You never know when spotting a small roadside Mexican joint whether you found that diamond in the rough. Most are mediocre, but on occasion, we fall into some of the best experiences. We didn’t make note of this particular place as being extra special and never went back, so while it might have been okay, it wasn’t an Ed’s La Casita East further down the road here in Globe, Arizona. Ed’s has a spicy guacamole we are in love with, but if we never try new stuff, we won’t discover new loves.

Roadside shrines often drag us in for a closer inspection, especially the ones that are ornately decorated and maintained, showing the love and prayers for those being memorialized out in the middle of nowhere.

By the way, we are on another road trip. This one is going east out on the 60 towards Clifton-Morenci near the New Mexico border. This is the Morenci open-pit mine that hauls out about a million tones of copper ore every day.

We’ve been traveling together now for about 13 years and still love one another’s company on these long journeys into parts unknown. This trip will last the entire weekend and will take us across the border to New Mexico with a few new places to mark on our map.

Hillsboro, New Mexico: population about 100 people.

If these places had seriously adequate internet service, they’d be the perfect place for Caroline and me to take up residence; that is, of course, until the connoisseur in me started begging for foodstuffs we wouldn’t find for 100 miles in any direction.

This is the Valley Cafe, and they had one of the best salsas we’ve ever had. I asked them for the recipe, and strangely enough, they gave it to me.

When in the world-famous Hatch, New Mexico, be sure to stop at any of the roadside chile stands and pick some up. Don’t worry about what you’ll do with them until you get home, and then start hunting for recipes to spice up your meals. By the way, is it chili or chile?