Day 28, October 6, 2021

It was a strange day, but in the end entertaining, educational, frustrating at times, puzzling, but overall fulfilling in the Land of Enchantment (Tierra del Encanto).

We’ll start with our second day at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. We were up at 5:15 again, but when we walked down to the launch field, there was a light rain and it was announced the Morning Glory launch of a dozen balloons, firing their propane jets in the pre-dawn sky, would not take place. Eight balloons remained tethered and fired a few bursts to illuminate their multi-colored canopies, but that was the extent of it.

It also was announced that the mass ascension of balloons was being delayed because of the weather. We went back to our camper for breakfast but within an hour we heard on the radio that launches would begin.

It turned out to be a beautiful morning once the sun broke through the clouds, but the mass ascension was scaled back because of COVID. This was International Day, but unlike 2019 when 20 or more nations were represented, there were only a half dozen this year. But it didn’t matter — it was still spectacular.

After we watched all of the balloons launch and remained to see a few return to the same field, we drove into the hills of Albuquerque to the Petroglyph National Monument in Boca Negra Canyon. It features more than 25,000 highly fragile petroglyph images pecked into dark boulders along the volcanic cliffs. They possess deep spiritual significance for today’s Pueblo Indians and other native people. It is the largest petroglyph concentration in North America.

Archeologists believe they date back 3,000 years.

The National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque took control of the portions of the Rio Grande Valley in which the petroglyphs were discovered, in part (very sadly) because individuals were carving graffiti onto the same stones on which the petrolyphs were found.

We took one of the shorter trails through the canyon but still saw many examples of the petroglyphs.

From the Boca Negra Canyon, we drove to the Old Town portion of Albuquerque, looking for more of the local culture and food. This is when the day became a little more of a challenge. As we approached Old Town, police had blocked most of the entrances and there was yellow crime tape surrounding large sections of the area. We wound through side streets searching for somewhere to park, only to be turned back by traffic and more police presence. We later found out there had been a shooting at the Walgreens near where we had driven.

We eventually found a parking lot that wasn’t blocked by yellow tape or already overflowing with other cars and RVs and began our search for a restaurant to have lunch. We went past three in Old Town that displayed Closed signs and later were told many restaurants are closed either because of COVID or the inability to find help. We had seen much the same in Taos.

We finally found one that had an Open sign, but when we went in, the manager told us the police had told them to close for the day because of the shooting investigation. He told us he usually has six people working in the kitchen, but currently had only two. He recommended a place a few blocks down the street.

Garcia’s Cafe on Route 66 was open! It was, however, a real challenge finding something that wouldn’t be too spicy — dumb Easterners not realizing we’re in New Mexico and most everything is going to be spicy. Carol ordered the Combination Plate of a beef taco, cheese enchilada and pork tamale. I ordered the Flauta Plate with beef, green peppers, onions, guacamole and Spanish rice.

Mine was relatively mild, except for the guacamole, but Carol said her lips were burning and a little numb. So much for sampling Southwest cuisine. We later bought some ice cream in Old Town to ease our digestion.

We spent a few more hours in Old Town, listening to a Mariachi Band in the park (with people dancing in front of the stage) and going into the San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church, the oldest church in Albuquerque, having served its people since 1706.

We finished the day at the Albuquerque Natural History Museum, learning more about New Mexico’s volcanic history and the dinosaurs that once roamed the land.

It also was a day to enjoy varieties of cactus.

It was quite a day! Tomorrow it’s on to Carlsbad Caverns National Park with a short stop along the way in Roswell in search of ET.