Sometimes a Week is More Than Enough

 April 14 - 21, 2022

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Hwy 25 between Las Cruces and Albuquerque is a lot of brown desert with a few interesting distant mountain ranges on both sides. It's a blessing the high winds have moved on for our travel day from Elephant Butte, although the occasional gust gets my attention about the time I get complacent. 

New Mexico has a lot of "what-the-hell-is-that?" in the otherwise empty desert. Single solar panel with a small fence around it, lone telephone pole, very short fire tower, arch sculpture (visible from a rest area, Google says it's part of the El Camino Historic Museum but there's no building in sight in any direction), and other "things" without description. I'm sure they all have interesting stories.

Our one week stay is at Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post, a stop on the Route 66 Passport route, and one we've stayed at before. Easy access off I-40 means some constant highway noise which doesn't bother us. 50 amp FHU with open sky, but impossible to get completely level side-to-side. For the first time we have one tire a couple inches off the ground. I'm not a fan, but we've been told by many that the rig is "designed" to be safe like this. After a few days I adjust the levelers to put us back on the ground. We're "level enough" for the rest of the week.

People usually refer to this park at "the one where you can rent a vintage trailer for the night."

 

Friday we return the new windshield towing cover Amazon delivered here that doesn't work, and take the old one to a local upholstery shop to get one made. Done in two hours! To celebrate our success we head to Old Town to see the American International Rattlesnake Museum. It's on my short list of things we must-do this stop! Very small, and very wonderful, it is also clean and well organized and popular.

These are the entrance "tickets", and Tessa gets her very own. When they aren't behind glass she is not a fan and stays far away from all snakes.

This stunning Eastern Diamondback is the first rattler to welcome us. So perfectly posed I'm convinced he isn't alive - but he is!

Albino Corn Snake - pretty but shy.

Northern Pacific Rattler - with eyes that look like mercury and all white rattles.

Northern Pacific Rattler - larger and more dangerous than most. 

One of a few non-rattlers, an Albino Ball Python - look at that sweet face!

Tiger Rattlesnake, nocturnal predators with proportionately large rattles. 

South American Rattlesnake - looking particularly handsome after shedding his skin. Their venom causes blindness (from a bite) and often death.

At first this is all we see....

....until we see this green snake in a tree. Called, wait for it, a Green Tree Python. 

In addition to the snakes, they have lizards, scorpions, spiders, turtles and a large collection of reptile paraphernalia. It's a little tight as others begin to arrive, but with patience you can see everything. And hear the large Western Diamondback rattling loudly at everyone who passes. Nothing else sounds like that!

Lots of movie posters, book covers and wall art.

The scariest thing in the place is this nasty, but non-venomous,  Vinegaroon

Reptiles are depicted in the native art of many tribes.

The Western Hognose is the first snake Bill ever caught - mildly venonmous, they are not a danger to humans.

A couple cuties for those not impressed by our slithery friends - Ornate Box Turtles live in the Great Plains and only grow to six inches. 

Old Town Albuquerque Square is smaller but has the same feel as the square in Santa Fe. It even has an old church in the same "place" :-) I pick up a few colorful items for the grands, and enjoy the street musicians and Spanish architecture. 

The haunting tunes from the pan flute player fill the whole square.

I can't afford him, but love this shod buzzard!

Bill finds us another unique place for late lunch. Sister in the heart of downtown, is a large bar and dance club that serves tasty pub food. My green chili stew and vanilla porter are great!

Sister - something for everyone.

We've already seen the Petroglyphs and the natural history museum hasn't added new exhibits. Tent Rocks is temporarily closed. The zoo doesn't sound fun in the afternoon winds. Albuquerque is quickly falling short in things-to-do. Now Santa Fe......I should have put us there for at least half of our week in the area. But it's only a 45 minute drive so even though we're meeting friends there at the end of our visit, we head up for the sole purpose of getting our fix of stuffed sopapillas at Cafe Castro. We've tried them elsewhere, but nobody else does them "right". 

We keep saying we will, but we've yet to try anything else on the menu :-)

We're happy to support this local business.

It's the Saturday before Easter and the city is bustling. After our late lunch we take the Turquoise Trail, Hwy 14, south to the tiny, artsy town of Madrid. Of course it's just as busy with families and bikers and young couples all enjoying the unique shops, eateries and live music bars. It feels like a holiday here! 

Whenever anyone is headed to Santa Fe I always send them to Sugarman's in Madrid. The very best chocolate anywhere, they're known for creative combinations like green chili-cashew, hybiscus-pineapple, candied ginger-pecans, matcha-strawberries. Their white chocolate isn't the wax you get most places.

Shadows and wrinkles combine in their own art.

It's greener on this route, and although the air is hazy with the ever present dust of April, it's a pretty drive back to Albuquerque. 

Sunday we stay home and leave Easter to families and others, getting laundry and house cleaning done. There might have been naps. 

Errands are run on Monday with a stop at Weck's for breakfast. Wish we could remember who recommended this local chain of breakfast/lunch diners. So good!! Big open dining room with cheerful, efficient and masked servers. 

Still not tired of green chili!

While we like this park, it's not one that makes you want to sit outside and just enjoy the views. The wind isn't horrible, but it definitely keeps me inside. I know April means wind in the Southwest so it's less of a surprise, and more of an irritating confirmation. If not for the wind I might have waited to add a movie theater to our itinerary, but being indoors, and showing something I've been looking forward to, we're at the theater at noon on Tuesday. 

The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third in the Fantastic Beasts series, and returns us to the world introduced by Harry Potter. Although I'm skeptical about replacing Johnny Depp as the main antagonist, Mads Mikkelson does a fine job. It gets slow in a couple places but on the IMAX screen it's visually spectacular. 

Being indoors was definitely a good plan as dirt and sticks are blowing, and the sky is brown when we leave the theater. El Pinto is another eatery recommended by our friend from New Mexico, and again everything is delicious. The enclosed patio is lovely with the winds blocked under the trees.

Nice to have the place and servers to ourselves :-)

One last day with continuing winds <groan>. 

Before we left Tombstone we made plans with Rebecca and Michael to meet for dinner during their stay in Santa Fe that would overlap with our stay here for a couple days. Turns out Wednesday works best so in the afternoon we head north in what is supposed to be diminishing winds. 

Harry's Roadhouse has been a local favorite for 30+ years and a recommendation of the couple we're meeting. I break my green chili streak and opt for sesame noodles with tofu - delish!!

We've now met up with these dear friends in Colorado, Washington, Arizona and New Mexico - traveling friends are great! We'll see them again in Arizona when we return in November. 

After all those meetings we finally get a pic!!

Thursday we continue north on Hwy 25 to "the other" Las Vegas for a single night stop. Definitely ready to have the wheels rolling to a new location.