We spent three nights in Albuquerque upon arrival, and a fourth night on our way back home. Wednesday was a hiking day, at the very top of the Sandia Mtns., which overlook the city and most of central New Mexico. I had a minimum driving day, which was fantastic after 4 days of mostly driving. We drove to the Sandia Tram and caught the first flight of the day to Sandia Peak. I have been up five or six times, and each time is an adventure. It is the world's 2nd longest passenger tram, and takes the passengers from high desert at around 6,000' of altitude to over 10,000' well up into the spruce and conifer zone. The ride takes about 13 minutes and provides some of the most dramatic mountain views one could ever imagine. Much of the western flank of the Sandia Mtns. is so wild that it is virtually impossible to explore. However, some rugged trails do wind their way up. But it is the forested eastern slopes that have most of the hiking trails.
On the Sandia Tramway, heading up to Sandia Peak. Our goal today was to reach an old cabin (tiny white dot on top of the highest peak), then continue along the crest trail to the highest point.
Telephoto shot showing the cabin a tiny bit better than the previous photo. We would hike to the cabin from the top of the tram, then continue on to the crest.
The same mountain and scary looking cabin, but from our hike along the crest trail. We're getting closer!
We had two goals for today's hike. Ultimately, we hoped to reach Sandia Crest, which is also accessible by car, by hiking uphill through the woods from Sandia Peak, where the tram stops. We had only been at 5,000' for about 18 hours, so we were hardly used to the altitude. Suddenly, first thing next morning, we were hiking uphill at over 10,000'. That, dear reader, is what is known as a shock to the system. With many stops to catch our breath and stop our hearts from leaping out of our chests, we slowly plodded along like the flatlanders we were. It was a tortoise and the hare sort of thing, only with no hare. We did eventually make it to the Crest, where a cafe and gift shop awaited us.
But before the crest came Kiwanis Cabin, which we had seen from the tram flight. Inside, the cabin was open on four sides, but still cozy inside. There were stone benches along the inside walls. Previous manifestations of the cabin had been struck by lightning and burned down, and been blown away by high winds. This one was solid stone, and hadn't gone anywhere. Needless to say it is now disused, but makes a good shelter for hikers.
Arrival at Kiwanis cabin. We had the place to ourselves!
Looking back from Kiwanis cabin to the top of the tram. It had been a breathtaking hike (literally!) from there to here. We were more than halfway to the Crest.
Our hike began at lower right, and went on diagonally up to the "536" highway at Sandia Crest. The lower red line shows our tram ride up and across the mountains. Ski hills at bottom right, and the highway at upper right that leads to the Crest.
Today's hike was about 3.5 miles, and we walked along the crest of the Sandia Mtns. from 10,300' at the tram station to 10,630' at the Crest. We enjoyed a break at the Crest, with views in all directions, and talked with the husband and wife rangers up there, as well as with the friendly young woman at the gift shop. Deb had espresso and I had iced tea. We sat outside on the deck, over 5,000' above the city below us.
Deb crosses a portion of Lothlorien on our way to Sandia Crest.
Sandia Crest, cafe deck. It was a splendid day! Albuquerque lies a mile beneath me.
The dark strip across the lower middle is the Rio Grande River valley. Albuquerque and the river lies over a mile lower than us.
Looking over the other side of the mountain. In the middle ground are the Ortiz Mtns., and behind them are the Rockies, near Santa Fe.
Our descent trail. We returned to the tram and rode back down.
The restaurant usually there was closed for rebuilding,
and should reopen in the spring.
Pulling away from the upper terminal, looking like something from the PC game Riven! Thunder was beginning to boom as we departed. Heavy rain and storms were incoming.
The afternoon light showed us a different scene than our morning ride up!
Bye bye Sandias!
Afterwards, it was time for coffee, at Michael Thomas. Our pour overs were great!
Near the cafe was Kellys Brewpub, once a large Texaco station. This was the only pub for me today, so I lingered and enjoyed my stay. There were some interesting shops nearby, so Deb vanished for a while.
I enjoyed a six-times 4 oz. flight today. I really enjoyed Kelly's Red Ale, Marble's Double White (a guest ale), and Tractor Brewing's Hard Cider (another guest). A guy appeared with a Detroit Red Wings shirt, so I went over to his table for a few minutes to talk with him. He was from Livonia, a Detroit suburb, here visiting a sick relative. We went to the nearby Co-op and bought a dinner to go. Again, it was virtually impossible to stay awake past 9 pm, especially with all that fresh mountain air still in our system. Dreams were sweet....
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Thursday was Santa Fe day! We had not been to this great little mountain city for a proper visit in a very long time. I ended up driving even less miles today than yesterday, because we rode the Rail Runner up and back. We found a parking lot near the Albuquerque train station (downtown!) for $2 all day. How does anyone make any money from that?? The Rail Runner is a commuter train that runs from south of Albuquerque to Santa Fe, climbing more than 2,000' to get there. There are some slow times northbound as the train puffs its way up some serious hills, but the ride home is pretty fast!
The 9:35 awaits at Albuquerque Station.
There are 8 or 9 stops before Santa Fe is reached, though on the way home we caught an express, with only 3 stops. When the doors are about to close, one hears the "Beep Beep" of the Warner Brothers road runner, after which the train is named. The real road runner is the state bird of NM. We saw one this time, too.
Train window view of the Sandia Mtns. It had been a very wet night, and the morning was cool and damp.
The little station in Santa Fe doubles as a tourist info office.
The main plaza in downtown Santa Fe is now car free! It is quiet and welcoming. The plaza is surrounded by shops, museums, and hotels.
Santa Fe is like a large outdoor shopping outlet mall, with 90% of the shops selling fine art, jewellery, tourist trinkets, and clothing, all with a Southwest flavour. There is still a daily Indian market on one side of the plaza. I quickly settled in to Blue Corn Cafe and Brewery, while Deb took a little browse around some of the stores. We didn't spend a lot of time in the central area, having visited before and not willing to spend thousands of dollars on art today. We ended up walking back towards the train station, and settling in to 2nd St. Brewery and Cafe, where we had lunch (and I sampled a few ales--6 to be exact). Next came coffee, at a lovely little cafe right across the street. We finished up at a hard cider taproom, where I sampled 3 local ciders. There was a Rhubarb version that did achieve perfection!
Santa Fe has a lot of Santa Fe style architecture. Surprised?
Deb checks out the Jean Cocteau Cinema and Coffee House, Santa Fe.
Once back in Albuquerque, there was time for one more brewpub, which was right across from our hotel! 377 Brewery was a frenzied place after work, and the two guys pouring ales behind the bar were being run off their feet (not by me; I only had two 4 oz pours). It was a beautiful sunset, and the moon was growing larger. Tomorrow we were heading into the deep landscape, where three more hikes awaited, and hopefully some solitude.
Thursday evening sunset, walking to 377 Brewery.
Waxing moon, walking home from 377 brewery.
Mapman Mike
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