We hope you have been enjoying our blog about our New Mexico Road Trip.  Welcome to Part 9!  Starting with Part 8, we began to share with you, in-depth information about the sites and attractions we will be visiting during our 8-day trip throughout New Mexico together. Since our first day in Albuquerque will be spend attending Balloon Fiesta - with a crack of dawn start, I might add - we decided to mix things up a bit by paying a visit to the Sandia Peak on Day 2, first thing in the morning.  The big attraction here is Sandia Peak and the Sandia Peak Tramway, which stretches from the northeast edge of Albuquerque to the crestline of the Sandia Mountains.  The Tramway has the world's third longest single span at 2.7 miles and it is the longest aerial tram in North America.

The Sandia Mountains are located east of Albuquerque and largely within the Cibola National Forest.  Just a bit of fun trivial for you - the word Sandia means watermelon in Spanish. Many believe that this name was given because of the reddish color of the mountains at sunset. However, the name might have also been derived from the way the mounts look from the west, with the profile of the mountains possessing a ridge with a thin zone of green conifers near the top, resembling the "rind" of the watermelon. Of course, there can be a third explanation to the name which might be the result of the Spaniards thinking the squash growing at the base of the mountains were watermelon. Whatever the reason for its name, this beautiful mountain range is one of the top spots in Albuquerque and one that we plan to visit during our road trip in October.  

I'm going to be blunt here - I am not sure I will be up to the challenge of actually riding this tramway.  Tanya asked me if I was afraid of heights, and I told her "No, I'm afraid of falling." lol  My "baby" cousin has moved beyond her older cousin in her fearlessness.  I will keep an open mind, however, and play it by ear when we get to the mountain. 

So here are some of facts about the Tramway:
* A trip up the mountain takes fifteen minutes to ascend 3,819 ft  
* The normal operating speed of the tram is 12 miles per hour 
* Approximately four "flights" leave every hour from the base and top departure stations. 
* The view from the tram includes all of Albuquerque and roughly 11,000 square miles of the New Mexico countryside.

Sounds like a wonderful way to "see" New Mexico!  There are a number of activities to partake in once you reach the top. These include a number of trails for riding and backpacking and nature hiking. In the summer, 26 biking trails are available and in wintertime, skiing is possible. I'm not sure if we will be engaging in any of these, traveling with all the kids, but it's good information for future reference. 

Join us for Part 10 next Travelin' Tuesday!!
- Elisa

For Your Reference

Sandia Peak Tramway

Welcome to Part 5 of our New Mexico Road Trip.  We have had alot of fun sorting through the various sites and things to do while in Albuquerque.  Of course, the main focus, as you know, is the Balloon Fiesta!  We are so pumped for this trip!

So, here is the breakdown that we have come up with for the first three days of our trip. Mind you, we did all this planning on a text session yesterday - please don't think we are nuts for not just picking up the telephone to talk it through! We would love any input, if you have traveled to or are from Albuquerque!

Day 1: Albuquerque 
- Balloon Fiesta morning Session
- Afternoon for relaxing and hanging out
- Evening - Albuquerque Old Town for dinner and shopping

Day 2: Albuquerque
- Sandia Peak & Tram
- Botanical Gardens
- Balloon Fiesta Evening Session

Day 3: Drive from Albuquerque to Taos
Stop along the way to see 
a) Giant Red Arrow
b) Petroglyph National Monument
c) Bandelier Monument
d) Kasha Katuwe Tent Rock National Monument
- Arrive Taos, Eat and Settle in

We are working on finding some great dining places in and around Albuquerque that have menus for both vegan, vegetarian and picky!  Stay tuned for Part 6 and Taos Activities!!
- Elisa & Tanya

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

As of today, we have exactly three months till our Road Trip to New Mexico!  October 3rd is the big day that the "travelin' cousins" meet in Albuquerque.  So I thought it would be a good idea to do a review of our ToDo list for this trip and see what we can check off and what is left to still finalize:

