Albuquerque Area Adventures

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Our 2 weeks in the Santa Fe area came to a close but our next stop won’t take us too far. Our plan is to spend 5 nights in the Albuquerque area. It’s only a 46 mile drive to the Rio Rancho Elks Lodge in a suburb north of town. There is also a lodge in Albuquerque proper but we have heard that it’s in a “rough neighborhood” and we decided to we don’t want to push our luck. We have actually stayed in Albuquerque back in the fall of 2019 for the Balloon Fiesta, but that visit was almost fully consumed by balloon activities. Plus the whole town is mobbed with visitors during the event so we are looking forward to spending some time when it isn’t quite so busy. We had contacted the lodge and got confirmation that we would be able to use one of their RV spots for our stay. This was good since we are heading to a lower elevation and it is mid July so we are going to have some hot weather.

The drive was pretty easy until we got to the lodge itself. We arrived before the lodge was open for the day so the parking lot wasn’t crowded. But the road that the lodge is on is undergoing a major water line project and closed for much of it. Right in front of the lodge entrance are barricades and safety cones that make turning into the parking lot impossible for a vehicle our size without Chris getting out and moving one of them out of the way so I can make turn in. We unhitch the car and determine where the RV spot is so we can get situated before the lodge opens and potentially gets busy. The nice thing about our spot is we are on the north side of their building so we should get decent shade from the hot sun. Later when the lodge opens, we go in to register and pay and meet some locals.

The next day we decide to do something that is guaranteed to beat the heat. We will take the tram to the top of Sandia Peak. Since the top of the mountains is about 5000 feet higher than the valley that Albuquerque sits in we can expect about a 5 degree temperature drop per 1000 feet given the dry desert air. That should put us at right around 70 degrees up top - perfect hiking weather. Believe it or not, we have actually taken the tram ride here before. Of course that was 42 years ago when we were on a whirlwind tent camping trip after graduating from college but before we started our jobs. Neither of us remember anything about the ride up or what we did at the top but I did find scans of the photos I shot and they did look like we really were there.

We arrive a little after 9 AM so we can hopefully get on one of the early rides up to the top. We hadn’t bothered to purchase tickets online in advance figuring that we could just buy them in person. Of course when we get there, we’re told to scan the QR code and buy them online anyway. We get our tickets and get on the next tram up leaving around 9:30. The boarding process takes a few minutes since we have about 3 dozen other people with us. The tram cars are quite large but without any seats. There is a railing along the perimeter and a few interior poles to hold on to. The four walls are pretty much floor to ceiling windows so there is a good view.

View from Tram

Rocky Slope

The tram ride takes roughly 15 minutes and lifts us 3819 feet up the side of the Sandia Mountains. There are two tram cars at opposite ends of the line so they are always traveling in opposite directions. Besides the terminal buildings at each end, there are two intermediate support towers along the 2.7 mile path. It’s a smooth ride except when the tram is going over the towers. The tram slows down as we approach the tower and the employee on board provides plenty of warning about when we need to hold on and what to expect as we sway around a bit at both crossings. Our tram also slows down when the downhill tram reaches each tower. It was reassuring to know the reason for the slowdown as opposed to assuming the worse when you’re a few hundred feet above the rocky slopes. We make it to the top without incident. Here is a snapshot from Google Earth showing the tram route from left to right with the two terminals and intermediate towers.

Tram Route

Up top we start to chat with one of the volunteers that was there to answer questions. We told him what hiking route we had planned and was pleased we weren’t like the typical tourist that barely leaves the area near the upper terminal. We wander around some of the viewpoints to take in the reasonably clear views of Albuquerque below. One interesting feature was a contraption with 21 simple tubes welded onto a support. Each one was pointing at some distant feature whether it was a mountain peak or some sights around town. No complicated optics, just a foot long tube showing visitors many landmarks.

View of Albuquerque from 10,000 Feet

Find the Landmark

View Through Tube

There are quite a few buildings up top and many people wandering around. One of the buildings is a fancy looking restaurant called Ten 3, a homage to the place being at 10,300 feet above sea level. The backside of the mountain is much less steep and rocky with a large downhill skiing area. Our goal was to get in a nice hike and find a few geocaches along the way. To some degree that was a difficult task. Not because there aren’t hiking trails or caches up here, but because there are so many trails to choose from and many dozens of caches, it is a challenge to come up with a game plan.

Backside of Mountain Chair Lift

Steep Mountain

Purple Flowers

We had mapped out a route in advance so we would know how far and what the elevation gain would be. If we had just “winged it”, we might still be up there! There is a cheaper way to hike the trails on the eastern side of side of the mountains. There is a road on the backside to numerous trailheads. The problem with that approach is that it’s nearly an hour long drive and all the trails from the road are quite long and have significant elevation gain. The route we picked was a combination of several trails, starting with the South Crest Trail which follows the edge of the mountain to the south with some very nice overlooks. After Pino Canyon Overlook, we come around and follow the 10K Trail South. A word of warning, there are multiple trail options at this intersection and if you’re not careful, you’ll be on a trail heading down the backside of the mountain to the road.

