Taking the “Highway that is the Best”

19-22 September 2012

The trip out of Amarillo, Texas wasn’t too exciting unless you count the visit to my birthplace, Tucumcari, New Mexico….well…nope, it wasn’t very exciting. Tucumcari is barely a stop on the road for gas and fast food. We took the opportunity to drive a bit of Route 66 and take a gander at the 40’s era motels and gas stations. From here on out, we will be following the old path of Route 66. Most of it is gone and replaced by Interstate 40, but there are a few segments that remain.

Just outside of Amarillo is Cadillac Ranch, an unusual art work of semi-buried Cadillacs in the middle of a cow field.  Visitors have taken to spray painting the cars with various sayings. I love coming across these unusual sights on our trip, there is a lot of imagination in this here country of ours.

We decided to stay over at Santa Rosa, New Mexico before we landed in Albuquerque for a couple of days. Santa Rosa is in the middle of the desert, obviously, yet it is known for its scuba diving site, the Blue Hole. This is a sinkhole with a depth of over 80 feet and crystal clear 62 degree water. Go figure, in the middle of a desert.

We have enjoyed a couple of excellent New Mexican meals. The dishes are similar to what we get at home but the spices are more subtle. I really enjoyed them, especially the sopapillas.  Why can’t we get those at home?

There is quite a bit to do in Albuquerque, but we will only sample on this visit. We walked around the old town plaza where there is a church that has been conducting services for over 200 years. The Sandia Tramway took us to over 11,000 feet for a hazy view of Albuquerque and environs. Russ took some pictures of the petroglyphs at the Petroglyph National Monument. This monument is part of several ancient volcanoes which the native tribes believed were the source of their people.  So this area is very sacred for the locals. The ranger said that there are over 700 petroglyphs in the region.

The National Museum of Nuclear Science & Technology covered the science behind the development of the bombs that were used to end World War II, the politics of the time and the subsequent expansion of the Cold War. I felt the exhibits were fairly balanced, though there could have been more about the social implications in Japan. The museum is relatively new and much remains to be done on the restoration of the planes/missiles that are out in the yard.  But both of us enjoyed the exhibits.

Of course, Saturday afternoon and evening were spent watching the Notre Dame/Michigan game.  Go Irish, 4-0 for the season! 

 

A depression era RV.



Cadillac Ranch, kind of a Stonehenge of cars.

We were treated to a very nice little concert in Old Town.



The San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town has been conducting services for over 200 years.

 

 

Russ, pretending he is a mountain goat at the Petroglyph National Monument.



The petroglyphs are between 100 and 700 years old.  Some were created by the Spaniards.

A view from the top of the volcano craters.

 

 

The Sandia Tramway is world's longest tram at 2.7 miles.  It took about 15 minutes to make the transit.

Near the top, the trees and bushes are transitioning to fall colors.

At one point, the tram is over 1000 above the ground.



Sandia Mountain turns a strong pink color at sunset, leading to its name which means watermelon in Spanish.

View of the ski area, on the backside of Sandia.

 

 

An exact replica of Fat Boy (minus the guts), the plutonium bomb that was dropped on Nakasaki. The Japanese government surrendered within days.