The Turquoise Trail.....................

Tuesday, the day after the 4th of July holiday weekend, we headed out first thing in the morning to La Mesa RV, around the corner from our campground, to inquire about getting an appointment to check out the slide on our RV. It seems our slide is a little bit off and needs some adjustment. At least, we are hoping its something as simple as that! No appointments available until Thursday though, which is the day we are leaving this campground and heading an hour away to Santa Fe...so the timing is actually just perfect. We weren't able to speak with a mechanic, but after hearing our issue he squeezed us in, so we are hopeful it really is simple. We'll see. Fingers crossed its something simple!!

home sweet home in Albuquerque

nice shaded backyard!

planning what to do about the slide-out issue!

After that, and feeling pretty good about having an appointment for the RV, we spent the better part of the day traveling the historic Turquoise Trail, which runs from Albuquerque to Santa Fe via I-14. It is a very scenic drive of about a total of 60 miles through the rolling hills and mountains of New Mexico. There are various opportunities to stop.....with some quirky little shops and galleries along the way.

not sure if that is air pollution or what over Albuquerque

lovely ride through the New Mexico hills

interesting

caught my attention...being a knitter!

that's a lot of empty bottles!

the dogs up ahead are enjoying the views too!

nice views

up and down and all around

its very dry here in New Mexico right now....warnings are everywhere!

The town of Madrid seemed to have the most "shopping", and seemed to be the most crowded. I took some pics as we wizzed by, but we didn't stop to windowshop. We saw a few restaurants, but it was way too early for lunch so we motored on.

town of Madrid....quirky!

love the artwork everywhere ..... makes it visually interesting!

this is a busy little mountain town

too early for lunch

lots of shops and galleries

something for everyone

enjoying the views along the "trail"

The next town was Cerrillos, and we turned off for the historic area of town. Wow. It was small, and deserted, and we just turned around and got right back on I-14.

a few interesting stops here...I think?

hhmmm....the town was deserted when we were there

BuBye

Before long, the rocks in the area started to become very noticeable! Unique outcroppings caught our attention. We passed a few locals (horses!), and enjoyed some artwork and the scenery along the way.

cool rocks

well......howdy!

not sure what that is, but looks like a Mexican Hat

we love these weather vanes

enjoying the art along the way

and the views too

Speaking of artwork, we drove right by the Turquoise Sculpture Garden. It was on our wish list of places to visit, but we didn't see it.  On our return trip back down I-14 we spotted it and pulled in. What a treat! We really enjoyed walking among the sculptures, which were all origami made from paper, and cast in metal. Fun! Very original! This is the site of the artists' (hubby and wife) home and studio, but they also have a traveling exhibit. We got to talking with the young girls that worked there, and they were telling us about the traveling exhibition. I recommended they check out the NJ Sculpture Garden....so maybe the exhibit will come to NJ some time in the future:)

Turquoise Sculpture Garden!

fly like a crane

so cool....made of metal

Rock-Paper-Scissors

the Gift Shop/Visitor Center/Artists' home and studio

view from the Visitor Center

I just love these cairns...and they are everywhere on this property!

nice

buffalo jam?

We enjoyed walking along the two short loops containing the exhibits. The background was beautiful too....nice views of the mountains and unique rock formations. The landscape of this outdoor gallery also included many cairns, which I just love! Haha! Reminds me of all the fun times we have hiking.

hey look!

how cool is that?

someone is pretty good with origami!

my favorite!

enjoying the grounds too

okay, thanks!

paper airplane!

very cool

the  rocks here were very cool too.....the landscape was perfect for an outdoor gallery!

the views all around were really nice

check out the waves under the oars too!

enjoying the exhibit immensely

striking

love the colors

they are all branded too

see...cairns in the most unsuspecting spots

cool...an unfolded origami piece

sweet flowers

nice! 

glad we stopped here!

the other side painted differently

After an enjoyable hour or so at the origami gallery, we headed back down towards Albuquerque. We passed through Madrid again, and it looked even busier than earlier in the morning. I took a few more random shots from the car. It looked like a fun time, but we had another stop higher on our list.

this is a happening place!

some views as we drove through the town (30 seconds)

lots of quirky little shops

oh, the parking has opened up a bit (it was way more crowded earlier!)

pottery....turquoise...arts and crafts.....keep driving Tom! (or this could be costly!)

lots of places to eat too

There was an alpaca farm listed on the "brochure" that I had circled so we didn't miss it, however, it must have gone out of business. We could not find it. Granted, most things were not well marked so it may have been there, but ..... we moved along to our final destination on the Turquoise Trail.

such pretty views

lots of pink too!!

we did stop here...and thankfully the owner was really busy with other shoppers so we left empty handed

see the ski trails on Sandia Peak in the distance? That's where we are headed

careful now

 Sandia Peak was also high on our list to visit, and was our last stop on the Turquoise Trail. We saved it for last hoping the air cleared in the valley below (Albuquerque) so we could see the views from above. To reach Sandia Peak, we traveled up Sandia Crest, scenic byway. It was scenic! And, bonus: the road was not on the edge of the mountain, so no need for anyone (me) to have white knuckles...hahahha.

coyote checking us out

the drive up to Sandia Peak is through the Cibola National Forest-lots of hiking trails too

the landscape changes as we gain elevation (about 4000-5000 feet)

nice views

Once we reached the peak, Tom was enthralled with all the antennas, but managed to tear himself away to check out the views. Hahah! (I am a geek wannabe, so I do try to understand)! At the top, we also spotted the Sandia Crest house, home to the Two Mile High Cafe and a gift shop.

bet you know what each atennnae is for too, don't ya?

Sandia Crest House...we are eating there later

we started at 6000 feet.....and now we are at 10,000+

the views were so cool

nice looking over a city (Albuquerque)

Its busy down there...and so quiet and peaceful up here (oh, and much cooler! Its about 72 up here, and 97 in Albuquerque!)

heading up to the viewpoints 

i think we are two miles higher than the city?

great views-a little "misty"

I don't know if that is pollution, or what kind it is

the explanation for the dead trees we've seen all along the way up to the peak! Moths!

Hey Tom....there's a trail...see it?

I don't have my hiking shoes with me and sandals won't cut it (good one, huh?)

After checking out the awesome views from above, overlooking the city of Albuquerque, we ambled on over to the cafe for a sandwich. We were starving, so it was delicious! They also had the best cupcakes, which we shared:)

have a cupcake :)

ahhh....cell service!  (we really miss reliable cell service and INTERNET!!!!) Just sayin'

more great views

nice

driving back down the mountain and passing the ski resort

A fun day on the National Scenic Byway - Turquoise Trail. Why is it called that? I don't really know, but at the start of the Turquoise Trail in the town of Tijeras, if you go the speed limit over the rumble strips, you will hear "America the Beautiful". Really!! That is the first time we've seen, or rather, heard, anything like that!

Not a bad idea to have those rumble strips on all the interstates that cross this country. It really is "America the Beautiful"....from sea to shining sea.