New Mexico Wanderings

After my weekend in Boston, the next stop on my trip was Albuquerque. I wasn't sure what to expect from New Mexico, except maybe to see some folks from Calvin while I was there, enjoy some sunshine, and and eat some chili. Over meals with friends, I had green an red chili in several forms (each of their suggestions was delicious!) and finally got my time in the sun on my last day, before flying out. 

Sunrise on a red snake

The morning was glacier bloom blue as I walked from downtown Albuquerque to the old city. The entire place had a feeling of rough brick and wood weathering to the same desert-brown, but splashed with lively turquoise, orange, periwinkel, and green. At home, any scene I take in comes comes trimmed in shades of green, from drab fir to almost translucent chartreuse. It was strange to me that the green was the one colour missing in the desert... maybe a trip back in the spring would chanage my mind.

Several neighborhoods in Albuquerque had arts and crafts feel straight out of the middle of the 1900's. The historic Kimo theater was just one example, of a style I heard described as "Pueblo Deco." Classic neon signs lit up Route 66 through Nob Hill and downtown. Even the local transit system was called ART, complete with brightly lit sculptures at each bus stop! 

I took a break for my morning coffee at Humble Coffee (a local roaster which had everything to brag about), and then detoured to the Petroglyph National Monument. The art is 400-700 years old, originally by the native peoples and later by Spanish explorers/traders. Trails winding through volcanic rocks took me past many of the inscriptions. Some were clearly anthropomorphic, but most related to animals or cultural symbols.

My last stop before heading to the airport was Santa Fe, the spontaneous result of an earlier conversation with a friend from Calvin. Just over an hour away from Albuquerque, it was entirely worth the trip. Downtown was colourful, bustling, artsy... and covered with a layer of mostly-melted snow! The mountain next to the capitol was snow-topped, and the air was still crisp. I wandered around for a little while, lazily exploring. The one downside of visiting so late in the year was that the Basillica of St Francis was closed for Christmas choir practice, so my only view of the beautiful interior was through some high windows in the entry... I guess I'll have to go back!

Buckley meets St Francis