April 2012

Greetings!

As in years past, Albuquerque has been very good to us. We have been residing in a friendly, familiar RV park on Kirtland Air Force Base. A level place to park and an electrical hookup constitute living the high life for us; cottonwood trees, mountain views and spring blossoms are just a welcome bonus. The base fitness center, library and stores are a short bike ride from the RV park and we have taken advantage of them all. Albuquerque is also one of the best markets for our concerts, so we have had a productive month. From here we head northwest to the very heart of the Four Corners region for scenic canyons, mysterious petroglyphs, dramatic sandstone formations and favorite microbreweries. We hope spring brings you splendors, mysteries and your favorite things, too. ~ Brian & Andi

Wish You Were Here

For those of us not blessed with wings, an impressive simulation of the flying experience is a ride on Albuquerque’s Sandia Peak Tramway. From a base elevation of 6500 feet, passengers are transported 4000 feet upwards in a dangling tram car that can hold 50 brave souls. With wonderful cousins who were visiting us from Colorado, we took a tramway “flight” as they call it, on a pleasant spring morning. It was an unforgettable 15 minute voyage above craggy granite slabs, deep canyons and tiny tree tops far below. When we reached the top, all of Albuquerque and its surroundings were spread out for our visual enjoyment. We made a survey of the ski lifts strung down the snowy backside of the mountain and admired the vistas in all directions. Temperatures at the top are generally about 30 degrees cooler than where we began our journey, though, and we were all content to climb
back into a descending tram to finish one adventure
and begin the next: the gift shop!

 

Life on the Road

 This morning we sat on our RV sofa and watched out the window as Mr. and Mrs. Dove built a nest in the cottonwood tree that overhangs our campsite. He brought her twig after twig while she wove them into a little round basket in a protected intersection of tree branches. They paid us no mind whatsoever and this was not the first time that our home on wheels has given us a front row seat for critter watching. It seems we drive a big “duck blind” that screens us from the view of creatures outside. Once Sierra is parked, many animals seem to take no notice of her, nor do they see or smell the human occupants. Tinted glass and partially closed Venetian blinds also help make us undetectable.  Unobserved, we have been allowed close-up peeks at birds, elk, squirrels, jack rabbits, deer, cottontails and even coyotes. Of course, we never use our stealth windows to spy on our human neighbors…

Coffee Chat

We are about to enter the area covered by what AAA calls its “Indian Country Guide Map” of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. For entertainment laced with local information, it is fun to read regionally based fiction about the Four Corners area. Our authors of choice are Tony Hillerman (featuring Navajo lawmen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee), James D. Doss (with Charlie Moon of the Ute Tribal Police), and David and Aimee Thurlo (Ella Clah, Navajo Police Special Investigator). If you are up for a longer read, try the Anasazi Series by Kathleen O’Neal and W. Michael Gear, a trilogy beginning with “The Visitant”.

 

Did You Know?

The famous “Clovis Points” made by ice-age men are named after Clovis, New Mexico because these particular stone weapon tips were first discovered near there. A more appropriate name might have been “Portales Points” after the closer town of Portales, but the inside story is that Portales was in a “dry” county and the archaeologists preferred to reside somewhat farther away across the county line in Clovis so they could wet their collective whistles after a long day at the dig.

(Photo: modern Clovis Point made by

Tommy Heflin of – you guessed it – Portales.)

Albuquerque Collage