And The ADVENTURE Continues...

Friday, October 9, 2015

October 7, 2015 Petroglyph National Monument, Turquoise Museum and Old Town Albuquerque

Wednesday, October 7, 2015 Petroglyph National Monument, Turquoise Museum and Old Town Albuquerque

We began our day watching the balloons go up from our campsite instead of going to the field. We sat there for about an hour hoping the wind would blow in our direction but the balloons were floating away from us. So we headed in as it was in the low 50's and I was getting a little chilled.

Next we headed to the Petroglyph National Monument.. This place has more than 20,000 petroglyphs over a span of 17 miles.. We only walked 3 miles. They estimate that these were made 400-700 years ago and there are some that go back some 2000-3000 years ago. So there is a lot of history here in this one place. Pretty incredible that something has survived for this long of a time.

The next thing that we went to see was the turquoise museum. This was an very small place but this is the place to go to learn about turquoise from beginning to end. It is a family owned business and they have turquoise from all over the world. It was more than we expected. It was well worth the small fee.

Then we walked around Old Town. Everywhere we turned we heard music. I even bought a CD.

Time is running down for us. Our car is finally ready for pickup so Mike is going to get it tomorrow. Sunday is going to be our last day here and then we are heading to Amazon just on the outskirts of Forth Worth so folks this blog is going to really slow down as we will be staying in one place till the new year. At this time we have no plans to travel. We also haven't made up our minds as to where we are going to winter,

THESE 4 BALLOONS ARE FROM YESTERDAY WHERE THEY LANDED IN FRONT OF US

MY FAVORITE COLORS

OUR MORNING SUNRISE

THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN FROM OUR CAMPSITE

THESE ARE TAKEN FROM PETROGLYPH NATIONAL MONUMENT

CHERYL AND JP THIS PICTURE IS FOR YOU- AFRICAN SPURRED TORTOISES

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

October 6, 2015 Balloon Fiesta Dawn Patrol and hundreds of Balloons

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 Balloon Fiesta Dawn Patrol and hundreds of Balloons

Well, we didn't make it to the field by 5 am but we still got there early enough to enjoy the launch of the Dawn Patrol and have a huge breakfast burrito waiting for the other balloons to take off. It was cold this morning before the sun came up but it was worth it.

They launch a few balloons before sunrise to test the winds and to give the other balloons an idea of the wind currents. This morning it was 7 balloons and they looked marvelous being lite up by their propane burners while it was still dark. Once they lifted off the field started getting really busy as hundreds of balloons got lined up on the balloon launch field. They start the launch from one end and then continue down the field. After the first row is gone others come into that area and get set up for there turn. We were overwhelmed by the size and sheer numbers of the balloons.Talking about sensory overload. The sound of all the burners going off and the brilliant colors and shapes of the balloons. Pictures and videos do not do it justice. What a great day and the weather participated.

After all the balloons were airborne we headed back to the RV camping area and after a hour or so some of the balloons started landing around and among our RVs. Yesterday one took off an rooftop ac unit and today one landed between two rows of RV's. The pilots are really good and experienced but sometimes the winds win. There are no brakes or steering wheels on these balloons.

After all of the balloons were down Mike and I walked to see the balloon museum. It was very interesting telling how balloons got started and all of the history about balloons. Worth the walk.

After lunch Mike and I attended an informal group of RV's learning how to make mead in an RV. For those who don't know mead is a alcoholic beverage made from honey and various fruits. I think that Mike and I are going to give it a try. It seems pretty easy. Will let you know how it turns out.
We had a pretty busy day.

Laser show before Dawn Patrol

Dawn Patrol

Dawn Patrol after takeoff

HERE ARE SOME OF THE BALLOONS WE SAW THIS MORNING

THIS IS OUR COACH ON THE RIGHT--THIS IS HOW CLOSE WE WERE TO THE BALLOONS

October 5, 2015 Travel Day to Albuquerque and the Balloon Fiesta

Monday, October 5, 2015 Travel Day to Albuquerque and the Balloon Fiesta

This was just another short trip from Cortez, CO to Albuquerque NM. It was about 5 hours. We went a different way than we did before. Again our car is not ready for another couple of days. So we are going to enjoy ourselves at the Balloon Fiesta and get our car during the week.

The landscape suddenly changed as soon as we crossed into New Mexico, It looks similar to Monument Valley. We arrived at the Fairgrounds which is just across the street from where the balloons are going to take off tomorrow morning. There are 3 campgrounds around the field to accommodate the RV's. This function is going to have 550 balloonist from around the world. All shapes and sizes and a lot of colors. We are planning on leaving before 5 am tomorrow to see the dawn patrol go up.

Happy Birthday, Jeff.

Sunset from the casino we stopped at for the night

Sundance RV Park -our campsite pretty nice

A rock formation

This is Shiprock in the fog-Does it look like a ship?

This is what Shiprock looks like up close

Doesn't this look like Monument Valley?

Another rock formation

Check out this camper see anything strange----driving with a flat tire--crazy

Sunday, October 4, 2015

October 1.2.3.4., 2015 No post, no car just hanging at the campground

October 1-4, 2015 No post, no car just hanging around campgrounds

No post for these days due to the face that we don't have a vehicle. Our car is still down and now it looks like it will be another week. So we are hanging around till Monday and then we are off to the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, NM.

Stay tuned till Monday.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

September 30, 2015 Visit to El Rancho De Las Golondrinas

Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Visit to El Rancho De Las Golondrinas

This ranch is a walking tour on some 200 acres. The name means the ranch of the swallows. The ranch does date back to the 1700's and was home to the Vega y Coca family till 1932. The next family that took over wanted to preserve this ranch for generations to come. It does bring you back in time. Some of the same things that are shown to visitors like the drying of herbs and vegetables. Tanning and blacksmith. Some of the blankets that are weaved are actually sold.
They also have some sheep that are ancestors to the original sheep that were here in the 1700's. There are 33 buildings on this property some are from the original ranch and some have been brought in from the surrounding area that date back to the 1700 and 1800s. It took us about 1 1/2 hr to make the complete tour. Totaling 2.5 miles.