First, I will start by recapping our evening yesterday. I posted my blog pretty early in the afternoon. I’m not quite into the swing of things.
After a siesta (taking a nap on the couch), our first thunderstorm and enjoying some outdoor time on the patio, we decided to head back out for adventure.
One place on our list was the historic old town of Albuquerque which was established in 1706. It features original adobe architecture, the iconic San Felipe de Neri Church, and over 100 local shops, museums and restaurants. The San Felipe de Neri Church was built in 1793. This is the oldest surviving building in the city and it still functions as a Catholic parish.
I really enjoyed walking through and checking out the shops. It feels like you are transported back in time.
From there we ventured a few blocks away to the Sawmill Market. This is New Mexico’s first artisanal food hall, which sounds a little too uppity for us, but the variety of food options there was the real draw. The building the market is in was formerly a 40,000 square foot lumber warehouse. It now features over 20 different places to order food, desserts or cocktails. It was sprawling, loud and crowded inside so I didn’t take any photos, but I got one of the entrance and our food. We sat outside and ate. There were so many good places to try I suggested we come back for another meal.
After our meal, we walked back to Old Town taking a trail that runs along a park. It was about 8 p.m. by this point and the park was packed full of people running around, playing soccer or just enjoying the cooler temperatures.
After that it was time to head back to our AirBnB.
I had another night of poor sleep. I’m not sure what is keeping me up, but I hope I sleep better tonight.
This morning we were going to get out the door early and managed to get out by 9 a.m. We ate breakfast before we left and headed to check out the Petroglyph National Monument. We’ve seen petroglyphs before near Vantage and at Saguro National Park near Tuscon. I enjoy seeing these and the learning the history of the area. Here in Albuquerque, the park has over 20,000 drawings. The carvings were created primarily by ancestral Pueblo peoples and early Spanish settlers between 1300 and 1680. The carvings were created by chipping away at the volcanic rocks. The depict a variety of images including animals, people and shapes.
We viewed all of these from Boca Negra Canyon which is nestled right next to a neighborhood. By this point, the sun was beating down on us. There was no shade here and very little breeze. We headed back to the van (Gertie) and then were on the hunt for lunch. We decided to eat at Weck’s which is a local chain here with a retro diner theme. Jacob ordered enchiladas and I had a breakfast quesadilla. Both were so good and filled with green chiles. Jacob said the New Mexican cuisine might be his favorite.
After lunch we had decided we needed a little break from the sunshine and headed over to check out the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. Jacob casually suggested this but he was like a kid in a candy store once we got inside. There were so many signs to read! I enjoyed looking at the big planes.
We learned all about the creation of the atom and hydrogen bombs. It was interesting to learn about all of the testing they did in Los Alamos, and the local connection to the Hanford site in Washington. The museum had many variations of weapons that were developed to deliver these bombs, and it was kind of overwhelming. I am glad we haven’t had to use most of them! There was a section in the museum that discussed how radium was advertised as a cure-all solution for pretty much everything from cleaning to health. It was terrifying that the public didn’t know the true dangers for quite some time. We even saw a kids toy lab set from 1950 which had actual radioactive parts for kids to create and watch chemical and nuclear reactions.
After nearly three hours at the museum, it was time to head on back to our AirBnB. The afternoon clouds were starting to form and I didn’t want to be caught outside in it.
Shortly after we got back, it got darker and darker outside. The wind started to pick up and I heard the sound of rain hitting the skylights. Then we heard big, rattling booms of thunder. Jacob was delighted. He got up and took photos and videos of it. I was thinking if he got struck by lightning I’d be so pissed.
He survived, and we’ve ordered pizza from a local chain called Dions. We are just about to head out the door and pick it up. Wish us luck!
Tomorrow plans are TBD. We are either heading to Santa Fe or the Sandia Mountains.
Until then!