May 4-8

We found the “Blue Hole” while driving into New Mexico, we heard about this on a rv’ers YouTube channel, so cool.  The Blue Hole is in Santa Rosa, NM.  It is a popular, circular, bell-shaped natural pool fed by an artesian well. Known for its crystal-clear consistently cool (around 62’f), water, making a year round destination for swimming and scuba diving.  It is a major tourist attraction and training site, with water that flows in at about 3000 gallons per minute cycling every six hours.  The hole is about 80 feet deep and widens from 80 feet at the surface to 130 feet at the bottom, with a cave system at its base that is now gated off.

Albuquerque New Mexico!  Let’s start by saying when you book an RV Campground you are relying on photos and past reviews online to find the best place that suits your needs with resources and locations.  We are familiar with the KOA chain of campgrounds, so we comfortably booked one in Albuquerque.  We arrived and set up, everything seemed normal at the KOA except we noticed large fencing around the park with a coded entry gate to get in, off property was different.  Route 66 was just one block over from the KOA so we ventured out to see if we could locate some of the iconic Route 66 signs before dark. 

I have not mentioned the number of homeless people that we have witnessed from big to small towns, it has been overwhelming.  Route 66, also known as Central Ave in Albuquerque has them all beat.  Central Ave is approx. 12 a mile long stretch that has homeless people on every corner, bus stop, vacant parking lot and boarded up business store fronts and more.  We were surprised and saddened to see this.  99% of the businesses on this street had bars in the windows and some sort of metal fencing around the property for security.  Part of Route 66 ‘s attraction is to see the towns that time forgot and to see the working neon signs of businesses that had to close when the highway was officially decommissioned in 1985.   Not sure if time forgot Central Ave and its people or if Albuquerque did.  Note: We did venture into other parts of the city during our stay and found thriving businesses and people.

First stop on the menu of adventures was a drive on Kirtland Air Force Base.  Walter had to get a little Military/AFB fix but that of course was a great segway for our visit to the National Museum of Nuclear Science History.  It chronicled the history of the Atomic Age, from early nuclear research to modern applications in energy, medicine and industry.  It featured exhibits from the Manhattan Project, the Cold War and peaceful uses of nuclear technology.  Located next to the building was the Heritage Park, an outdoor area with a collection of historic aircraft, missiles and other large artifacts like the Trinity Tower.

We found Old Town Plaza the historic heart of Albuquerque, founded in 1706 and is centered around a plaza with the San Felipe de Neri Church.  It features historic adobe buildings that were converted into shops, galleries and restaurants.  The area is a preserved historic district.

The weather was giving us a bit of a fit, rain then sun, rain then sun.  Why we decided to take a trip on the Sandia Peak Tramway I don’t know, except we did not want to miss out.  The tram is an aerial tramway adjacent to Albuquerque.  It stretches from the northeast edge of the city to Sandia Peak on the ridge line of the Sandia Mountains and has the worlds third longest single span.  Remember I said it had rained, guess what it does at a elevation of 10,378 ft, SNOW.  The tram ride was about 15 minutes long.  When we arrived at the top the sky had cleared and the sun came out but the wind was raging and blowing the snow that was left on the trees through the air, but what a view.  You could see the entire Albuquerque valley floor and beyond.

Our last day was a hiking day.  We drove about an hour and a half to Jemez Springs historic site to explore the ruins of a 17^th century Spanish mission and a prehistoric village.  Then on to the Valles Caldera National Preserve (volcanic caldera) for a 5-mile hike.