Pino Canyon Overlook

Selfie Time

We have a handful of caches to find along this stretch of trail which is now fully in the woods and quite pretty. We eventually work our way back over to a section of the skiing area where we will come to several of the chairlifts and downhill ski slopes.

Idle Chair Lift

The 10K trail continues to the northern end of but when we hit the King of the Mountain Trail, we switch to it. This one will take a large number of switchbacks up the mountain. It turns out that this one is also a mountain biking trail. We aren’t positive how they get up here since the tram doesn’t take bikes and none of the chairlifts we saw were operating. But it was a pretty section and we only saw a few cyclists that gave us plenty of time to get out of their way.

Orange Wallflower

Red Baneberry

Moth on Flower

As we proceed up the King of the Mountain Trail, we grew tired of the long switchbacks that work nice for downhill mountain biking but are tedious for hiking. We walked up the tall grass of one of the downhill runs to get to a service road and take that the rest of the way back to the tram area but on the northern edge of it.

Wild Onion

One of the attractions up here is something called the Kiwanis Cabin. It’s a stone cabin build by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in 1936. It would have added a bit of distance to our hike, but it turns out that this section of the park is closed for hazardous tree removal and trail maintenance. But we do get to an overlook point that juts out enough to get a view of the cabin sitting on the top of the mountain with likely an even better view.

Overlook

Kiwanis Cabin on Ridge

Kiwanis Cabin Zoomed In

We slowly made it back to the buildings by the tram. After 5.25 miles, 1338 feet of elevation gain, and nearly 5 hours, this place was very busy with people. We were thinking of heading into Ten 3 for a drink but the line of people waiting to get in was way too long. It was about 3 PM and even though we knew it was going to be hot down below, we decided to to hop on the next tram car that was coming up.

A Tram Heading Up

There was a pretty good size group with us and as we were waiting to board the tram, 4 guys with hard hats and harnesses climbed on top of the tram and strapped on. I wasn’t sure if we should be worried or relieved. There was a woman behind us that works in one of the shops up here and tells us that it is a maintenance crew. They might be just catching a ride back down or are checking out some of the tower rigging as we go down. There were no unexpected stops and we didn’t see any bodies fall off our roof. We had a great time hiking up in the Sandia Mountains.

Special Tram Riders

On the Way Back Down

Passing the Other Tram Car

The next day we head to the Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo. It’s only 10 miles north of or camp in Rio Rancho. We would have timed it to visit in the morning when it would be a bit cooler, but they were offering a docent led tour at 2 in the afternoon.

Entrance Sign at Coronado

Adobe Wall Remains

Named after the Spanish explorer Coronado who arrived here in 1540. The bulk of the displays and information is more about the villagers that started to build and live here in the early 1300’s. The place isn’t nearly as big as some of the other similar sites we’ve visited but it was still informative. Since we were on a guided tour, we were allowed in one of the reconstructed kivas although photography is not permitted inside.

Our Docent Explains this Kiva

Beautiful Setting

Old Cart Replica

When we had visited Albuquerque several years ago we had visited one part of Petroglyph National Monument on the west side of town called Piedras Marcadas Canyon. While that area had some great petroglyphs, we knew there were other parcels that are part of the National Monument that we haven’t been to. Rinconada Canyon is southwest of camp but only about a 10 miles drive. We arrive at the trailhead before 9 AM in the hopes to beat the heat.

Rinconada Canyon Entrance

Heading Into Canyon

There is a trail just over 2 miles in length that wanders through the park. It starts along the side of a 125 foot tall cliff that extends for many miles in this part of the city. All along here are scattered rocks. Most of the rocks have a dark brown or black “desert varnish” on them which makes it fairly easy to spot if there are petroglyphs created on them.

A Few Faint Petroglyphs

Bigger Samples

Unlike the La Cieneguiia Petroglyph Site we did in Santa Fe a couple weeks ago where we could scramble through the rocks and get close to all the petroglyphs, this one has a barrier to keep visitors 20 or more feet away.

The bulk of the decent petroglyphs are at the far end of the loop although there could have been others that we just didn’t notice since there really isn’t much signage describing what we are seeing. One area had some less historic writing on the rocks. Some railroad workers had spent a couple nights in the area back in 1919 and decided to etch their names into the rock.

Historic Graffiti

Lots of Petroglyphs

The return portion of the loop isn’t by any of the rocks so it isn’t all that interesting. I did spot a very long lizard that had a tail that was longer than the rest of its body and was quite colorful. Rinconada Canyon doesn’t have a very impressive petroglyph display. It did allow for a short walk and spend an hour or so searching for them but I’m not sure it was a worthwhile stop.

