Old Favourites and New Finds

I wasn't going to publish a blog for this Fall 2023 campervan trip covering the U.S. Southwest since we had covered the area many times. However, never say never! Since we had no particular destination in mind, a review of October temperatures in the SW uncovered the north end of New Mexico as a favourable landing spot so away we went. We had previously spent time in the south end of New Mexico but never the north end because at 5.000 feet above sea level the weather was cold when we were nearby in the past. As a result I will post infrequent updates to the blog when previously uncovered places emerge or an old favourite resurfaces.

 Our trip began with a return trip to Yellowstone NP. While we had been to the World's first national park (1872) before, we had only covered a portion of the 2.2 million acres that expands into 3 states (Montana, Idaho and Wyoming). We discovered some new features within the park but with only one day spent in the park due to cooler temperatures, it was clear that another return or two would be necessary.

3 days later, via Wyoming and Colorado(enjoyed Pueblo, Co), we landed in Santa Fe, New Mexico for 4 nights. It is the oldest state capital  in the U.S., founded in 1610, with streets lined with pueblo style adobe buildings. The old town was a treat to walk around with the many artisan shops selling authentic Native American items, although at more inflated prices than found at non-tourist sites. Highlights included the Old Town Plaza, the Santa Fe Chapel (1610), the Railyard Arts District and Market, and the Canyon Road art stroll. The Shed was also a hot spot for lunch which earned the long line-ups.

A one hour drive south led us to Albuquerque and our timing was perfect, even though we were unaware of it at the time. The International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was in full swing upon arrival limiting RV park vacancies but we eventually found a spot due to our ability to change sites on a daily basis. With over 500 balloons in the air every morning it was a treat to watch, enabled by an app provided by a local TV station. I posted some screenshots from the app since they were much clearer than our longer distance shots. But that wasn't all. The 31st Arts & Crafts Festival was also underway with live music and food trucks providing a break from the many covered aisles of beautiful artisan work from across the U.S. Albuquerque is also home to Petroglyphs National Monument, home to over 24,000 carvings sketched into the rocks on the city's west side. We followed a trail to see hundreds of glyphs until the high 20's C temperature took its toll on our energy source. The final highlight occurred at 10:30 am on Oct. 14th when an annular solar eclipse happened. An "annular" eclipse happens when the moon is further away in its orbit, and does not fully cover the much larger sun, creating a golden ring overhead that does not fully shadow the earth below. Looking up for a glancing view of the sun delivered a normal bright sun, but when wearing the special safety glasses being handed out, the golden ring was very visible and also when the glasses covered the lens of our camera. It was an amazing sight to watch the moon start to partially cover the sun until it reached it's perfect spot in the centre, at which time hoots and hollers erupted from the crowds in open spaces.  At the same time it was hard to understand nearby road traffic seemingly unaware of this awesome lifetime sight. We also managed to squeeze in a couple of golf games (Sandia Golf Club recommended) along with visits to the National Museum of Nuclear Science (good and bad use) and the Rio Grande Nature Centre. 

Both Santa Fe and Albuquerque will be trip highlights on this venture and very worthy of our almost 2 week stay. We have now moved on to Prescott, Arizona, an old favourite with it's round boulders a sight to behold as we continue to try and deal with the extreme high 20's C heat in this El Nino year even though we remain at 5,000 feet elevation with higher than normal temps everywhere we have been.

One of the many hot springs at Yellowhead NP. The beautiful colours are created by the various bacteria types that can survive at hot temperatures.

The lovely riverwalk at Pueblo, Colorado where they have recreated the site where the recently diverted Arkansas River used to flow through, eliminating any floods within the city.

The colourful Cultural Art Museum pillars in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Colourful ristras being sold at the Santa Fe market. While stringing drying chili peppers together with garlic bulbs and other vegetables for later consumption was quite common, this artisan took it to another level.

This screenshot was taken on Special Characters day at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. You should be able to spot quite a few.

There was an Evening Glow every night at the Fiesta. The balloons did not actually take off, so the packed festival crowd roamed around the grounds for the views. We watched it on TV!

One of the many petroglyphs at Petroglyph National Monument. Many others could be spotted further up the hills but we were only allowed to walk higher up when the paths took us there.

The 10:30 am shot of the annular solar eclipse in Albuquerque, taken with the special glasses in front of our camera lens. Without the glasses on it seemed like a perfectly normal day outside, yet one would not have been able to see the eclipse.

Young flamenco dancers performing at the ABQ Old Town Plaza.

A short hike from our Prescott, Arizona RV park led us through the round rock boulders to Watson Lake.