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So Much to Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, was founded in 1660 with land grants to more than 100 Spanish families from the Duke of Albuquerque. Today it is one of the Jewels of the Land of Enchantment.

We go back to the earliest history by visiting the Petroglyph National Monument, just West and North of the city.  The Monument features thousands of petroglyphs, which are pictures carved on the basalt lava rocks. Most of these petroglyphs were made 400 to 700 years ago by the native Pueblo people.  Some might date back 2,000 to 3,000 years.  Others are from the modern era of the Hispanics and more frequent explorers.

Three viewing sections are available to the visitor. The most popular area is Boca Negra Canyon.  This area is run by the city and there is a slight admission charge, if someone is at the gate.  Three trails of varying lengths of five to fifteen minutes let the visitor view hundreds of these petroglyphs.  Some of the designs are the human form, shaman, various animals of the area, and geometric designs.  Watch out for rattlesnakes and keep on the trails.

One mile south of the visitor center is Rinconada Canyon, which features a two and a half-mile round trip through the rocks.  This trail is not paved.

Further north is Piedras Marcadas Canyon with more petroglyphs.
There is no fee at the National Monument and the hikes are self guided.  Booklets about the trails and the petroglyphs can be purchased at the visitor center.

Fourteen miles north of Petroglyph National Monument is Coronado State Monument.  This is located on Rte 550 just outside of Bernalillo.  The State Park commemorates two important occurrences.  First is the Pueblo of Kuanua, begun in the 1300s.  The 1500s formed over 1,200 rooms in buildings up to four stories high.  Entrance was through the roof of these adobe homes.  They were used as storage areas, kitchens, and general living quarters.  The building were built around open courtyards, in which were sunken kivas.  The kivas served as ceremonial chambers, almost like sweathouses.  Here the men could have visions and dreams.  Some of the kivas were round and others square.  They were decorated with many pictographs, painting on the walls, depicting the life of the people and their dependence upon the elements, especially rain.  Some of these pictographs can be seen in the visitor center.

The Kuauans were both hunter-gatherers and farmers raising the three sisters (corn, beans, and squash).  Located by the Rio Grande River, the site was perfect for irrigation.

In 1540 and event happened which changed the life of the Kuaua people.  An army of Spanish soldiers, led by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, encamped near Kuaua.  Their purpose was to find the seven cities of gold, of which rumors abounded.  Instead they commandeered the pueblo and made the Kuaua pay tribute to the Spanish Government.  They had to give fifty percent of their produce to the government.  The friars reeducated the natives and demanded labor from them, and eventually took the children to be raised as good Spanish Citizens.  They undermined the stability of the pueblo and essentially destroyed its function.

In 1680s the Natives revolted from 100 years of oppression.  Natives from many of the Pueblos in New Mexico rose up and attacked the settlers, the churches, and the soldier garrisons.  They drove the Spanish back to El Paso.  The settlers and ranchers did not return for twelve years.  Most probably this is when the Kuaua Pueblo was abandoned.

One good aspect did emerge from the Pueblo Revolts.  The Spanish policy of forced labor or poorly paid labor was changed.  No longer were the Native subjected to this form of almost slave labor.  This had a great effect on the treatment of the Natives in the San Antonio, Texas Missions and other missions, which were formed.

Today Coronado State Park preserves and celebrates these events.  The kiva is under reconstruction.  Walkways with kiosks describe the life of the pueblo and of the people.  Many of the foundations are visible.  The staff is very friendly and informative.

Travel east on Rte 550 and it changes into Rte 165.  Drive through Placitas and up Mount Sandia.  The road changes from nicely paved to gravel.  It is closed in the winter because of snow and flooding water.  Unfortunately, signs said the road was closed.  Why go there?  Up in to mountains is perhaps the oldest dated cave settlement in North America.  More than 27,000 years ago man hunted the Wooly Mammoth in the Sandia Mountains.  There are no human remains, but the artifacts found in the cave have been carbon dated.  A small parking lot is at the ten-minute walk trailhead.  This leads to Sandia Man Cave.  Bring a flashlight.  There are also some tight squeezes in the cave itself.

