SANDIA PEAK TRAMWAY RIDE

Here is a perspective of where the Sandia Peak is. Notice Santa Fe 40+ miles to the North and Albuquerque at the foot of the Western slopes of the mountain. Sandia is the Spanish name of a type of melon familiar to the Spanish explorers that first named the mountain.

We have taken off hanging by a few Swiss steel cables.

This crew member was braving the winds and cold riding above the cab on the way up.
He looked cold to us.

We have a full passenger load on the way up.

The gondola approaches the docking station at the top. The dark swath across Albuquerque below is the Rio Grande green area. This is very dry land.

We made it up to the top! It was a great ride made more interesting by the volunteer naturalists on board. The tramway is the longest in the world acording to the local lore (really?). It was built by the Swiss in the 1960's. I am sure it is meticulously maintained.

Teri bundles-up as we disembark at the top. Our friends Dave and Sandi Churchill are already set. The temperature was hovering at 33 F. with wind.

As we cross over the top to the East side of the mountain we find the Ski slope chair-lifts and really serious Summer mountain Bikers!

We arrive with our friends at the really nice restaurant at the top of Sandia Peak.

A strong storm front arrives at the summit level. We get high winds and cold temperatures.

The gondola full of passengers descends below the storm clouds near the rocky cliffs.

On the way down. You can see the winding Rio Grande cursing through the center of Albuquerque from left to right in this picture.

ALBUQUERQUE - GO WEST YOUNG MAN

One of many difficulties along the way.
What's over the next hill.

Struggling westward with Oxen power.
Hazards along the way.

Gift from an Indian girl.
Soldiers for protection.

Strolling the park in the center of old town.

ALBUQUERQUE - BALLOON FIELD & MOONGLOW

Balloons rising from the balloon field.
Balloons galore.

One of the Safety Patrol teams out and about.

Our friends, Bob and Ann, outside of one of the sponsor booths watching the activities.
Another moonglow special shape.

Special balloon shapes glowing in the night.
People milling around the edges of the balloon field

BALLOON FIESTA - SPECIAL SHAPES

The replica Montgolfier - The original balloon from the 1700s.

ACOMA PUEBLO - NEW MEXICO

Kathleen, our Acoma guide at the Pueblo, explaining Acoma tradition.

A barren land.


Acoma children playing in front of their home.

Typical adobe home construction.




Mission church now used only four times a year for special celebrations.

Streets are narrow and can get quite muddy after a rainfall.

ACOMA PUEBLO - NEW MEXICO

The only tree in the pueblo. An indian has a table set-up to display her crafts. In the background is a cistern without any safety fence enclosure.
One of the Acoma children playing on rocks at the edge of the mesa. There is a drop of hundreds of feet with no safety barrier. All the moms on our tour were a bit nervous for this child.

Only 12 families live year round at the pueblo where there is no running water or electricity. They have port-a-potties around the village, and they must carrier water from wells. Small wood burning stoves are used for cooking and keeping them warm.

A View from the Pueblo Mesa at just under 7,000 elevation.

Handmade pottery in traditional colors of orange, black, and white.

ACOMA PUEBLO - NEW MEXICO

Another traditional pottery piece. This one was used for storing seeds in the fall for planting in the spring. The hole in the lid was large enough to put seeds in, but too small for birds or rodents to get at the seeds. In the spring, they smashed the pottery to get the seeds.

This land was granted to the Acoma through a Spanish Land Grant that has remained in force, and they are the only Indians living on their own land and not sent to reservations.

The Acoma Pueblo is America's oldest continuously inhabited community. A population of 6,000 most living on Pueblo land with only a dozen or so families living on top of the mesa Pueblo. The Pueblo has served as the physical hub of the Acoma for nearly 2,000 years. The land is barren and hostile, but the Indians have managed to survive on it.