The Road to Albuquerque

The last day of our trip came far too quickly.  We headed back to Albuquerque along the famous Turquoise Trail route instead of taking the interstate.  The towns along the Trail have spent a pretty penny doing up a brochure and website that make it look like an adventure - it goes through the mountains and the old (turquoise) mining towns - in reality, it's got only a few spots of interest.  It is definitely more interesting than an interstate,but isn't worth the day it claims it will take.  

First off, we drove past Santa Fe Brewing Company - a bit early for a visit at 10:30 am, but a good sign of things to come?  Then we went past a state prison and a bunch of 'do not pick up hitchhikers' signs.  Which I would have thought obvious, but apparently not.  Next we found some interesting rock formations.

The first town we came upon was Cerillos, which had dirt roads, ramshackle houses, and really looked like a little Mexican town more than a New Mexican town.  The guy we talked to at the mining museum there (an actual turquoise miner) says there's no cell service and it takes the police an hour to get there (never mind that I think he was exaggerating by about 40 minutes).  He claimed that if you need justice faster you just "go get 'yer gun".

We stumbled along some people setting up a market, but when we tried to go shop there we were informed that this was actually a movie set and we weren't allowed entrance.  Apparently the town's claim that 'feature films' are set there was true.

Speeding along the rest of the Trail, we got to Albuquerque in time to spend an hour in the 'old town'.  It's far less polished than Santa Fe, and we liked it far better.  The people are nice, there's lots of outdoor seating, and it was relatively quiet, though the Balloon Fiesta - Albuquerque's biggest event of the year - was starting next week so that wouldn't last long.

After an afternoon at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico (yes, we are total nerds), we headed up to the Sandia Mountain tramway to meet up with my Dad's friend Cara, who lives in Albuquerque, and her family.  Until last year this was the longest tram in the world - it's 1.5 miles with only two supporting towers in the middle (yikes!).  It takes you to the top of Sandia Mountain, over 10,000 feet above sea level.  We probably wouldn't have done this if Cara hadn't suggested it, but it was totally worth the visit.  Her 13-year-old daughter was making fun of our ooh-ing and aah-ing (I'm sure I would have done the same back in the day!) but I couldn't help myself.

Amazing views all around.

I didn't have the skills to capture the sunset on camera, so you'll just have to trust me that it was awesome. 

One last Mexican meal, and it was back to our airport hotel for the night.

Although I never would have thought up this trip without my Dad's suggestion, we had a great time and I highly recommend the US Southwest.  We'll be going back someday to check out what Arizona and Utah have to offer, plus a couple sights we missed!