Visit the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science for a great experience.  The emphasis is on the evolution of the earth and life on the planet.  Great exhibits on the development of dinosaurs.  Some of the movies are breath taking.  The animation is top rate.  Experience “A Bad Day in the Cretaceous”, a video animation of a 10 K meteor which struck the earth near the Yucatan Peninsula.  The crater is still there today.  The resulting fires and devastation wipes out 75% of wildlife on the planet.  It marked the end of the Cretaceous era.  Also take a six-minute ride in the time travel machine, which takes you back 75 million years where present-day New Mexico stood.  Other exhibits include gemstones, caving experiences (dry cave, wet cave, and live in a cave).  Many interactive exhibits keep the visitor invested in the information.  Also available at the museum for an additional fee are a planetarium and a Dynamax theater with different movies.  Spend at least two hours in the museum to see the primary exhibits.

A short distance away is the Turquoise Museum.  This is another little gem. This museum shows everything you ever wanted to know about turquoise.  How it is formed.  Where it is mined.  How to tell the different qualities and value of turquoise. You will spend about one hour to see the museum.  It also contains a lapidary workshop with all of the tools to cut, polish, and grade the stone.  The exhibit includes stones from all over the world.  When you leave the museum, the exit is into a flower shop, which is behind the turquoise store.  You can purchase beautiful turquoise jewelry too.

Twenty-five miles North East is the final little gem of the day before we get to the giant gem.  This is Tinkertown.  This museum displays the life work of Ross J. Ward, a master carver.  While we were watching television he carves a complete Western Town and a circus with a big top and a side show alley.  Pushing a button animates many of the pieces.  What makes Tinkertown such a pleasure is the humor Ward put into each piece.  He has signs with corny sayings, people doing unusual things, and just living life in the old West.  He has one display of the undertaker: “Be nice to the undertaker. He is the last one to let you down”.  This is complete with horse drawn hearse and devils and angels flying in the sky.  One final oddity about the museum is the surrounding walls: glass bottles held together with mortar (interesting).

Now to the Giant Gem: Sandia Crest.  Sandia Crest overlooks Albuquerque at an elevation of 10,678.  Albuquerque stands at 5,000 feet.  There are two major ways of getting to the top.  First is the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway, one of the world’s longest ones at 2.7 miles in length.  During the month of April maintenance work keeps it closed.  The other way up the mountain is drive, bicycle, or hike.  We chose to drive the mountain on a paved road.  The road ascends almost six thousand feet within fourteen miles.  The temperature in Albuquerque at that time was 79? F and 49? F at the summit with a stiff breeze.  Even in late April, there was snow on the ground.  Almost felt like I was back in Chicago.  The views are breath taking.  At the top of the mountain are a souvenir store and a small restaurant.

The old town section is quite nice.  San Felipe de Neri has been the cornerstone of the plaza since 1706.  Homes, shops and restaurants built around the plaza with narrow streets.  In the center of the plaza is a gazebo and two replica canons from the Civil War days guard the plaza.

The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History is two blocks from old town.  The museum features permanent and traveling exhibits.  The permanent exhibit includes 400 years of history in the area.  The temporary exhibit was on the Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque, which was a premier Harvey House in its day.

Nearby is the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.  The center features a museum with Display cases for many of the different pueblos. Each one has representations of their arts and crafts and a history of the pueblo people.  On weekends, in the courtyard, native dancers demonstrate some of their dances.  The center has an extensive store and a restaurant.

The AAA Book says that the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque is a little gem.  They are understating the fact.  The zoo is a precious jewel, not to be missed.  The layout is user friendly with many benches on which to rest.  The animals seem to be well cared for.  The landscaping is marvelous.  The zoo is definitely five stars.  The animals must be somewhat happy even in their confinement, because the white rhinos were putting on an adult show for us.  A docent said that they had good luck with reproduction at the zoo.  The lions, tigers, and other great cats were doing their cat like thing: napping.  Many exhibits also include water animals.  Sometimes I wondered if I was in an aquarium rather than a zoo.

