New Mexico to Texas

Sadly we left Albuquerque and New Mexico today.  We would have loved to stay longer to see the opening of the Balloon Fiesta as well as other sights, but we will be back.  Our next stop is Amarillo, Texas for one night. Along the drive east, we watched the landscape change from mountains to mesas to farmland, with crops, cattle, and windmill farms. The Cadillac Ranch is just on the west side of town, but a large RV parked in front of it blocked our view of the Cadillacs.  We are staying at Amarillo Ranch RV Park with full facilities for only $35 a night.  We are having dinner at the Big Texan Steak House with free limo service to and from the restaurant. Can't beat that! 

More photos from El Rancho

Here are more photos taken, including the donkeys and goats.

El Rancho De Las Golondrinas

Jim & I visited a Living Museum South of Santa Fe today. Some of the buildings and artifacts are original to the area and many were imported/donated from other regions of New Mexico.  Together they tell the history of New Mexico from the 1700s through the 1800s, before New Mexico became a state.  The ranch was originally comprised of a Placita (Enclosed space) with a double door entrance to a courtyard and access to individual rooms from the courtyard where the inhabitants lived, worked, and worshipped.   Later, there were separate buildings for these things, spread across the ranch.  Water was provided by a fresh water spring from up on the hillside and directed downhill to irrigate the crops and feed the wells.  Of the donated items, one was a weaving loom that was then replicated exactly to create a working loom. Today the replicated loom is responsible for many rugs, blankets, and tapestries created on the ranch. 

The Best Laid Plans

We planned to take the Tram ride up to the top of the mountain last evening, but the weather did not cooperate.  When we got to the station, they told us that visibility was poor to nonexistent, and a little later the winds became so strong as to shut down the tram.  Making the best of the situation, we went into the restaurant for dessert and coffee/tea, so all was not lost.  Hoping we can catch a tram ride before we leave Friday.

The Balloon Museum

Not far from our campground is the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. Since we are dealing with a rainy and very windy day, it was a good day to visit the museum.  The museum has a lot more to offer than we were expecting, and we ended up spending 3 hours there learning about the history of balloon flight.   At the end of our visit we watched a 4D movie on balloon flight, although none of us was so sure it was really 4D. 

Santa Fe

Today we enjoyed a beautiful day in Santa Fe. We visited St. Francis Cathedral, Loretto chapel with the spiral staircase, the oldest church and some of the shops in the historic town We had lunch at The Shed located just around the corner from the cathedral. Bruce had recommended this place and he was spot on!  The food was delicious, authentic Mexican food, and the restaurant is in an historic building that was once part of someone's home.  After lunch we walked back by the cathedral and through the prayer garden that walks visitors through the Stations of the Cross with sculptures at each station. It was a beautiful way to finish our day in Santa Fe.

This evening we hoped to ride the Sandia Tram up the mountain, but the weather turned windy and stormy. The clouds covered the top of the mountain so there would be no views at the top.  We opted for coffee/tea and dessert in the restaurant instead. Maybe we will get a chance to ride the tram later this week. 

Albuquerque

Old Town is about 18 miles South of where we are staying.  Having never been to Albuquerque before, we drove into town to see what there was to see.  There are a few old churches, lots of shops selling Indian wares, and plenty of restaurants.  We had lunch at one of those restaurants. Jim and I split a plate of nachos that made him sweat profusely and set my mouth on fire.  It took 2 glasses of water, a swallow of Jim's beer and several plane tortilla chips to get the fire under control. 

Last night Jim and I topped off the day by having dinner with Bruce & Kirsten Wilder at Sandiago's Grill at the Tram.  We had a delightful time sharing stories, reminiscing, and just enjoying their company. We were especially appreciative that Bruce gave up a day of hunting to make time for us.