New Mexico

We were so excited to bring the kids to visit the Land of Enchantment in October 2009.  This is where I had lived for three years while attending the University of New Mexico.  This is the perfect time of year to visit because of the ideal temperatures and the International Balloon Fiesta!
We visited Old Town Albuquerque after we settled into our hotel.  As pictured below, the traditional chili ristras lining the buildings.  This is typical throughout NM homes.  The chili ristras are used as decoration but, traditionally hung to dry to be used for cooking.

Early the next morning we headed out before sunrise to the Balloon Fiesta Park.  We wanted to get there early enough to see balloons filled up before the mass ascension at 7:00 AM.  It was a crazy morning for us because we got really lost looking for parking lot where the shuttle would pick up.  

It's so fun to walk right up to the balloons being filled.  Most often the pilot and their crew are happy to have anyone help them straighten out their balloon, etc. 

Now on to Sandia Mountain.  The tram travels 2.7 miles up the mountain terrain to Sandia Peak which is 10,378 feet. When I lived here, my apartment was just a 10 minute drive from the tram entrance.  I loved to travel up and hike along the crest.  It's so peaceful to wander the trails and enjoy the breathtaking view of the valley.  The temperature change as we reached the crest was significantly lower than in town.  We bundled up as we hiked.  

The next day, we got in our car and headed to Taos.  It was going to be a 2 1/2 hour drive.  No movies in our rental car!  Kids were great and we made several stops along the way to enjoy all the sights.  Camel Rock is a fun rock formation.

Taos Pueblo has been inhabited for over 1,000 years.  The people living there were happy to talk and sell their artwork (as this is their primary income).  There are about 150 people presently living in the pueblo.  Other families have homes outside of the pueblo but still on the pueblo land.  

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are surrounding the adobe pueblo.

I took a picture with the artist that made my turquoise ring.  

There were so many dogs running around.  Camille almost got knocked over by one of them.  They didn't care who was there- just running around playing with each other.

Again, lots of stops on the drive leaving Taos.  

Here we stopped to enjoy the beauty of the Rio Grande.  

We drove to Santa Fe for a stop for dinner.  We were so tired after the long day.  The kids were not as exhausted as they look in the photo.  It was great to enjoy more Hatch green chili at dinner.  New Mexican green chili is NOTHING like the green chili in CA.  It's the best!!!  Every meal was accompanied by sopapillas & honey.  You can eat one like a tortilla or eat after the meal with honey.

 

 

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Here we toured the center to learn about the 19 different Indian (Tribes) Pueblos of NM.  

We toured all the displays and enjoyed lots of dancing, representing each of the pueblos.

We headed back to the Balloon Fiesta Park to enjoy the "Balloon Glow".  This is an amazing sight when the balloons stay on the ground with the balloon fully inflated.  Once it is completely dark, the pilots pull the cord that sends a 6-8 foot flame up into the balloon.  This creates a beautiful glow of the many colors/ design of the balloon.  Unfortunately, it was too windy to continue the event.  We were leaving the next morning and not able to return the next night.  We'll just have to plan another visit back to New Mexico for more green chili, sopapillos, hiking and balloons.

 

We couldn't leave Albuquerque without visiting the best burger place. 

Four Green Chili Burgers, please.