This car will always be special to me. It was the car I drove cross-country (New York to California) when I first saw the wonders of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The first time I saw the red rock paradise of Sedona, the glistening White Sands of New Mexico, the historic artistry of Santa Fe, the spectacle of migrating Sandhill Cranes at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, it was in this car. I fell in love with the Southwestern United States in this car. When I finally retired it (at 200,000 miles), more than 120,000 exciting miles had been spent exploring every “nook and cranny” I could in the states of New Mexico and Arizona.

This car was made during an era when American cars had a lousy reputation. Yet I never had a single breakdown until after 200,000 miles. I kept the fluids fresh and did all the necessary maintenance on time. It kept on running. Most of my photos of New Mexico and Arizona were made during the time I owned this vehicle.

My old 1999 Mercury Cougar is seen here on The Jemez Mountain Trail, just outside of the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico at sunset. We had some great times together!

The title says it all. New Mexico Truck. No where else have I seen a fondness for old pick up trucks quite as ardent as in New Mexico. I routinely see old Chevy and Ford pickups from the early 1960′s still in use as daily vehicles. They are an enduring part of the New Mexico landscape, like this old Ford pick-up truck seen in the Jemez Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico. This old truck ages gracefully in an equally ancient barn, covered with a fine film of red clay. From what I can tell, it’s a 1952 Ford F150 with the famous bullet grille. I have captured photos of this truck on a number of occasions in different seasons and light. Here is another photo of my favorite old New Mexico Truck on petersonlive.com. -Photo by Don Peterson, Newark1 Web Design Portfolio

This Route 66, Albuquerque, New Mexico video shows photos I captured along Old Route 66 (renamed Central Avenue) about five years ago. It features portions of Nob Hill, and classic cars seen on Central Avenue. Nob Hill straddles the old Route 66 (named Central Ave. in downtown Albuquerque) and maintains much of its spirit. Colorful, kitschy, and very walkable, it is an intimate and charming shopping district with great cafes and boutiques. This video shows the local police station in Nob Hill, housed in a classic Valentine Diner, once seen all along Route 66 in its heyday. I also show some of the diners, hotels, and architectural features that give Nob Hill its character. Central Avenue has many colorful remnants of Route 66 and provides a “blast from the past” for travelers!

The classic cars seen in this video were parked all along Central Avenue one evening by a local classic car club meeting at a local restaurant. I just don’t want you to think that there are always so many classic beauties along the “Mother Road” . . . Although, that would be nice . . .

Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, Winter Snow

In this photo, freshly fallen snow adorns the red rock buttes found in the Jemez Pueblo near the Walatowa Visitors Center in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico. This fascinating feature of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico (about 45 minutes outside of Albuquerque) is one of my favorite attractions in this quietly beautiful state. Striking red rock formations provide a backdrop for the picnic area on the Jemez Pueblo open to the general public. In the summer, local vendors serve delicious fry bread and other Native American dishes. Camera: Pentaz K110D, Pentax 28-105mm lens, converted from raw using Bibble 5 Lite.

Old Ford F-100 Pick-Up Truck, New Mexico

This photo shows a charming old Ford F-100 pick-up truck nestled in a dilapidated barn in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico. It has that sunburned, timeless, grizzled charm that perfectly represents the spirit of New Mexico. I do miss this place . . .

Twin Bees Hot Air Balloons, Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Twin Bees Hot Air Balloons. The Twin Bees, a whimsical pair of hot-air balloons, is seen here at the Annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. This is a crowd (and personal) favorite among the many special shapes balloons that are on display during this special annual event. The Annual Balloon Fiesta is considered one of the most photogenic events in the country. The original photo was given a watercolor effect using the free paint program Fotosketcher.

This photo of jewelry vendors setting up stands in Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico is one of my favorite from the southwestern US. It was captured in the early morning on a pleasant winter day as Native American vendors set up stands in preparation for tourists. I happened to peek around this corner at the end of a morning of shooting photos, and was enthralled by this beautifully lit and posed scene. I managed to get one photo, perfectly capturing the modest, hard-working spirit of these dignified women. Quiet, colorful settings like this have drawn New Mexico near to my heart.

Camera: Samsung GX 1S, 18-55mm kit lens. Photo by Don Peterson.

Old Town, Door In Winter. This photo shows the front door of a boutique in historic Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico after an early morning snow. We also see classic New Mexico women’s wear framed by the adobe structure of this Old Town storefront. The snow never lasts for long. Typically, by noon, it has all melted as the sun and the temperature rises. Camera: Samsung GX 1S, 18-55mm kit lens. The photo was altered with Fotosketcher “oil painting” effect and final edits made in Photoshop.

A Route 66 Flashback. With the help of Photoshop, I took this photo I captured along the old Route 66 in Moriarty, New Mexico (near Albuquerque) and sent it back into time! It is a (1928?) Willys-Overland Whippet, in front of an old gas pump. With a few tweaks and the help of Filter Forge Freepack 2 Photoshop plugins, I gave the image an aged cast, scratches, frame, and vignette effect. These free filters create high quality results. I highly recommend them as an easy way to age your photos. The original image is shown below. It was shot with a trusted Minolta XE-5, and Fuji Reala film, about 5 years ago. Experiencing the old Route 66 culture in the southwestern part of the United States is an unforgettable adventure!

If you ever visit New Mexico, you must trace the old Route 66 from Moriarty to Cuba, New Mexico. Lots of Route 66 memorabilia along the way. Sadly, as time and development continues, much of it is disappearing. -Don Peterson

Junk Car, Madrid, New Mexico. The ghost town of Madrid, New Mexico is funky, artsy, little gem found along The Turquoise Trail that runs between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Now an artists’ commune and tourists’ attraction, it is a great place to grab a light lunch and spend a couple of hours browsing for souvenirs and art. This old wreck is on display in Madrid. I took the original photo and a combination of edits and filters in Corel Painter Essentials and Fotosketcher to create this painter effect.

Here is the image workflow in case you are interested: The original photo was first opened in Corel Painter Essentials and Auto-Painted with the following settings: Brush: Hard-Edged Cloner Brush, Color: Intense Color, Edge: Jagged, Paper: Sandy, Smart Blur: 0. I then used a manual Hard-Edged Cloner Brush to insure that all the details were sharp. These setting gave me the bright saturated colors seen in this image. Next, I saved the image as jpeg, then opened it in Fotosketcher (a free paint & sketch effects software) and used the Oil Painting setting to create the painter effects. I also added a color frame and mat in Fotosketcher. I saved the completed Fotosketcher image as a new file, and then opened it in Photoshop. I took the original image created in Corel Painter Essentials and pasted it into a layer on top of the image tweaked in Fotosketcher. I gave this layer (the Corel Painter Essentials image) a 65% opacity. This allowed the sharp details of the Corel image to blend with the painterly effect of the Fotosketcher image to my tastes. I sharpened the the top layer and saved the final image as seen above.