Whiptail Lizard

From here we head to the southeast side of Albuquerque to check out the National Museum of Nuclear Science and Technology. With our stops earlier this year in Oak Ridge Tennessee and Los Alamos New Mexico, we felt it was fitting to continue with that theme and see what this museum has to offer.

Arriving at Museum

They have both an indoor and outdoor area. Since it was still morning, we head outside before it gets even hotter. Since this museum is all things nuclear not just Manhattan Project, they have all sorts of planes, missiles, bombs and any other means of delivering a nuclear device. There is even the top sail (conning tower) from a nuclear powered submarine - USS James K. Polk.

Conning Tower Comes Out of Ground

B-47E Stratojet

Minuteman Missile

They have a large number of things on display in the 5 acres outside. We tended to stay under the wings of the big planes whenever possible to get out of the sun.

Nuclear Cruise Missile

Mk53 Thermonuclear Weapon

M65 Atomic Cannon

They did have one Manhattan Project display outside. It was a life size replica of the 100 foot tower that constructed on White Sands Missile Base for the testing of the atomic bomb that was detonated at the Trinity site. They even have a replica of the “gadget” - the test plutonium bomb that was set off on July 16, 1945.

Replica of Trinity Tower

Walking Below the "Gadget"

Roadrunner Tail Art

After completing all the outdoor displays, we head into the air conditioned comfort of the main museum. It’s a big place of roughly 30,000 square feet. The entrance has a really neat floor tile of the periodic table. There were a couple of volunteers working a desk and had a few displays to show us.

Periodic Table Flooring

Extra Bombs on Display

We make it about a third of the way through the museum before getting hungry. We head out to the car to get our lunch then go back inside to finish up the remaining parts of the museum. One room was dedicated atomic pop culture. It included some questionable toys. There were also lots of props and posters from movies that had an atomic theme. Another room had some hands on displays. We got lucky and there weren’t many kids at the museum so we actually got a chance to play. In all, we enjoyed this museum.

Barista Rides a Missile

Movie Posters with Atomic Theme

Einstein Teaches Us Physics

There aren’t necessarily a lot of hiking trails around Albuquerque proper, so for our last full day, we head to another museum very near Old Town. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science looked like a good one for us. They also have a theater and planetarium in the building for an additional fee. We opt for just the museum since it looked like there was more than enough to occupy our time.

Dinosaurs Guard Museum

We arrived just as the as the animatronic T-Rex in the main lobby was starting one of its shows. We watched from the balcony above and marveled at how well done it was. It sure draws a lot of people every half hour.

Animatronic T-Rex

We start out touring some of the rooms dedicated to fossils and prehistoric animals. They do have some very nice (and large) ones on display.

Diplodocus Hallorum

Stegosaurus

Not all the displays are simply bones but models of what the creatures may have looked like.

Coelopysis

Dimetrodon

"Godzilla" Shark

It is a very large museum and takes a lot of time to view even if you don’t read every panel of each display. But it is quite well done and we were impressed.

Saber Tooth Tiger Above

T-Rex Chases Prey

Mosasaur

There was more than just the natural history portion of the museum - there is a section with science and space exhibits that were also quite interesting.

Our Solar System Display

Mars Rover

We spent nearly 3 hours exploring and think we made it to all the rooms but given how vast it is over the 2 floors, we might have missed something. But we had worn ourselves out and decide to head out.

Polarization Art

In Body Armor Exhibit

I had mentioned that the museum is close to Old Town. We decide to just leave our car where it was parked and simply walk the third of a mile.

Our Shortcut to Old Town

Welcome to Old Town

We didn’t have a specific thing we wanted to see other than to do some window shopping and go into a few of the shops.

San Felipe de Neri Church

More Shops This Way

We likely only lasted 30 minutes before we realized we were tired from all the slow walking we had done today. While it didn’t amount to much of a “hike”, it ended up being nearly as tiring as a 7 mile hike in the mountains.

Somewhat Creepy

Someone at the Elks Lodge had recommended a restaurant but it was kind of out of the way in the town of Bernalillo, 20 miles north of Albuquerque. We decide to chance the rush hour traffic and go out for dinner. Range Cafe is a cute place in the heart of a busy downtown area. We just beat a big rainstorm, and while we were sitting inside it was raining really hard. We have learned that the monsoon rains that are often talked about in New Mexico are quite real. We had a nice dinner and when we left, the rain had passed but the streets showed how much rain had come down with foot deep water on some of the roads heading back to the lodge in Rio Rancho.

We could have found so much more to do in Albuquerque but we have 3 days to get about 300 miles for a camping reservation in southeastern Utah. The plan is to get to Farmington New Mexico and spend 3 nights at the Elks Lodge there to wrap up our 46 nights in New Mexico.