca figure out how to view the Northern Lights in New Mexico through an iPhone 10.

I own two camper vans and have been traveling the public lands of New Mexico looking for adventure for more than four decades.

I have worked at the Albuquerque Journal for more than 38 years after coming here to ski. In those first years, I worked on the Journal copy desk at night and skied Sandia Peak during the day. Many years older and more beat up, I am the editor in charge of the new Journal Outside section.

Journal Outside, an expanded adventure section, will appear in the Sunday Journal. It will feature the adventures of overlanders, campers, hunters and other people who live in New Mexico to take advantage of the public lands of America’s Southwest.

The Journal launches this section as the spring equinox nears and the trail once again beckons even the faint-of-heart. In the next few weeks you can read about a journey from Albuquerque to Denali, yes Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, taken with less than two weeks planning last May.

The pandemic turned many families from motel vacationers and campers who always wanted a campground with a bathroom, to a group that wanted dispersed sites far from others.

As the largest group of Americans reach 62 and now qualify for a lifetime America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Senior Recreation Pass for $80, it is the perfect time to start our tamer quests.

And we want to hear about your adventures as well. Email outside@abqjournal.com with places you’ve visited, especially those within our state, from the Gila National Forest to Capulin National Monument and Carlsbad Caverns National Park to the Bureau of Land Management Off-Highway Vehicle trails in Farmington.

Send your panoramic pictures as well, and Journal Outside will feature a new one from our authors and readers each edition. Pictures of unique scenery, rigs and more will illustrate this adventure Journal.

Like we used to say: GO! — Get Outdoors. And on Sundays, sit back and have a digital detox with Journal Outside, and let us help you plan your next adventure.