New Mexico Update

New Mexico

The trip down from the Great Sand Dunes to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival was only 250 miles and we had another beautiful sunny day to enjoy the scenery. Jameson’s favorite part was when we were stopped by a couple of cowboys to let their herd of cattle cross the road!  On the way into Taos we (actually Tom) drove over one of the loftiest bridges in the country. This three span continuous truss bridge crosses the Rio Grand Gorge over 650 feet above the river.  There is a pedestrian walkway along the bridge and Tom decided it was an opportune time to “spit” into the Rio Grand. I guess it was one of the things on his “bucket list”?

In Taos we found a big public parking lot and spent a couple of hours walking around the shops, art galleries and found a nice little outdoor café for lunch. I was going to buy a new teakettle but the first one I picked up was $150.00!  I think I’ll try Walmart.  Back on the road we drove through Santa Fe but did not have time to stop. We ended up at one of our favorite Casinos just north of Albuquerque.

On the drive down to the Balloon Fest Tom and I decided we would not need to take as many photos as we did 2 years ago when we were there. Our good Cannon digital camera is in for repair and we only have our older little Fuji digital to use for now. We figured that the balloons would all look the same and we could probably include the old photos in our Blog and no one would know the difference. Once we arrived at the Fest and the balloons started flying, we just couldn’t help ourselves, we just had to take more photos! So….all of the photos included are real 2010 Balloons!

The last time we were here we volunteered to “Crew” on one of the balloons. This year because of Tom’s new knee, we decided to skip this part and just enjoy the show. We met lots of RVers, many “full-timers” like us who were always willing to share stories about the best campgrounds, best routes, best restaurants etc. On the last day of the show, the balloons were landing right next to the lot where we were parked!

From the Balloon Fest we had another short drive to Farmington, NM to attend the Rocky Mountain Motorhome Association Rally. This is a 5 day event sponsored by the FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association). There were 320 RV’s there and once again we made lots of new friends. The Rally included seminars on RV topics, lots of eating and live entertainment every night. Unfortunately, Tom had to make a trip home to Minnesota to attend a funeral for his brother-in-law. I stayed at the Rally to keep and eye on the dogs and the RV.  I also joined some new friends from Texas and did a little sightseeing in the area to see some of the Ancestral Pueblo ruins at the Aztec Ruins National Monument and the Salmon Ruins.

Tom returned from Minnesota and we are now back in Colorado for a few days in the Durango area.   The weather is starting to turn cold, so we will probably start heading south!

That’s all for now, see you down the road!
PHOTOS

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Kathy & Tom

Jameson & Abbey