Our drive through New Mexico included a jog north to
Albuquerque to visit Lou and Ruth, old friends of Tim. Lou and Tim worked together many years ago,
and Lou was Tim’s best man at our wedding. We were lucky enough to see them last year,
and I love spending time with them.
We arrived in Albuquerque last night and stayed at the
Enchanted Trails RV Park on the west side of town. Originally known as the Hill Top Trading Post,
the property was a stop on historic Route 66 and has a lot of character. The trading post now houses the office, and
vintage travel trailers are on display and available for rent.
A Former Trading Post on Route 66 |
What a Cool Travel Trailer and Car! |
Lou took us to Barelas Coffee House where we had a
fabulous breakfast. Barelas is one of
Lou’s favorite places, and it serves traditional New Mexican fare where chilies
are the defining ingredient. I had the carne
adovada with eggs smothered with green (not red) chili, which was divine. Tim has made me a fan of New Mexican chilies,
both red and green, although I usually prefer green.
Carne Adovada |
Tim and I had planned to spend the weekend in
Albuquerque, but a severe weather forecast once again foiled our plans. A strong storm was predicted to bring plunging
temperatures and high winds, gusting to fifty miles an hour, to much of New
Mexico. A high wind warning had been
issued starting tomorrow, and we figured that it would be wise to head south
before the strongest winds arrived. We
were concerned not only with the wind itself, but with the blowing dust that
could drastically reduce visibility. So,
we decided that we would leave Albuquerque in the morning before the worst of the
wind began and drive to Las Cruces, where the forecast was not as bad.
Although our visit was shorter than planned, we enjoyed
our day with Lou and Ruth and caught up with the goings-on of the past year. Tim and I also took a little time to drive
around Albuquerque, where he showed me a few of his favorite places that we had
missed on our visit last year. My
favorite place was the Fruit Basket, a local market that is a feast for the
eyes, as well as the stomach. I’ve never
seen so many types of chilies. Albuquerque
is an interesting city, and I’m looking forward to coming back.
Displays at the Fruit Basket |
Bins of Hot Red Chili Pods |
Fruit and Chili Ristras |
Albuquerque sure is hard to spell, but it looks to be a place full of colors. :-) Loved all the pictures. Hope you avoided the wind storms. LV
ReplyDeleteLV, The colors of the Southwest are incredible. It's one of factors that attracted artists to the region. Glad you loved the photos. And, yes, we escaped most of the wind in Albuquerque only to get hit in Las Cruces. Sarah
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