Small places to see in New Mexico

[Tom&Shelly]

Hi all. Days before we were to start our trip back east this Summer, some medical concerns arose and we decided it best to cancel for this year.

So now we are stuck in paradise this Summer! I mean, when I lived in Los Angeles I cherished trips to New Mexico! So, we decided to take as many day trips as possible, as well as using the time to make cabin improvement projects, and maybe even improve our teardrop for trips to come.

Far as the day trips go, thought it might be helpful to post some pictures and information, for folks who may travel through the area some day.

Friday, we drove down to the Sandia Ranger station (NFS), less than a mile south of I-40 on NM 337 (old South 14) at the Tijeras exit. The attraction here is a 1/3 mile walk through an old archaeological dig of an even older pueblo. I thought this pueblo was a going village into the early 1800's, but it turns out it was abandoned a few centuries sooner, with some others a little to the north growing up later.




The ranger station has a visitor center, and there are pit toilets by the parking lot, but no picnic tables, unfortunately. There is a museum on the walk, that is normally open Friday-Sunday. It was closed for a special event last week, but we'll get back there soon, and report. Since we live just up the road, I'd like to learn more about the Pueblo Indians who hunted, and possibly lived on the land I now own.

This is located in a nice place for a break when driving through on I-40. Too bad there are no picnic tables at the ranger station, but there is a Subway right off the interstate. There are also many trail heads both north and south, mostly run by the National Forest Service, but also by Albuquerque Open Space.

Tom

[rjgimp]

Interesting how we all spend our lives exploring other people's backyards and rarely devote as much time and effort enjoying our own.

[Tom&Shelly]

Thank you Rob! Yes, we are revisiting our own back yard. When I lived in LA and was traveling out here I had time on my hands after the meetings at the Air Force base, and nothing better to do, and hiked the trails in the East Mountains. Now, we have a house and things to do around here, so we don't find the time. That's a good reason for going camping away from your home!

An addendum to my last post: There actually are picnic tables available behind the Sandia Ranger Station, by the museum



The museum is supposed to be open Friday-Sunday, but it's run by volunteers, and wasn't open Friday a half hour after it was supposed to open at ten. If I want better, I suppose I should volunteer, but there are still those things to do around the house. So I'm not complaining, but simply explaining.

Anyway, this is a good place to stop for a picnic lunch if you happen to be traveling on I-40. The Tijeras exit is a few minutes east of Albuquerque. If you haven't packed a picnic lunch, there is a Subway here.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

Friday morning, before it got too hot, we checked out a little hike on county open space, just a mile north, off the I-40 Tijeras exit, on NM-14. NM-14 is an official "scenic byway", the famous Turquoise Trail. Take it all the way, and you wind up in Santa Fe.

As I say, this is almost exactly a mile up the road from I-40, and a great place to stretch your legs on a long drive, as long as it isn't too hot! The landmark is a Catholic church on your left. Take the road right before it, and the trail head is just in back of the church.



This hike is a mile long loop, after a quarter mile of access road from the parking lot, for a total of a mile and a half. It is fairly flat, although there is a little elevation gain. (Maybe less than 100 feet? It's on the sign, but I can't read it in the photo.) According to the sign, they close it from August to November due to bears. I guess in that case, you have to go a little further and hike in the Sandia Mountains in back of this open space, where the bears actually live.

It's a nice hike, and I would recommend it, especially in the shoulder seasons. We were there before 9 am, and it was already in the mid-80's. But then, so is our house, so we figured this was better! This time of year, there are some pretty wild flowers



The cactus here bloom from late May through July, and now the cholla is the last



You get some great views of the Sandia ridge from here



There are houses scattered around. More to the East



If you want something more remote and have time, go a few more miles up NM-14 and take a left turn up towards Sandia Crest. Soon you enter Forest Service land, and there are several nice trail heads with hikes of all lengths and elevation gains, including some nice flat trails on the Crest itself. That's also 3000 feet higher and about 20 degrees cooler than we are, so we plan to report on that one soon.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

Last Friday, Shelly and I decided to beat the heat on our hike and go up to the Sandia Crest. It's at 10,000 feet and change, and so it was only 76 deg F up there while it was in the low 90's at our cabin. However, you are closer to the Sun up there, so put on sun screen! In fact, there are significantly fewer air molecules at that altitude, and the sun did feel warm, so we hiked on the shady side of the trails. For those not used to the altitude, of course, beware, and stay hydrated!



