Last Days in New Mexico

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

This is our last week in Albuquerque. We have become very familiar with the layout of the town due to sightseeing and visiting with friends.

Today we visited The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. The museum was very informative, providing a history of the atomic bombs – “Fat Man” and “Little Boy”, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Cold War. It was a fascinating and a sad reminder of the tragedy of hate and war for this peace-loving baby boomer. The exhibit on Route 66 was a more benign history of Americana on the road. Do you know where it begins and ends?

Afterwards we had lunch at COSTCO, the same or similar in Albuquerque as in most warehouses in the world. A hot dog for Peter of course and chef salad for me.
Then, we did another activity I enjoy anywhere in the world – a good old fashioned used book store. This one had both new and used books. Peter hoped to read more books on this road trip and he has. In fact we are hopefully returning to the same book store tomorrow to replenish our reading material.

One of the pluses of this kind of travel are the interesting people we meet. What started off as a friendly chat with a neighbor and his son turned into a lively conversation discussing all the “isms” – racism, sexism, ageism, etc, etc. Too bad they are leaving tomorrow as we really enjoyed their company, including the bright precocious 11 year old son. We were able to meet the lovely wife the next morning as they were leaving. Perhaps we will see them again as they don’t live too far away – San Bernardino, CA.   JY

Today we decided to go to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.  It is in the SE area of Albuquerque so away we went.  It looks much larger on the inside than it does on the outside.  The museum was laid out so as you progressed through each section you follow the development of “the bomb” all the way from the Manhattan Project to the Cold War to Nuclear Medicine to Nuclear Energy.  Outside there the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki with the insignia the “Bock’s Car”.  This was also the type of plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.  At each exhibit there were screens that played real footage pertinent to that exhibit.

There was also a B-52 bomber that is being restored and painted   I did not realize that the B-52 had landing gear at the wing tips in addition to the main landing gear under the fuselage.  I asked the guy’s who were working on it and they said that the wings were so long that the extra landing gear was needed so the wing tips did not touch the ground.  The museum was very interesting however when I went to buy a souvenir they were all out of plutonium samples.

They did have rocks that were collected after the test detonations in New Mexico but they were very very expensive.    PRC

 

 

 

 

Wednesday July 20, 2016

We decided to go back to Santa Fe today to catch some of the sights we missed when we were there a few weeks ago. This included the Floating Staircase at Loretto Chapel and going through the galleries and shops along Canyon Road. We had lunch at the Cocina Griego, the same place that hosted Shabbat dinner for the Sephardic Festival. Frito Pie seems to be a very popular dish here in New Mexico.

We stayed in a hotel to rest up for the next day – a hike in Kaha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.  JY

snopes.com tries to dis-spell the myth of the floating staircase  – art in Santa Fe is ridiculously expensive. PRC

Thursday July 21, 2016

In the “old days” this hike would have been no big deal. I’m not in as good as shape as I have been for a while so it was more of a challenge. Add to that, we got started too late. Albuquerque/Santa Fe is having a bit of a heat wave. It was a dangerous combination for me – elevation and heat. However, I monitored myself and survived.

The hike was well worth it. “Kasha-Katuwe” means “white cliffs” in the traditional language of this pueblo. The “Tent Rocks” were the most unique feature though.  There is a geologic explanation for this phenomenon that Peter can explain. Included are some cool pics of the tent rocks, slot canyon and view from the top.

It was the perfect ending to an already wonderful day.  We had dinner with Roberta, who lived with me for a few months several years ago. I was there the day her daughter was born.  Dinner was at the “Standard Diner” which was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on the Food Network Channel. The meatloaf and sautéed brussel sprouts were perfect and a nice change from all the chili I have had the past month. More important than the food and spending time with Roberta topped of a happy reunion.  JY

 

The drive from Santa Fe to Tent Rocks National Monument took about an hour.  It is out in the middle of nowhere on an Indian Reservation.  We realized we got there later that we had planned as it was starting to get hot.  We decided to do the slot canyon trail verses the cave loop trail.  The slot canyon is a one way hike of 1.5 miles and then back the same way.

Going through the slot canyon was really cool.  In places it was only 4 feet wide.  Once out of the canyon we started the steep climb to the top of the plateau from there you got an amazing view of the tent rock formations.  Towards the end of the trail it got very steep and I was impressed how well June Yvonne did.  She is getting her endurance and stamina back although we are not quite ready for Mt. Everest yet.  Maybe next year.

We were hiking this trail on a Thursday morning at 10:30 am and I thought due to the remote area of the monument that we would be the only ones there.  Wrong!!  When we got there the parking lot was almost full – about 25 cars.  Throughout the hike there was a constant stream of people, young and old, hiking the slot canyon trail.  Some were prepared for the hike and others were not.  There were girls in teeny tiny shorts and halter tops wearing flip flops and carrying little to no water.

The description of the hike would lead you to believe that it was going to be a walk in the park however that was a mistake.  This is an unusually hot summer here in New Mexico and the sun was merciless once you got out of the shade in the slot canyon and had to climb the steep slope to the top of the plateau.  No fatalities or accidents but we ran into several groups that turned back because of the heat.

The tent looking formations are the product of many volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Throughout the hike we could see hundreds, if not thousands of layers of pumice ash with small to huge boulders embedded in the matrix.  The black boulders or volcanic tuffs form the hardened caprocks.  The caprocks protect the underling pumice and subsequent erosion wears away the soft pumice forming the tent like structures.   PRC

Friday July 22, 2016

Today we are in preparation mode – getting ready for our departure from the “Land of Enchantment.” Peter made homemade hash browns for breakfast which were delicious. We skipped the complimentary continental breakfast as I have gained a few pounds in the last couple of weeks. It’s hard to resist the carb-laden fare. Add to that all the chili – on enchiladas, sopapillas, frito pie, etc.

I’ll kinda miss this RV Park – it’s definitely a park, not an RV resort. Nothing fancy, but with some amenities such as a pool, complimentary continental breakfast and friendly staff. The downside has been the spotty or more accurately non-existent WIFI.

We’re off to the bookstore this afternoon for more books. Hope to get a good night’s sleep as we will be leaving first thing in the morning to Durango, Colorado. We have heard really good reports from several folks about our next RV Park, Bayfield – outside of Durango. Next blog will be from the state of Colorado.  JY

I will also miss this park but not very much.  There were two problems with this park – 1) there was no shade where our RV was parked and 2) there was no wi-fi and that requires us to travel to someplace else to get service.  Albuquerque was a nice place to visit and we did some cool things while we were here.  I remember when I was a kid in Canada watching the “Bugs Bunny Show” and hearing his famous line, “I think I should have made a left turn in Albuquerque”.  Never thought I’d be here.  Well as my co-pilot said we are heading north to Durango in the morning.   PS – we are realizing that we are at a distinct social disadvantage in these RV Parks without a dog.   PRC