• Plan Cities to Visit  - DONE (Albuquerque, Taos and Santa Fe)
• Book Accommodations - DONE (Hotel in Albuquerque and Private home Rentals in Taos and Santa Fe)
• Elisa's Rental Car - DONE
•  Tanya's Rental Car - DONE

So, that is what's is done - here is what we still have to do:

• Elisa to book airfare NY to Albuquerque (well, you've read my saga with this, so this is still a work in progress)
• Tanya to book Dave's airfare for both weekends (let's hope Tanya has better luck with airfare rates than her East Coast-based cousin!)
• Map out Driving Routes - We will be working on this together during the coming week
• Select restaurants for all three cities
• Purchase Balloon Fiesta Tickets
• Finalize Sites and Activities in all three cities and places along the driving route

This would pretty much finish off the trip!  But, as you can see, we have a ways to go.
Today, I want to talk about Sites and Activities!  That's the really fun part of any trip.     We created a very long list of possibilities, broken down by each city and those along the way.  Of course, we know that we will not have enough time in 8 days to see everything, but, for now, we are just reflecting on each and will narrow down the list over the coming weeks.  If you have any thoughts or experience with any of these, please comment and let us know. We would love the input!!
Albuquerque:

• Balloon Fiesta 

This is obviously a definite and the whole inspiration for the trip.  We are planning to go the first two days.  Balloon Fiesta is a LONG day. Up early, arriving by 4:30-5:00 AM to see the balloons take off; and then a fun, filled night with a fireworks show lighting up the night sky.  So, we've allocated two full days for this spectacular event.

Here are the other possible sites for Albuquerque:

• Albuquerque Biological Park
• Sandia Peak
• Petroglyph National Museum
• Tinkertown Museum
• Giant Red Arrow
• Hinkle Family Fun

On the Way from Albuquerque to Taos

• Bandelier National Monument
• Kasha Katuwe Tent Rock National Monument

Taos

• Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
• Kit Carson Home & Museum
• Taos Pueblo
• Manby Hot Springs
• Tree of Human Kindness
• Sants & Sinners Sign
• Ghost Town Museum

So There you have it - some fun options for things to do on our road trip.  Till next "Travelin' Tuesday" and Part 5, 
~Elisa & Tanya

Our New Mexico Road trip is still in its infancy, but we have made some great strides in two major areas.  First, our itinerary is all set:  Arrive in Albuquerque (Tanya by car from Anaheim via Sedona, Arizona and Elisa by air from New York).  We will stay in Albuquerque 3 nights, specifically for the Balloon Fiesta, which was the inspiration for this trip; on to Taos for 2 nights; onward to Santa Fe for 2 nights; and returning back to Albuquerque for one night.  Elisa will then leave to go back home to New York and Tanya will continue the road trip heading to Carlsbad Caverns NP and traveling through White Sands National Monument, both in New Mexico and to Saguaro NP in Arizona and then back to Anaheim. 

We made some good progress with the accommodations.  For Albuquerque, we will be staying in a hotel.  We thought it would be great for the kids to have access to a pool for the beginning of the trip, especially since our days will be starting literally at the crack of dawn at Balloon Fiesta. We thought they would enjoy unwinding at the end of the long day with a fun filled swim.  After a great deal of researching, Tanya and I settled on the idea of doing private rentals through VRBO for both Taos and Santa Fe.. We actually had alot of fun checking the various properties and found two that would fit our needs just perfectly!   We know the kids will LOVE the idea of us all staying together under one roof and we are sure the girls will bunk up together every night.  The other benefit of staying in homes with fully equipped kitchens is that it will allow us flexibility to cook which is really an advantage for Tanya and her kids since they are vegan, and great for me since my Kelsey is an extremely picky eater.  Additionally, it will save us some money from constantly eating out; and lastly, we thought it would be alot of fun to cook together and have relaxing breakfasts and dinners at "home."  
Check out Part 3 of our Road Trip and the many sites we have planned to see in each city!!
~E