Balloons start off the day....

Morning balloons over
the RV

October 10 - We all ended up in bed by 10 last night since we were all pooped.  I woke up at 7:10 but waited it out a while before getting up.  While Kam showered I made scones, bacon and fruit for breakfast.  She and I left for Sandia Peak Aerial Tram about 9:30 and it was COLD out.  It was 41 when we got in the car.  It was in the 30’s last night and turned up the heat!  Bill has been to the top and isn’t big on heights or cold weather so opted to sit this adventure out.

Tram going down as we go up

There was plenty of parking which was rather deceiving.  I thought that we’d get right in but there was a line and the wait was outside!  Kam took the first shift and I took the second.  We were on tram trip #9 and that was probably a good thing, as the earlier trips up the peak had 25 degree weather and by the time we went it was better at 35 degrees.  The trip up the peak takes 15 minutes, where you go from 6,559 feet to 10,376 feet.  It was a little windy at the top and cold but it was a clear day with great views of the City of Albuquerque.  The back side of the mountain has a ski resort and another beautiful view.  The first ski area in NM was here in 1936.  The original name was La Madera and in 1963 was renamed Sandia Peak and expanded. 

On the way down the tram attendant pointed out 2 red

View from the top

winged hawks but it’s hard to get a photo.  There are also a couple of notable rock formations that were pointed out.  There was still a line waiting for tickets when we got down.  Kam wanted me to see some of the vintage ski equipment in the museum at the tram.  The skis were in the days of made from hickory and the shoes were leather.  Ladies skied in long full skirts.  Things have come along way!

Kam and I cruised through the Sandia Resort and Casino to see what all the outdoor canopies were there for and found they have a big market on Friday, Saturday and Sundays.  Maybe Bill and will go on Friday!  The three of us had lunch and eventually head out to Petroglyphs National Monument.  It

A few petroglyphs

wasn’t far to Piedras Marcadas Canyon where we parked in the small lot behind 2 businesses and headed out on the trail behind a subdivision.  The entire loop was close to 2 miles but we did about a mile.  There are supposed to be 400 – 500 petroglyphs along the route and once we felt we had taken enough photos we decided to head back.  On the way we saw a roadrunner and a rabbit, maybe a jackrabbit.  Kam and took a lot of photos but with the sun it’s hard to know how well they turned out.

We were hot and tired so I suggested we stop for a cold beverage.  A McDonalds quickly came into view and Kam had a soda while Bill and I went for a frappuccinos.  How yummy!  It was only few miles to the Petroglyphs  Visitor Center.  They really didn’t have much to offer us since we’d already done one of the trails and they last movie of the day was over. 

Bill wanted to find a specific shop near Old Town that we’ve been to each time we we’ve been here.  He knew it was on Central Avenue so Kam  got us on the right road and as we drove downtown on Central he spotted it, so I went around the block and parked right across from Skip Maisel’s Indian Jewelry & Gifts.  It’s the best Indian store we’ve ever been in.  There is so much there that we both love and would buy if our house wasn’t already full of Indian crafts.  Kam bought a gift and Bill bought a Fiesta t-shirt, but that was pretty much it.

We decided to head to El Pinto for dinner and not go home first.  It was only 5 but by the time we crossed town with all of the downtown folks heading home we didn’t get to the restaurant until 5:45.  We didn’t have a long wait for a table at all, but once we were seated the server took a long time before he came back for our orders.  Bill had an enchilada that he only ate half of and Kam finished off her combo platter and I had a tamale platter and brought 2 tamales home.  We were stuffed!  Oh, and Kam and I each had a drink at the bar!

NCIS had just started when we got home and then we watched Bull and NCIS NO.  I worked on my photos for the day and journalled.  Hope to have time to post tomorrow evening.

October 10 The Balloon Party is Over

View of Fiesta Park on our way to Sandia Peak

Up again at 7 and a quick breakfast and shower so we could leave at 8 for Sandia Peak. It was chilly out but not so bad. We got to see most of the balloons go up but again they all went directly south so I didn’t even bother getting the camera out. I wore jean capris, a t-shirt and took my hoodie. Well we were at the tram station by 8:15 and they opened at 9 and we still were not the first in line but only about 10 people back so we did get on the first tram up for the day. On the way there we could see the Fiesta Park and some of the balloons still on the ground but blown up and that was pretty nice. If we ever get back for this event we will go to the park one day and watch it from there.

Tram station on our way up



Yes, it was cold

The girls selling the tram tickets warned us at the lift that it was 28 degrees at the top and winds gusting to 30 mph. There are only 2 trams, each passing on the way up and down. It takes about 12 minutes each way and our guy on the way up was pretty funny. There’s a section that gets bad crosswinds but they weren’t so bad today. It’s 2.7 miles up and the top station is 10,378 ft. The view of all of Albuquerque on the way up was nice. It’s much bigger than I thought it was. It was REALLY cold up there and so windy. We didn’t stay outside long that is for sure. The east side of the mountain looks totally different than the west we came up. Our side was all rocky and you could see the change in vegetation from the desert floor to the alpine on top. The east slope was verdant. There was beautiful green grass and big fir trees. They have a ski lift as they have skiing and snow boarding there in the winter. There’s a small Forestry station where you get on and off the tram and there’s a restaurant. In addition to skiing there are many hiking trails and a stone cabin up on the very tip top built in the 1930’s from the rock there as a shelter for hikers. It really was cold and since we weren’t going to hike we took the next tram back down and boy, did it feel good to get back to 50 degrees. This tram is the largest in the US and third largest in the world.



Restaurant to the right

Back at the RV we prepared to close it up and head on up the road. Bill went and said his good byes to JC, the guy who we rented our space from. Bill videoed all the horses for today’s roping event. There were more horse trailers today than yesterday and horse poop everywhere. We were gone just after 11. There are 2 ways to get to Santa Fe, the interstate and what is called the Turquoise Trail which is on the east side of the Sandia mountains. It’s more scenic. We took the interstate since we can’t do a lot of stopping with the RV. The unscenic interstate has casino after casino. Just about every Indian pueblo has one. I didn’t do a good job on tonight’s campground. We’re 30 miles from Santa Fe. The only thing I can think of is I was trying to get up on the side we needed to be for leaving on our next leg. We’re in the Roadrunner RV Park on the Pojaque Indian Pueblo. The spaces are huge pull thrus with full hook up and nice and level, but there is no bathhouse and the WIFI sucks! We are right by the building and the signal is terrible. We did manage to get our Direct TV working, which is a great accomplishment for us.



Canyon view on the way up

I did 3 loads of laundry and then we went across the street to the grocery mainly to get bottled water. We get it by the gallon and I pour it into half gallons that I have specific spaces for under the sink. We had our leftover Mexican for dinner and I made salads and later we finished the peach cobbler. It was really warm this afternoon but as it goes in the desert, once the sun goes down, so does the temperature.



We watched Desperate Housewives and then Bill went to bed and I watched Brothers and Sisters and now it’s my turn to turn in!