Albuquerque/Santa Fe

The first night we spent in Albuquerque was the final night of their annual "Balloon Festival". By the time we got to the festival grounds it was getting dark, but the ballonists put on quite a light show. Many additional attempts at photos didn't turn out, unfortunately.

The next day we took a walking tour of "Old Town" and ended up at this restaurant for dinner.

Many cities and towns in Arizona and New Mexico are participating in a tourist marketing program based on Route 66. This sign is on the main drag in Albuquerque, but we saw many other examples in Holbrook, Gallup, Flagstaff, Williams, and Kingman.

These photos were taken in Petroglyph National Monument, a mountain full of this type of early human communication. No one seems to know exactly what these pictures mean - many have offered conflicting theories. The present day native Americans have been reluctant to share their myths and legends as much of it is considered sacred.

There is a Native American museum here, very informative, but photography is prohibited at most of the areas.
We spent one day in Santa Fe. These shots were taken on a bus tour of the area. There are many art galleries here, showing sculpture of all kinds as well as paintings.

We both agreed that one day could not do justice to the Santa Fe area. We'll put that on our list to return some day.