Thursday was a marathon of great fun and near exhaustion. In order to see game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, we rescheduled our horseback riding reservation from 6:00 pm on Wednesday to 6:30 am - yes, AM - on Thursday. That meant we had to leave Santa Fe around 5:15 am - yes, AM - for Placitas, which is on the other side of I-25 from Bernalillo. We started off with a primer on horseback riding, crucial since Marie and I had been on a horse once, about 30 years ago, and Connor had never ridden. Connor was first to mount, and cut a dashing figure if I do say so myself.
Soon we were all mounted, and followed our leader, Alicia, on a beautiful ride in the Sandia foothills. The ride out gave us beautiful views of the Sandia Mountains
while the ride back overlooked Bernalillo and the Rio Grande valley.
We all got off our horses walking bowlegged, but not before the requisite group photo. Does this horse make me look fat?
After a stop for cold drinks, we went to Petroglyph National Monument. This area, virtually adjacent to a residential development, presents hiking trails through a canyon littered with volcanic boulders, many of which have ancient petroglyphs.
It was already getting beastly hot in Albuquerque; Marie's knee hurt so she only hiked a bit, then headed back to the car. Connor and I hiked quite a ways, and saw numerous petroglyphs before we dragged ourselves back to the car.
After another stop for cold drinks, we decided to drive two hours to Gallup, NM so Connor could get his fill of trains. Gallup is still a major trading center for the Native Americans, as well as a major rail hub for the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad. Connor had a ball, watching several long trains go by.
We also watched as a couple of "tugs" maneuvered a long line of tank cars back and forth, complete with booming sounds as the train couplings expanded and contracted. As much as Connor enjoyed it, it got a bit noisy for all of us.
Next we headed to West Gallup so he could check out the prairie dogs. When Marie and I stayed here a few years back, we were entertained by their antics out our hotel window, and they didn't disappoint for Connor. After another stop for cold drinks - see a pattern here? - we drove two hours back to Albuquerque, where we stopped to eat dinner at El Pinto, reknowned for their red chili ribs. Marie feared that Connor couldn't handle the heat, but he manned up and finished a half rack. He also enjoyed his intro to sopapillas - pillow-like dinner rolls - with honey. On our way out we admired the chili ristras hanging at the entrance to the restaurant.
With full stomachs, we drove the hour back to Albuquerque and crashed. So let's recap: 6+ hours of driving, horseback riding, hiking in blistering heat, trains, prairie dogs and red chili ribs. Just another day in the Southwest!
The dawn horseback riding looked like fun, especially with those lovely views. Glad everyone survived the day! Bravo to you.
Posted by: Jan | 06/19/2011 at 07:46 AM