Gribblenation

The Turquoise Trail is a National Scenic Byway that is a nearly 50 mile drive from the Sandia Mountains just outside of Downtown Albuquerque north to Santa Fe.  Most of this route is along New Mexico 14. This quiet two lane highway that starts near Interstate 40 east of Albuquerque gets its name from the blue-green mineral that has been mined in the area for over 1,000 years.  In 1953, an Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce contest gave the road its name. The scenic drive also passes through a number of small towns.  The Town of Madrid is one of the more unique communities along the highway.  Madrid started as coal mining town in the mid-1800s.  A company town for the better part of 100 years, Madrid at one time was home to 2500 residents.  The town was known for its Semi-Pro baseball team the Madrid Miners that played at Oscar Huber Ballpark, which in 1920 became the first lighted baseball park west of the Mississippi . New Mexico 14 th...

Towering over Albuquerque to the east, the Sandia Mountains rise over 10,000 feet above sea level.   The mountains sit anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000 feet above Albuquerque.  The Sandia Mountains offer various recreational opportunities.  Hiking, hang gliding, rock climbing, and in the winter skiing make the mountain range one of the most popular recreation spots in Albuquerque. Sandía translated from Spanish to English is watermelon and the red, pink and brown reflections of sunlight at sunset led to its naming.  The mountains sit within the grounds of the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands . The Sandia Mountains as you ride the tramway. There are two ways to get to the top of the Sandia Range.  New Mexico Highway 536 climbs the east side of the mountain and leads to Sandia Crest which at 10,678 feet is the highest point in the range.  On the west side, the Sandia Peak Tramway is an extremely popular way to get to the top of the...

One of the best things about our blog is having the chance to resurrect or complete unfinished pages/projects from the old gribblenation site.  My 2007 trip to New Mexico is an example.  This is the first of a series of posts covering that enjoyable trip. I landed in New Mexico on a spectacular October afternoon.  Since I had some time to kill before checking in Albuquerque, I headed south a little bit to get myself accustomed to the New Mexico terrain.  The inn I stayed at was the Casas de Suenos - "The House of Dreams" - which is a former artist colony right on the edge of Old Town Albuquerque.  After checking in and exploring the grounds of what I would call home for the next four nights (a photo of my casita is below), I went across the street into Old Town.   Old Town , also known as Old Town Plaza, dates back to the city's founding by Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdez in 1706.  Old Town covers approximately ten city blocks and includes ...