About the Author

John and Maggie Pelley are Geriatric Gypsies. Both of us are retired from the rat race of working. We are full-time RVers, who ran away from home. We began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons. No more shoveling snow in Chicago. We have discovered volunteering with the National Park System. During our travels we have found that each town has a story to tell: some are more interesting than others. Both of us enjoy good listening music as we go. John has a CD he has recorded of Native American flure music. We have learned that RVing has a learning curve. We want to pass on some advice the help others avoid this trecherous curve. Life is an adventure. We are living it to the utmost.

Sandia Mountains, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Hiking Trails Of The Sandia And Manzano Mountains $5.24 This is the third edition of this popular and definitive guide to the Sandia and Manzano Mountains outside of Albuquerque. As a former wilderness patrol for Cibola National Forest, Matthews’s trail descriptions are anecdotal and full of first-hand information on plants and animals, history, geology, and management.

Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains $20.97 For anyone hankering to spend serious time in this wilderness, these books are valuable resources.Field Guide will introduce you to the sights and sounds you may have previously noticed around you.This handsome labor of love is a great resource, whether you keep it at home to plan expeditions or in the car as a field guide.}An} impressive book. . . The two million visitors to the Sandia Mountains each year will have their experience enhanced with this book.Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains }is} a book which includes everything that you want to know about the Sandia Mountains but don’t know who to ask.Field Guide allows readers to experience the flora, fauna, geology, and history–in full color and vast detail–in one affordable, transportable package.. . a labor of love by a variety of folks passionate about the Sandia Mountains. It’s not designed as an exaustive reference but to introduce newcomers to what they might see in the Sandias.The Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains has plenty of facts, figures, and technical images. . . Carrying the book with you is like having a knowledgeable, nonintrusive friend along to explain, as you want it, the background of the area’s plants, animals, trails, geology, and amusements.[An] impressive book. . . The two million visitors to the Sandia Mountains each year will have their experience enhanced with this book.Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains [is] a book which includes everything that you want to know about the Sandia Mountains but don’t know who to ask.If you look up a hiking trail, a skiing route, a tree, a flower, a rock or an animal in the Sandias, there are lots of sources. But now for the first time, there is one source for all this and more, titled: Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains.A presentation of the most commonly encountered species of flora and fauna and ecological features found in New Mexico’s Sandia Mountains.

Sandia Mountain Hiking Guide $16.18 The most complete and up-to-date resource for Sandia Mountain hikers.The Hiking Guide will take you places that you’ve never seen before.For anyone hankering to spend serious time in this wilderness, these books are valuable resources.The Sandia Mountain Hiking Guide is the first updated hiking guide to the Sandias to come along in more than ten years. And it was worth the wait.The most complete and up-to-date resource for Sandia Mountain hikers, this guide presents information on fifty-seven trails covering a total distance of about 175 miles. Each trail entry begins with the length of the trail, the elevation gain, and degree of difficulty. The author, who has hiked each trail many times, gives directions to the trailhead and descriptions of trail terrain, scenic viewpoints, vegetation, and neighboring trails for making nice loop hikes. Also included are GPS readings to help high-tech hikers locate landmarks and points of interest via latitude and longitude information. The book contains twenty-five contour maps covering the trails in different sections of the Sandias and a separate large, full-color map of the mountain (also sold separately) printed on water-resistant paper.pThe hiking trails of the Sandias are among the great recreational assets of life in north-central New Mexico, yet many hikers are familiar with only one particular trail, La Luz, which is one of the mountain’s more challenging and crowded routes. This book will encourage novices and veterans alike to get out and experience the many other inviting trails to be explored in the Sandia Mountains.This guide to fifty-seven hiking trails in New Mexico’s Sandia Mountains includes twenty-five contour maps and one large four-color pull-out map on water-resistant paper.

