A Highway, a cafe, and a National Forest

Highway 180 skirts the beautiful western edge of the Gila National forest in New Mexico. Each one of us thought the scenery here was stunning. In fact, my wife said the drive reminded her of our time in parts of Peru and northern Argentina, which is saying a lot. Surprisingly, this is not a heavily touristed area. There were countless campgrounds in this area and most near empty. There were fishing, biking, and hiking opportunities all over the place. This place would make a wonderful family vacation destination, this I am sure.
   Elise stumbled across a restaurant with awesome reviews, while surfing on-line so we decided to stop for lunch. The Adobe Cafe and Bakery was, as the reviews said, in the middle of nowhere on highway 180. The restaurant was eclectic, authentic and the food was delicious. We don't normally plug restaurants but what the heck, if you are in the neighborhood stop by.
     

Sierra always wanted to do this. Not too much traffic here so we obliged.

Riparian areas in the mountains offer bird habitats and vital water for wildlife. 

The rolling hills on top of a mountain were cool to see.

Elise looking at the different flavored waters and teas at the restaurant.

This restaurant is right smack in the middle of nowhere.

I had Mediterranean vegetables and chicken on flat bread with gouda cheese. Sierra and Zoe split a French toast plate and it was all delicious. 

Elise and I agreed that this cookie was AWESOME! It was a white chocolate chip and berry cookie.

The countryside was picturesque.

The mountains looked like they had little ripples on them.

This area was semi arid, punctuated by riparian areas and higher elevation pine forests.