Blogs from Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, North America - page 8

Geo: 35.0841, -106.649Beautiful Scenery on Flight Back to HOT New MexicoThe flight was pretty bumpy but the pilot was a very funny guy. Things like, "oops, they didn't have the road construction sign up on that one" and so on. Made it a little more tolerable. He also pointed out geographic sights as we flew along like Bryce Canyon, Marble Canyon and others. We were also able to see the smoke from the fire in the Valles Caldera as we flew in.We had to wait until around 3 pm to catch the shuttle over to the Railrunner so we sat in the cool of the baggage area and used our time wisely to catch up on some of our stories as well as do what I do best, watch people!The train ride was nice as usual ... read more

Day 14 we drove in some very high winds (again) for 420 miles. Passed through a sand storm, saw a whole lot of open desert, and did I mention very high winds (60 MPH cross winds). Mi Hyon drove for about 1.5 hours and w/ the wind it was about all her wrist could handle, but just enough for me to clear my mind. We can honestly say there is very little once you pass Gallup NM (Rt 66) and ABQ. The one interesting landmark was the volcanic escarpment along I-40. Being a non-violent fissure eruption, lava flowed w/ an accumulation of sand and gravel up to 25,000 feet thick. The lava cooled and hardened, transforming into black volcanic rock all along the highway. It looked like the state had dumped a lot of asphalt along ... read more

Well, our desktop computer messed me up again. I wrote this blog for about two hours last night, but it has disappeared and I can't for the life of me track it down. Frustrating? Yes. Maybe I'll get the energy and spirit to rewrite later.... read more

Just minutes north of Albuquerque (off of I-25, exit 242) in Bernalillo, is Coronado State Monument where Francisco Vásquez de Coronado—with 300 soldiers and 800 Indian allies from New Spain—entered the valley while looking for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. Instead he found villages inhabited by prosperous native people. Coronado's party camped near the Tiwa pueblo of Kuaua, one of the many villages encountered by the explorers. Kuaua, a Tiwa word for "evergreen," was first settled around AD 1300 by American Indians who had long known about the fertile land near the Rio Grand. Successful at agriculture elsewhere, many moved into the area, allying themselves with the local population. The resulting pueblo flourished and grew, as did the many neighboring villages along the life-giving Rio Grande. Kuaua is an earthen pueblo excavated in the 1930s ... read more

Geo: 35.0841, -106.649We flew to Seattle by way of Phoenix on US Air. The trip was uneventful, and we arrived in Seattle on a late, sunny afternoon. We had plenty of time to drive to Woodinville and check in before our 7:30 dinner reservation.The Willows Lodge gave us a small pour of a local wine as soon as we checked in, and they had a plate of chocolate covered strawberries in the room when we arrived. Very nice! Service has been good already. The Herb Garden Suite is quite charming; the room is sweet and has a lovely balcony with a table and chairs. We're on the second floor. There is a fireplace in the corner, and Philip turned it on so easily. I didn't watch to see where he found the switch, but I think ... read more