New Mexico--Day One--Arrival and Sandia Peak

The skies were friendly, the baggage showed up, the car had Sirus radio, and the hotel found our reservations. In other words, the trip to Albuquerque went just like it was supposed to. A good sign for things to come.

One of the good things to come was we found out that the road to Sandia Peak was closing tomorrow until October because of extreme risk of forest fires. Since this was on our agenda, we hopped in the car and took off. The Sandia Mountains border Albuquerque on the east and have both a tram and road that will take you to the top.  Ward wanted a chance to drive the twisty-turny roads, so we drove. The visit to the Peak provided a day of contrasts. We started the day at 600 feet and ended up at 10, 600 feet on the crest.  It sure was a lot easier to breath near sea level. Also, it was 98°F in Albuquerque and 20° cooler on Sandia Peak. A welcome relief from the heat even if it was dry heat. We had a nice walk around their nature trail and learned about the geology and climate zones of the mountains. We had a lovely time walking in the cool mountain breezes. (Except for the copious gnats, but I won't mention them. It would ruin the mood.)

For dinner, we headed to historic Route 66 which goes right through the middle of Albuquerque. At one time this stretch of highway through town had over 100 hotels and restaurants supporting the traffic through the area. There aren't too many of the original businesses left but we found one for dinner. It was here that we experienced the question that comes with every meal in New Mexico, "Do you want red or green with that?" This refers to the red and green pepper sauce that gets put on most everything. Ward had both red and green sauces on his burrito and I had green sauce on the side. While they are flavorful, they are very spicy. A little goes a long way with me.

A very tiring but satisfying day. Here are a few pictures.

Ward checking out the view from Sandia Peak.

Sandia Peak was populated by firs, pines, and spruces at different elevations. However, I always get those trees mixed up so I can't tell you what was where.

The mountains have twice as much rainfall as the valley floor where the Albuquerque is located. Thus they have a wider variety of plants including this Canadian Violet.

These plants support wildlife including this mule deer.

 

This is where we had dinner. The neon sign is typical of the original businesses along Route 66.