Angel Fire to Albuquerque

Thursday July 7, 2016

After hiking to the top of Mt. Wheeler yesterday I slept in a little bit.  We had decided to do the Enchanted Circle.  This is an 83 mile loop around Wheeler Peak with several little towns.  We started out by going to Taos and checking out the tourist stores in Old Town which surprisingly did not open until 10:00 am and many did not open until 11:00 am.  We had coffee at a cafe and headed off about 10:30.

Our first stop at the “Rio Grande Gorge Bridge”.  It is the 7^th highest bridge in the US and the 82^nd highest bridge in the world.  It spans 1,280 ft. across the gorge and is 565 ft. above the Rio Grande.  This bridge is a mecca for suicide jumpers with an average of 15 suicides per year.  Apparently jumpers will drive from other states to end it all as the desired results are 100% guaranteed even if you manage to hit the water.  The west side of the bridge is a favorite place for roadside vendors selling everything from Indian jewelry to native flutes and drums.  June Yvonne picked out some pretty earrings.

From there we drove north to the small town of Questa.  We had planned to drive to the confluence of the Red River and Rio Grande however it was a one and half hour drive we did not feel like making.  We did stop at the Tourist Office and June Yvonne had a nice long chat with a woman about the large population of crypto-Jews who settled in that area.  I must admit the history of crypto-Jews has become very interesting to me.

We headed back to Angel Fire completing the Enchanted Circle.  PRC

As Peter indicated, we completed the Enchanted Circle today.  First café and a little shopping in Taos. Then off to the Gorge…and a little more shopping.  People set up jewelry and craft stands everywhere…

We went through Questa, the town where Roberta is from. We stopped at the tourist office and received interesting summary of the crypto-Jewish influence in the town.

Or last stop before heading back to Angel Fire was Cimarron. The name sounds so western, however not much is there nowadays. We had lunch at the St. James Hotel which was charming, except for maybe the multitude of animal skins and heads on the walls. The food was excellent though.  I had a stuffed sopapilla. Their salsa was as good as mine, but more picante. Consequently we bought some and took at home.   JY

Friday, July 8

Friday we began preparations to leave our Shangra La in the mountains of northern New Mexico.  That night we had a short visit with Ken and his wife June. Hopefully we will see them again in the future.  JY

Our stay at Angel Fire was coming to an end.  Friday was a prep day for our trip to Albuquerque on Saturday.  We filled up with gas and visited with friends we met at the resort.  PRC

Saturday July 9. 2016

We got an early start on our trip to Albuquerque where we set up camp at the American RV Park.  We were sad to leave Angel Fire and could have stayed there all summer.  The temperature in Angel Fire was in the 70’s compared to 100⁰ in Albuquerque.  American RV has other amenities however which help offset the sting of the heat (nah).  Complimentary continental breakfast every morning, cheaper laundromat, pool and a small store for very basic supplies.  Another benefit was Camping World is right across the freeway, La Mesa RV, is right next door and Love’s Gas Station is a mile down the frontage road.  The downside is that Wi-Fi is very very limited – actually it doesn’t work so updating the blog and sending emails is very frustrating.  PRC

We managed to get an early start leaving Angel Fire because of all the prep work the day before. We could feel the coolness dissipating as we descended the mountain. We are back in the city – a hot city. As you know, once you become a home owner you spend a lot of time and money at Home Depot. Well – once you become an RV owner, you spend a lot of time and money at Camping World.

Once we settled into our new digs, Peter’s disappointment showed. Admittedly everything is different here.  After a little attitude adjustment, the rest of the day went better. I recalled my goal to have the attitude of the peregrine (pilgrim) – that of a positive expectancy. It’s all an adventure.

I will be going to an RC workshop and get to reconnect with people I haven’t seen for a while. Some of the people we met in Santa Fe are coming down to Albuquerque to meet us for lunch.

Life is good.  JY

Sunday July 10, 2016

We decided to suck it up and get out and do things despite the heat.  After breakfast at the RV Park our first adventure was the Sandia Peak Aerial Tram which is the longest tramway in the world.  The span is 2.7 miles and at a speed of 20 feet per second takes about 15 minutes to travel from the base to the peak, an elevation gain of 3,819 feet.  The views from the top were awesome and we hiked a nature trail eating lunch at the restaurant at the top.  On the opposite side of the mountain is a ski resort.  We checked into taking a round trip ride on the chairlift to the bottom of the ski resort but didn’t have the time.  The round trip takes one hour.  On the way home from the tram we picked up groceries and had BBQ ribs for dinner.  A lot of people coming and going from the RV Park.  PRC

We checked out the continental breakfast which was ok. It was a good opportunity for socializing though. We met a couple (the husband was Canadian) who told us about “Yankee RV Tours” which we will research.

The Sandia Peak Aerial Tram was a kick. I have been in Albuquerque many times for RC workshops, but haven’t done much tourist stuff.  At the top we had lunch at the High Finance Restaurant which was not as expensive as the name might imply. We met a lovely young couple from Texas just beginning their travel adventures.

I haven’t hiked since our trip began as I’m a little nervous of passing out.  As you may know this has happened before in lower elevation than New Mexico.  I decided to give it a chance and we walked the nature trail at the top of the Sandia Mountains. (By the way Sandia means watermelon). I survived the little hike and plan to do a little more hiking at a lower elevation.  JY

Monday, July 11, 2016

We planned on leaving early this morning and hiking in Petroglyph National Monument. However I didn’t sleep well so my dear husband let me sleep in. We did go to the monument, saw a film and checked out the trail head where we will start first thing in the morning. I should know better, having done many 5:30 am hikes… Tomorrow, we will try again.

In Angel Fire there were many gophers. Here at the American RV Park there are just as many bunny rabbits.  JY

After we abandoned our planned excursion to the Petroglyphs we decided to use the rest of the day to stroll through Old Town Albuquerque.  Many of the stores are tourist traps but the majority are jewelry and art.  We walked into one really nice jewelry store and June Yvonne started walking around lost – the salesperson asked her if she could help her find something and June Yvonne asked, “where are the shopping carts?”.  We saw some really nice jewelry and art work and we were particularly captivated by a photography we saw in one studio.  We have the name and address and might order it when we get home.   Maybe!

Made a brief stop to pick up some fruits and vegetables.  I’ve been having problems with our TV and need some assistance.  We purchased our RV at La Mesa RV and right across the freeway next to Camping World is a La Mesa RV dealership.  We stopped in there and one of the techs suggested a couple of things I could try and one of them worked so we are back in the TV business.  PRC