Making our way south from Durango, we spent four days and five nights in one of our favorite US cities, Albuquerque, New Mexico. We love the bicycling there, but this time we were also excited to be there during the International Balloon Fiesta. We'd never seen anything like it and had heard how great it was supposed to be. But before we show you photos of all the dazzling balloons, we thought we'd show you some of the other things we saw and did during our stay and save balloons for the next post or two. Okay? Okay! On our very first ride on the Paseo del Bosque Trail, a real gem of a paved trail that is one of the reasons we love riding in this city so much, I heard a rustling in the brush right as I entered the trail from the road. I looked over, and what did I see but two coyotes, very close and seemingly unfazed by me. Woah! I've never seen them so close before. They wandered off, but not until Barry had snapped a couple of photos. Here's some more wildlife we saw while pedaling the trail. This is either a Cooper's or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk; they look very similar. We always see a Roadrunner -- or two -- while riding the trail. One one of our days in town, after viewing balloons in the morning, we headed south on a couple of different paved trails and checked out the University of New Mexico; the first time we'd seen that. Here's one of the trails we rode on to get there. The campus is large and fun to ride around in. Here's some colorful art we ran across while riding around campus. And a fountain.... This mural was not on campus but right outside it. Also right outside campus boundaries is the Frontier Restaurant, an Albuquerque tradition we just found out about on this trip from our farmer friend Jennifer from Walla Walla! She highly recommended we check it out, and we are so glad we did. We didn't have a bike lock so had to settle for a couple of their world-famous cinnamon rolls to go. Cinnamon rolls in tow, we headed back across the street to campus, where we devoured them. They were so amazingly yummy! Here's another of the trails we rode, right along I-40. Fall foliage just starting to show up here alongside the Paseo del Bosque. And a cool bike sculpture along the Paseo del Bosque in memory of an Albuquerque cyclist. As you probably noticed from the photos above, we didn't have the typical bright blue skies and sunshine Albuquerque is known for. The remnants of a Pacific tropical storm were passing through, bringing us mostly overcast skies and some rain while we were in the city. That was too bad, but we still had off and on sunshine peeking through, including one time when we rode into Old Town. Here are some of the many sculptures outside the Albuquerque Museum. I'm always up for a little silliness! More sculptures outside the museum.... I love the beautiful tile mosaic art on this entrance to Old Town. And the dried chile peppers are cool too! We stopped in at "La Choco" for a sweet treat -- toffee and Green Chile fudge! It was delicious but pricey. Old Town is very tourist-oriented and prices reflect that. The fudge actually tasted kind of like gingerbread -- yum. This tiny cottage right by Old Town really caught my eye. It's amazing how the colors perfectly echo those in the morning glories. I think they planted the flowers first, then painted the cottage trim to match, don't you? To get to and from Old Town, we took this "Bicycle Boulevard" right off of the Paseo del Bosque. Its low speed limit and lighter traffic makes it a good connector road for cyclists going to and from the bike path. Of course a trip to Albuquerque wouldn't be complete without a visit to our favorite restaurant, the Range Cafe. I still owe my friend Becky back in North Carolina for telling us about this place a couple of visits back. We haven't missed it since! This timeI had some really delicious salmon served with a potato puff and snow peas. I also had a cup of butternut squash soup, while Barry started with a bowl of the same. Mmmmmm.... Barry kept his dinner light with a green and fruit salad topped with chicken breast -- he was saving room for dessert! They are known for their desserts and have a huge case that makes it nearly impossible to choose. Here's what he saved room for -- this amazing warm brownie sundae topped with lovely homemade ice creams, chocolate and caramel sauces, and nuts on top. Crazy decadent, no?! I went "light" with Key Lime Pie...so good. I was already full when it came, so Barry got some too! Despite less than perfect weather, we surely had a great time in Albuquerque once again...and you know what comes along after the rain, don't you? A double rainbow, that's right! Stay tuned for balloons, balloons, balloons!
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On our bike ride around Durango, we briefly met up with a friendly local couple who were riding on Highway 550 like us. They recommended that before we leave the area we drive north up 550 to check out the fall foliage at higher elevation. They had just done that and said that it was beautiful. So, even though it was in the exact opposite direction from where we were heading (Albuquerque), the next morning we decided to head up that way for thirty minutes or so prior to turning south. I absolutely love fall foliage, and Barry was nice enough to accommodate me! O. M. G. It was so, so worth it. I'd heard all about the Colorado Aspens but had never experienced their glory myself. My jaw did literally drop! We pulled over several times to take photos as the scenery got better and better the higher we got up into ski country. It didn't take long, less than thirty minutes of driving, to reach some of the most stunning, brilliant foliage we have ever seen. Even Barry was impressed by it, and he doesn't usually pay it much attention. So without further ado...come along and check it out! Zooming in for a closer look...WOW. I could have stayed and gazed at Aspens all day long, but all too soon it was time to turn the car southward and head to New Mexico, one of our favorite places to hang out. Sure looks a lot different than Colorado! Getting close to Albuquerque now and some very pretty red rock formations.... Stay tuned for plenty from Albuquerque. Our arrival coincided with the annual International Balloon Fiesta, and we couldn't wait!
On our first (and only) full day in Durango, we made a plan to meet Carson for a bike ride. We'd start by riding the Animas River Trail through town, then Barry and I would continue on to ride some of the local roads. Carson was rehabbing from recent surgery and this would be his first bike ride in awhile, so he'd just stick to the river trail (or so we thought!) The Animas River and trail surroundings are gorgeous, and we had a beautiful day for our ride. We rode by an area where white-water paddlers were practicing their skills. Once we hit the road, the scenery got even more dramatic. The Durango area is known for mountain biking, but the road cycling on the surrounding county roads is fabulous as well. It had warmed up nicely by this time, so we'd peeled off our extra layers. I loved this fall display outside a house we passed. Had to stop and take a photo! Well, well, look who decided to join us for this phase of the ride as well! Carson is an intrepid cyclist, and although I worried that he was doing too much, he rode at his own pace and seemed to enjoy himself. I am not sure his doctor would have approved, though! Barry planned this route for us so we'd go right over Baker's Bridge, best known in recent times for a famous scene in the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where Paul Newman and Robert Redford took a dive off it. Here's the view from the bridge. The water is so green when the sun hits it just right. Soon after crossing Baker's Bridge, we turned onto scenic highway 550 and headed south back towards town. Almost immediately we came across this very interesting hot spring bubbling away. Barry zipped across the highway to grab these photos. Wish it had been on our side of the road! After a good ride back into town and cleaning up, we met Carson and his wife Carol for pizza at Homeslice, right across the road from our hotel. Although Barry thought it was a bit pricey, especially for pizza by the slice, the pizza was really good, and his salad looks yummy too. Great beer selection as well. We had a great time catching up with Carson and Carol and chatted away until well after dark. They have recently embarked on the nomadic traveling lifestyle like us, so we exchanged tips and strategies for living this unconventional life. It was fun to see friends from North Carolina, especially so far from "home" (wherever that is anymore!) Stay tuned as we hit the road again and see some of the best fall foliage ever!
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Emily & BarryWe're a long-married, early-retired couple who are currently traveling as nomads with no fixed home base. After years of living in North Carolina (Emily's home state), we spent 18 months living oceanfront on Ambergris Caye, Belize, a year road-tripping the US in a Honda CR-V, a year in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and are now roaming North America in our 32' motorhome, Pearl, following warm weather whenever possible. Archives
July 2019
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