Albuquerque, NM

Sunday, August 17, 2008

We wake up this morning in Albuquerque NM and start the day by going down to Old Town to hang out. Of course for Thomas, the first order of business is to find coffee. We find a little bakery called “Rolling in Dough” in one of the alcoves around Old Town. It’s a cute little bakery that has green practices and a cute mo running it. On the outside patio is a biking group (pedals, not Harleys) taking a break from their ride. They range in age from about seven to 50 plus and are enjoying a nice respite. We wander over to the square in the middle of town and hang out watching children play, people talk and musicians practice. On one side of the square is Church San Filipe de Neri, a beautiful stucco church with an amazing courtyard. It is an amazingly peaceful way to start the morning.

The Gay Rodeo is in town and we had planned on going to check it out. The day was so beautiful outside it called for us to go adventuring. So we decide to drive around town and check out Central Ave/Route 66. Frank has been obsessed with old road side signs, and we stop every mile or so to get pictures. The Dog House, Launch Pad, Indian Jewelry and The Man’s Hat Shop, every sign is more entertaining than the last. Our personal favorite is Foxes: Booze n’ Cruise.

We decide to drive out to the upper edge of town to the Sandia Tramway. The tram runs about 3 miles up to the top of Sandia Peak, about 10,000 feet high and claims to be the longest aerial tram in the world. We decide against going up and wander around Cibola National Park where the tram starts instead.

We then head to Petroglyph National Monument and do a hike. We spend several hours wandering around some of the coolest images carved into the rocks we have ever seen. Most of the carvings date back 400 to 700 years ago and are still amazing to see. One of the ancient carvings looks just like Kid N Play from the 90’s; Thomas is certain the rapper was reincarnated. The monument is supposed to stay open until 5 pm, but at 4 a ranger tells us they have to close early due to a tornado warning. We look around it’s a little cloudy, but a tornado watch? We think mister cute young ranger might have a barbeque to attend and needs us to get out!

The rest of the day is spent relaxing and swimming at the hotel. We decided to go to the Chama River Brewing Company for dinner, thinking it will be a good choice for some pub grub. It turns out to be a swanky restaurant with an excellent menu and some nice eye candy (aka table full of military dudes) to boot. The evening is spent planning the east coast portion of the trip. Frank was in charge of everything up until New York; Thomas was in charge of New York and beyond. Frank’s half of the trip is meticulously planned and mapped out. Thomas’s half…not so much. DC, Savannah and Charleston are all quickly chosen as must see and a visit to Sue and Ty in Florida is a no brainer.