My First Full Day in Albuquerque, New Mexico: Excitement, Faith, and Warning Signs (March 6, 2013)
On our way to explore Santa Fe and Pecos National Historical Park, we made an unplanned stop at a property that immediately caught my attention. We were not following a carefully organized sightseeing schedule. We were simply enjoying New Mexico, taking photographs, and allowing ourselves to stop whenever something looked interesting. That freedom to wander was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
The Route 66 Casino Hotel was exactly the kind of roadside attraction that could make me change course. Located west of Albuquerque along Interstate 40, the property combines a hotel, restaurants, entertainment, and casino gaming with the unmistakable personality of America’s legendary Mother Road. It was colorful, distinctive, and impossible for someone who loves Route 66 nostalgia to ignore.
We stopped just to check the place out and take a few pictures. The casino property had the larger-than-life feeling associated with classic roadside America—a destination designed to catch the eye of travelers passing through the desert. Its bold signs, themed details, entertainment spaces, and Southwestern surroundings made it feel like part casino resort, part roadside attraction, and part tribute to an earlier era of American travel.
Playing Dumb Until I Reached the Airport: My Last Day in Albuquerque, New Mexico (March 8, 2013)
I have always loved everything connected to Route 66. The old highway represents exploration, independence, and the pleasure of discovering something unexpected between destinations. Neon signs, roadside hotels, diners, casinos, and unusual attractions give the Mother Road its character. New Mexico’s stretches of Route 66 carry generations of travel history, including the earlier alignment that once passed through Santa Fe before the route was changed.
My photographs captured the details that made the property so much fun to explore. I was interested in the architecture, the signs, the casino atmosphere, and all the little touches that turned an ordinary stop into a memorable piece of our New Mexico adventure. At the time, the pictures were simply travel photographs—small pieces of a happy day spent moving toward Santa Fe and Pecos National Historical Park.
The Trip That Changed Everything: Jennifer and Onyx Fly to Albuquerque, New Mexico (June 3, 2013)
One photograph feels especially ironic now: the picture of Envy Nightlife, an entertainment space housed within the Route 66 Casino. At the time, it was just another cool sign that caught my eye. Looking back, however, Lee and I cannot help but laugh at the symbolism. I would eventually learn that jealousy and envy were driving some of the people who were trying to set me up, sabotage my work, and take control of efforts that were never theirs to steal.
Santa Fe, New Mexico: A History Lesson Through Its Most Iconic Landmarks (June 4, 2013)
There were other unsettling words, symbols, and images in the photographs too. In hindsight, it almost feels as though the pictures were trying to warn me that I was dealing with something dark. I was happily documenting our travels while people with destructive intentions were attempting to manipulate my compassion and gain access to my life. I could not yet see the full danger, but the camera seemed to capture clues that would make far more sense later.
That contrast is what makes these photographs so powerful to me today. While jealousy and envy were consuming other people, we were traveling through New Mexico, admiring a fascinating property, enjoying Route 66 nostalgia, and heading toward the history and natural beauty of Santa Fe and Pecos. They were focused on control. We were focused on living, learning, and exploring—and that difference still tells me everything I need to know.
Loretto Chapel: The Mystery of Santa Fe’s Miraculous Staircase in New Mexico (June 4, 2013)
What began as a spontaneous stop at a Route 66-themed casino became another piece of the puzzle I am rebuilding through my photographs. The images preserve the excitement of the journey, but they also carry a strange warning that I did not understand at the time. Evil may have been working quietly around us, but it did not get to own the story. The photographs survived, we survived, and now I can finally tell the truth about what was hiding behind the signs.
Sources and Related Reading
Santa Fe
- Santa Fe, New Mexico: A History Lesson Through Its Most Iconic Landmarks (June 4, 2013)
- Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis: History, Art and Architecture, Santa Fe, New Mexico (June 4, 2013)
- Loretto Chapel: The Mystery of Santa Fe’s Miraculous Staircase in New Mexico (June 4, 2013)
- Exploring Downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico: Historic Plaza, Adobe Architecture, Art, Culture, Faith, and Southwestern Charm (June 5, 2013)
- Exploring Pecos National Historical Park in New Mexico: History, Culture and Reclaiming My Story (June 5, 2013)
Albuquerque Travel, Faith and Advocacy
- My First Full Day in Albuquerque, New Mexico: Excitement, Faith, and Warning Signs (March 6, 2013)
- Divinely Protected: The Lord’s Prayer I Prayed at San Felipe de Neri Parish in Albuquerque, New Mexico Before Everything Changed (March 6, 2013)
- From ‘The World’ Radio Interview to Gang Bullying Three Months Later: What Happened After My Trips to New Mexico (2013)
- Playing Dumb Until I Reached the Airport: My Last Day in Albuquerque, New Mexico (March 8, 2013)
- The Trip That Changed Everything: Jennifer and Onyx Fly to Albuquerque, New Mexico (June 3, 2013)
- Justice Denied at AFMX 2013: Military Sexual Assault Advocacy, Faith, and Survival in New Mexico (2013)
- Trapped in an Abusive Chain of Command: What I Told ‘The World’ About Military Sexual Assault (2013)
- From Excitement to Survival Mode: The Albuquerque Trip That Changed How I Trusted, Traveled, and Protected Myself (August 28, 2026)
Jennifer and Lee 