After leaving the Texan Panhandle, we made our way to Albuquerque. My brother Jim lives there, so stopping was a no-brainer.
On the way to Albuquerque, I fired up my Road Tripper app (available on Android and iOS) to see if there was anything exciting along the route. It suggested a stop at Russell’s Travel Center, a quirky truck stop with a museum of old cars and memorabilia from the Route 66 era.
My second Elvis sighting of this trip. He didn’t have much to say.
Albuquerque was mostly family time and visiting. We did find out why the Sandia Mountains (the mountains that border the east edge of Albuquerque) are called “sandia.” I didn’t know it, but sandia means watermelon in Spanish. Going to dinner one night we witnessed the mountains turning red. Outstanding!
The Sandia Mountains at sunset.
We did take time to visit The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. The museum documents the atomic age which New Mexico played a big part in.
The museum entrance.
I struck gold on the periodic table of elements in the museum lobby.
The rest of the Periodic Table of Elements.
The sail of the USS James K. Polk Submarine. No, the rest of the sub was NOT buried.
After the family time, we headed south to Las Cruces, NM. We spent a couple of days at a KOA campground there we loved last year when passing through the area. Enough said. New Mexico is a natural stopping point for us due to family. I am sure we will be through there many times in the coming years.
On to Arizona…we needed to get a special visitor from the Tuscon Airport. That’s the next post…