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The morning started with a ride up I-25 from Las Cruces to Albuquerque, a three hour ride on a smooth, straight interstate highway with a 75 mph speed limit and little traffic. Aside from a brief delay at a pullout for a Border Patrol checkpoint, it was a surprisingly easy drive.
Our first stop was Old Town Albuquerque, the heart of the original Spanish settlement here. We visited the church of San Felipe de Neri, which was somehow smaller than I expected, but elegant in its simplicity. We then strolled through the Old Town area, window shopping and enjoying the atmosphere.
Eventually, we tired of that, and headed a bit further west to the Petroglyphs National Monument. Just to the west of the city are a series of escarpments of volcanic rock, which bear figures etched by centuries of visitors, beginning with the native Pueblo Indians. With limited time and a hot day, we chose to investigate some of the easier and shorter trails. The primitive figures etched in the stones were fascinating, but the more recent additions were a reminder of the damage that can be done by graffiti.
After finishing the piece of the park we chose to visit, we headed across town to the Sandia Aerial Tramway. We had a delicious Mexican dinner at the restaurant at the base of the tramway, before riding up to catch a glimpse of the city from Sandia Peak. It was chilly at the top, with night setting in, and it was just starting to rain. In the distance, across the city, there were thunderstorms starting, and we could watch the lightning striking from a couple of storms. One strike started a distant brush fire that quickly grew and then went out as the rain began to fall. We didn't stay on top long, though, and soon we were back to the valley floor and headed for a motel. Tomorrow will be our last day of sightseeing in New Mexico before we head on to other destinations.
Our first stop was Old Town Albuquerque, the heart of the original Spanish settlement here. We visited the church of San Felipe de Neri, which was somehow smaller than I expected, but elegant in its simplicity. We then strolled through the Old Town area, window shopping and enjoying the atmosphere.
Eventually, we tired of that, and headed a bit further west to the Petroglyphs National Monument. Just to the west of the city are a series of escarpments of volcanic rock, which bear figures etched by centuries of visitors, beginning with the native Pueblo Indians. With limited time and a hot day, we chose to investigate some of the easier and shorter trails. The primitive figures etched in the stones were fascinating, but the more recent additions were a reminder of the damage that can be done by graffiti.After finishing the piece of the park we chose to visit, we headed across town to the Sandia Aerial Tramway. We had a delicious Mexican dinner at the restaurant at the base of the tramway, before riding up to catch a glimpse of the city from Sandia Peak. It was chilly at the top, with night setting in, and it was just starting to rain. In the distance, across the city, there were thunderstorms starting, and we could watch the lightning striking from a couple of storms. One strike started a distant brush fire that quickly grew and then went out as the rain began to fall. We didn't stay on top long, though, and soon we were back to the valley floor and headed for a motel. Tomorrow will be our last day of sightseeing in New Mexico before we head on to other destinations.
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Date: 2009-08-02 04:00 am (UTC)Sandia Peak is gorgeous, too. I got a bit dizzy up there, but it was worth it!