There are wonders galore in the American Southwest. The Grand Canyon. The Rocky Mountains. Numerous national parks. How do you choose what to see? Let me uncover some hidden magic in unassuming New Mexico.

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

Driving up Route 25 in New Mexico was magical in itself. The sky was vast and the view was endless. The road rolled up and down, and we could see many miles ahead.

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Ian and I were driving in our zippy rental car, a blue Volkswagen Golf, and we wanted...you guessed it, coffee. So, I Googled the nearest town. This was no easy feat. Our first choice turned out to be an RV campground.

So, we got back on Route 25 and ended up at our next choice, Truth or Consequences, NM. What a name for a town!

The dust-covered, stucco buildings looked like they were straight out of a country western film. You couldn’t tell if places were open for business or had gone out of business long ago.

I chose the nearer of two coffee shops. It was in a bookstore. The coffee was simply brewed, put in insulated pump carafes, and self-serve.

The folks in the bookstore swarmed us with friendliness and questions. We said we were visiting from Vermont. They were volunteers because the town was responsible for keeping the struggling bookstore open.

These people begged us to try everything Truth or Consequences had to offer.

1. They have an art gallery on every corner, like Dunkin Donuts in Boston.

This gallery had the most magical gallery owner, Susan. She exuded creativity and warmth. She was cool and wise and silly. This woman, you guys, told me she would be like my “fairy godmother! Trizzle trazzle!!!” and show us aroundwhen we returned. Was she a little “off”, you ask? No. She was perfectly well and I didn’t want to leave her side.

2. There are hot springs to choose from. We listened as they compared costs and privacy at the hot springs. They told us which springs the locals go to.

3. Also, we were told we had to see a famously-commissioned, 12-foot New Deal-art mural in the post office.

All, we weren’t even staying! I didn’t have the heart to tell them. These folks were so proud of their little town.

By the way, Truth or Consequences got its name when a resident submitted the name (and won) to a name-our-new-radio-game-show contest in 1952. Hot Springs, NM was proud of their win, and they changed the name of their town to show their pride. Yes, I learned that from the bookstore volunteers.

Well, we saw as much as we could before we got back on the road, since we had to get to our Airbnb in Flagstaff that night. We were locked out of there for a while, but that’s a story for another time.