Hiking Guide Sandia Mountain $16.95 Hiking Guide Sandia Mountain

Albuquerque–Blazing New Trails $45 The economic, artistic and educational heart of New Mexico is indisputably Albuquerque. It is both the engine and soul of this fabulous state. Of course, those fortunate enough to reside here would argue its also the capital of the entire Southwest, and frankly rivals the rest of the country based on virtually any measure. But being in love with a place and capturing its essence in photographs are two different concepts. Someone may love the endless days of beautiful sun-drenched climate, while their neighbor may live for the local cuisine. The world-class University of New Mexico may have drawn the couple down the street to Albuquerque, but it could have been the equally renowned recreational opportunities that kept them here. In Albuquerque Blazing New Trails we have tried to show it all. Beginning with the glorious sunsets that fall each evening in a hush over the Sandia Mountains to the mouth-watering cinnamon rolls at the legendary Frontier Restaurant. Indeed, a waist is a terrible thing to mind. Of course, you can always walk it off on the countless miles of biking and hiking trails that snake out around the city. When one is surrounded by a city as lively, livable and picturesque as Albuquerque, the challenge is invariably not what to include, but facing the tough decisions about what to leave out.

Greetings from Albuquerque $43.95 Over 200 vintage black and white and hand-tinted postcards from the 1900s to the 1960s take readers on a fantastic journey through Albuquerque and beyond. Many interesting and famous spots of the city and the surrounding countryside are showcased, including the KiMo Theater, Old Town, the University of New Mexico, the Sandia Mountains, and Sandia Pueblo.

Albuquerque Impressions (Impressions (Farcountry Press)) $9.98 The newest addition to the popular Impressions series of high-quality color photography books, Albuquerque Impressions features 97 of Malone s finest images from around The Duke City capturing its history, culture, architecture, festivals, and more. Malone s affectionate tribute to Albuquerque includes: the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, the glorious Sandia Mountains and Sandia Peak Tramway, Petroglyph National Monument, Historic Route 66, Río Grande Valley farms, Old Town, adobe architecture, public art, the State Fair and other festivals, Río Grande Botanic Garden, flamenco dancers, beloved neighborhoods, and much more.

Towns of the Sandia Mountains $22.97 Despite their seemingly impenetrable western facade, the Sandia Mountains of central New Mexico have been home to humankind for millennia. Ancient cultures ventured into these peaks for the creeks, game, and shelter. The Spanish established protective outposts along the canyons and intermarried with local tribes. Civil War soldiers passed through en route to their infamous battle at Glorieta Pass. Navajos marched around the mountains’ southern end after the confinement that ended their Long Walk. Anglo settlers cleared the hilly land and built cabins. And tuberculosis patients moved up into primitive resorts, hoping that the mountains’ abundant sunshine and fresh air would help them heal. Today the tiny resorts and traditional hamlets of the Sandias are established villages and communitiesCarnuel, Tijeras, San Antonio, Cedar Crest, Sandia Park, San Antonito, Placitas, and othersand the rough dirt roads that once saw the passing of ox carts are highways and even an interstate. The area’s history lives on, however, in crumbling adobe walls, bits of rust, fading memories, and in this photographic retrospective.

Field Guide To The Sandia Mountains $16.46 This book is in New – Excellent condition

$68.64 New – A comprehensive guide to hiking and other recreation in the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque.

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$0.99 Used – Cibola National Forest, Sandia Ranger District, S.N.C.H.A. A visitor’s guide to much of this rugged mountain range located outside of Albuquerque. Much of this area is a designated wilderness which is bisected by the Sandia Crest byway, making this area easily accessible by automobile. Hiking, biking and skiing are just few of the activities possible here.

$83.15 New – Cibola National Forest, Sandia Ranger District, S.N.C.H.A. A visitor’s guide to much of this rugged mountain range located outside of Albuquerque. Much of this area is a designated wilderness which is bisected by the Sandia Crest byway, making this area easily accessible by automobile. Hiking, biking and skiing are just few of the activities possible here.

$24.25 New – Cibola National Forest, Sandia Ranger District, S.N.C.H.A. A visitor’s guide to much of this rugged mountain range located outside of Albuquerque. Much of this area is a designated wilderness which is bisected by the Sandia Crest byway, making this area easily accessible by automobile. Hiking, biking and skiing are just few of the activities possible here.

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