"Albuquerque, New Mexico. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.*

I write this as a native of the city. Crime, violence, drugs, and police who are as dangerous as the criminals (I am also a veteran of law enforcement). Avoid the central area of the city, east of the mountains there is a highway with nearby trails which runs from Carlsbad, Roswell, passes the old fort where Billie the Kid is buried, then up to Cerrillos (it used to be the perhaps the last remaining Old West town), then on to Santa Fe. The sun is deadly, so wear good sunscreen.