Albuquerque Trip

A few months prior, Kira, Neal's sister, invited us to meet up with them in Albuquerque, New Mexico to spend a few days together and view the annular solar eclipse that was to take place.  We were happy that we could make it.  It was a great trip.

We left right after Sophie finished preschool and made Amarillo, TX that night.  Along the way to this destination, we listened to the question, "Are we there yet?" a reprehensible amount of times.  Sophie was most excited about being in a hotel. 

The next morning we were off after a new pair of rear tires (we knew we needed them but after making it to Amarillo, we thought it best to take care of it right there) and some donuts. 

We passed Cadillac Ranch but did not stop since Neal and I had done that before.  Not much further west, we came upon a windmill farm and Neal thinks those are just so cool so he wanted a picture of them.  Since he was driving I asked if he wanted the picture with the window down or was up okay?  He wanted a better picture so he suggested down.  Regrettably, as I rolled down the window and got the shot, we soon became aware of the the cattle feed lot on the opposite side of the highway by sense of smell.  Neal's uncontrollable gagging ensued, all the while Sophie was repeatedly yelling, "I smell poop!"  It was an awesome moment.

We had the opportunity to point out something that my Texas-born children have never seen in actuality. Mountains! We talked about mountains and even learned a new word--plateau. It was awesome to see the mountains on our drive and throughout our stay in Albuquerque.

We met up with Kira, and her husband, David, two people we adore and always have fun with, for lunch in Albuquerque. We ate at Cecilia's Cafe, which was featured on The Food Network's Drive Ins, Diners, and Dives (DDD). It was very good and a complete hole in the wall. Their green chile sauce was perfect! We had it on cheesy fries, and chicken and pork enchiladas in blue corn tortillas.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Petroglyph National Monument, a stretch of volcanoes carved with thousands of images created by the Pueblo people. We climbed a hillside and walked a sandy trail to see two of the main sites. The kids held up great but we were glad to have their Aunt Kira and Uncle David to help hold little hands, especially on the steep trial.

An skinny armadillo fattening up on a lollipop?

View from the top of Boca Negra.

For dinner we had diner food and headed for the hotel.  We love that in New Mexico green chile or red chile sauce are standard condiments-on chicken, eggs, fries, burgers, etc. Yum!

The next day, we headed for Jimez Springs, located in the Santa Fe National Forrest.  The place is rich with history but we skipped all that and went straight for the hot springs.  We stopped at Soda Dam it was really beautiful and had awsome geological formations but the water was not warm.

Backside of falls, from above.

David crossing

A quick stop was made at Battleship Rock for snacks.

We later hiked the trail to the Spence Hot Springs.  Again, the kids did good.  Once there we held up towels, got changed in to swimwear and taught the kids important vocabulary like brain-eating ameba.  We warned them not to get the water in their mouth or nose because of this unlikely but dangerous "bug."  There was some nasty algae that we got to experience.  The water was warmish though.  It was fun but for Keri the best part was just smelling the pine needles while hiking the trail--completely gratifying.

For dinner we stopped at another hole in the wall, Havana, for Cuban food.  We had fun sharing shakes, meals, and desserts with a terrific owner who had personality and catered to us wonderfully.

On our last full day in Albuquerque we spent the morning at Old Town.  We meandered through shops of souvenirs, art, and jewelry.  Then something magical happened for Neal.  We stumbled upon a classic car show.  Neal was quite gleeful so we readily accommodated.

What you can't see is Kira crouched down behind Rhys, trying to hold him high enough to get his chin above the cut out.

In front of Doc Hudson from Disney's Cars movie.  See the eyes in the windshield?  Cute.

We had lunch at Sophia's Place, another DDD destination. Neal had the Juevos Rancheros which he described as "good but not inspiring" and Keri had the blue corn pancakes topped with pinon butter and a mixed berry compote. The pancakes were "inspiring."

Then we visited the aquarium.

Followed by the botanical gardens which had pretty cool cacti among other cool flora.

A wee hummingbird atop a tree.

We refreshed ourselves with some ice cream that was served at a very eclectic shop by an owner that was equally so.  The ice cream was delicious.  The bathroom was unique in that every available inch of wall space was covered with tin boxes.  On our way out, the owner pulled out a penny-farthing, or high wheel bicycle and rode around the parking lot, giving the kids each a chance to sit astride it.

We then headed out for the second reason we came to Albuquerque--the eclipse!  Kira and David being the first reason we would drive hours with two preschool-age children.  We joined numerous others at a very large parking lot up a hillside facing west.  David got his telescope set up and also provided safe solar viewing glasses.  We were joined by serious viewers that brought out their several thousand dollar telescopes and families that arrived with homemade contraptions engineered using pie boxes and duct tape.  Everyone was generous enough to share their method of viewing.

When the annular eclipse finally revealed a complete ring, there were cheers heard across the lot.  Neal was romantic enough to plant an "eclipse kiss" on Keri.  We posted pictures on Facebook and just enjoyed the wonder we were beholding.  It was lucky that Kira and David planned this trip because back at their home in Colorado it was clouded over.

What appears as a tiny fleck of dust near the bottom is actually a sun spot.

Looks cool with the trees partly obstructing.

Every evening we put the kids to bed in the suite and Kira and David would come over and we would chat and eat foods that were bad for us.  It was great!  But the morning finally arrived when we had to go separate ways.  We felt so lucky to get to be with them for a few days.  We love them very much.

The ride home was made a bit more entertaining by a few stops and a game.  First, the game.  To make the ride home more enjoyable for ourselves we pulled out a pen a paper and started to tally the number of times Sophie would ask us, "Are we there yet?" but we soon learned that the question of the day was going to be "Are we off the freeway?" so we kept record of both.  This way we didn't feel like biting off her darling head but had fun with her natural curiosity.

We took a different way home after making back to Amarillo.  We followed the historic Route 66 into Oklahoma City and then continued home.  Along the way we enjoyed a few unusual roadside attractions.  First off was the VW Slug Bug Ranch of Conway, Texas.  What a cute play on the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo.  The place is totally abandoned--faded signs, piles of old tires, and spray painted, broken down shack and cars.  Totally worth the 10 minute stop.

Next up was the 19 story "The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ" in Groom, Texas.  As you can see, there was no need to get out of the car for this one.  Although there are various bronze statues depicting scenes from the last week of Jesus' life at the foot of the colossal cross.  This is the second largest cross in the United States, the largest residing in Effingham, Illinois.  We were glad to be on the road to heaven, which now we all know it Route 66.

On our way out of town we also spotted the Leaning Water Tower of Groom, Texas.  Upon it is written Britten U.S.A. which is a tribute to the Britten family of ranchers in the area.  Rumor has it that it was never a functioning water tower but a ploy to draw in curious customers to the adjoining truck stop that is since long gone.  It is leaning only about 10 degrees. If you look closely, the center of mass is located directly above the two buried red legs. The white center water pipe is merely serving as the third leg of a tripod.  Thanks to Peter, the Dutch motorcyclist, that stopped to check out the scene for taking our family's picture.

We got home around midnight but had a safe and terrific time on our family vacation with Kira and David in Albuquerque.  What a great time!

By the way, on the way home Sophie asked, "Are we there yet?" only 7 times and, "Are we off the freeway?" an ample 29 times.