There are two ways to get there. The first is to go up Tramway on the East side of Albuquerque, and take the Tram to the restaurant on the Crest. (I guess with a road called Tramway, someone just had to build a tram!)



For some reason, the restaurant is now called "10 Three". It used to be called "High Finance" which was definitely truth in advertising! It was over priced, with moderate food. Haven't been to it in years, so I can't comment now. However, you can bring your own picnic lunch and sit outside and enjoy the view of Albuquerque



You can either take the tram back down, or hike to the antenna farm, about 2 miles along the Crest,



then back, and then take the tram back down. The Kiwanas Lodge used to be on the route, but is now a side hike due to re-routing for erosion control. It is a stone building that once had windows, and supposedly was built as an emergency shelter for those caught on the crest during a bad storm. Thunderstorms can come up in July and August, but, honestly, just beat it off the crest a few hundred yards and you'll be in a much better situation.



Since we live in the East Mountains (East of Albuquerque) we did the trip the other way. We took the scenic drive off of NM 14 and it was a half hour up to the antenna farm



(I took those first two shots to show you what to look for in the turn off from NM 14.)

I guess the road is called NM 536, but who can remember a number like that? We just call it the road to the Crest.

Before you get to the National Forest Service land, you will see something called Tinkertown.



We went there some years ago. The guy who owned it built a whole doll house sized town and also collected other oddities. After he passed his family opened it to the public, advertised it in the pamphlets about the "Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway", and figured to try and claim their share of your tourist dollar. So you can guess my opinion, but, hey, it's your vacation!

A mile or so and you reach the Sandia Forest Land. Plenty of good picnic areas, and lots of hiking trails up the mountain. (There is a parking fee if you don't have an America pass or similar.)



This is the East side of the mountain and the slope is less, and there are many more trees than the West side which faces Albuquerque (5600 feet). I prefer this, but there are also some good trails to the Crest from that side as well. Most of the hiking has a lot of elevation gain, naturally enough, but there are some fairly flat trails, including the one at the Crest. The Crest trail is the busiest however, especially on weekends. There are hiking maps at the Forest Service Ranger Station in Tijeras.

Also on the East side is the Sandia Peak Ski area, for those interested in that.



Sometime, I want to do a whole post on the "Turquoise Trail", which is a scenic byway, and is NM 14 from I-40 in Tijeras (East of Albuquerque) up to Santa Fe. However, this week, I had hiatal hernia surgery (now doing well recovering) so it will be a little while. I will mention, just up the road a few hundred feet from the Bernallilo County Open Space hike I'd mentioned in the previous post, there is a restaraunt called Burger Boy.



That's a landmark! We have friends who take their motorcycles up the Turquoise Trail and stop there for lunch. Specialty is the Green Chili Cheeseburger, and the prices are reasonable. Another place to mention is a small grocery store, a few miles up from Burger Boy, well before you get to the turn off to the Crest, called Triangle Grocery. Small and a bit expensive, but a good place to pick up water and snacks if you need them for hiking. There was a gift shop and snack bar up at the antenna farm, but it was closed when we were there last week, so come prepared!

Tom

[swoody126]

gotta love the Turquoise trail side of the hill !

many fond rememberies of that little road

IIRC they put a Los Cuates over there

if it is as good as the one down on Lomas you've got some decent victuals handy

used2 like going there after a day @ the flea mkt(s)

THANKS for the trip down remembery lane

sw

[Tom&Shelly]

Well, it's tough on restaurants over here, and I'm afraid Los Cuates didn't make it. It's now Lantern Ridge Farm Market. They do have breakfast and lunch, and I keep getting emails for special dinner events from them. We had breakfast there a few weeks ago and it was good.

I should also mention that in the same parking lot as Triangle Grocery there is Greenside Cafe which is usually good. Mostly sandwiches, and just slightly upscale, but not unreasonable prices. Next to that is Trailside Pizza (they used to be in a trailer down in Tijeras) that has the best pizza this side of Chicago. (I used to live near Italian neighborhoods back East; it's all the sauce!)

There is also a restaurant on the East side of NM 14 South of Triangle called "Yours, Mine, and Ours" that has good burgers, and The Ribs Place is in the strip mall next to the post office about a mile north of Triangle on NM 14. All good food, but check their hours. All seem to be having trouble getting help, and last I checked most weren't open Monday through Wednesday.

Sometimes Trailside Pizza has live entertainment, as well.

Tom