Albuquerque

The news last night reported that Grand Canyon is scheduled to open along with Utah's national parks.  It's hard not to feel a wee bit frustrated at this news.  It came a week too late for us.  I say a wee bit because in the end our time in Albuquerque was really fantastic and had we gone to Grand Canyon we probably wouldn't have spent as much time there.

Albuquerque lays at the base of the Sandia Mountains, and as we drove into town we could see the mountains in front us and balloons floating over the city in the north.  We arrived during the International Balloon Fiesta, the largest hot air balloon festival in the world, with 216 registered balloons this year and entrants from 11 countries.  The best time to see the balloons is during the mass ascension, so we rose early on our first full day to watch them.


We had so many favorites, like Darth Vader and the bees, and we were surprised at the size of these balloons.


After watching what must have been hundreds of balloons rise over the city, we were treated to a wonderful breakfast at Tim's Place.  Tim and his restaurant have received nationwide coverage, and his story is notable because Tim has Down syndrome.  His lifelong dream was to own a restaurant, and in 2010 he realized that goal  Our friends, Ardis & Ed, like to take visitors to Tim's because it's good to support this young man's business, but also because the breakfast is really delicious.  The girls were thrilled to meet Tim, and they told him all about their cousin, Whitney, who also has Down syndrome.  Tim told them that they were extremely lucky to have Whitney and that the amount of awesome in their lives had increased exponentially when she was born.  We think so too.


Tim keeps track of the hugs he gives out, and we were lucky enough to be some of the first hugs of the day on his hug-counter.

In the afternoon we went to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.  There are 19 pueblos in New Mexico, and the Cultural Center has a wonderful museum with exhibits on the pottery, art, and history of the pueblos.  Photographs are not allowed within the facility, but visitors can record the native dances that are scheduled throughout the day.  We were lucky enough to see two of those.  Pictured below are white buffalo dancers.


On our second full day we traveled to Acoma Pueblo which is about 70 miles outside Albuquerque.  The settlement of Acoma dates to 1100 AD, making it one of the oldest peublos in the Southwest.  The pueblo sits 365 feet above the valley floor on a mesa, and access by visitors is limited.  We purchased a tour package through the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum at the base of the mesa and were driven on top and led through the village by an excellent tour guide, Brandon (pictured below next to an outdoor oven, still in use today, that was introduced by spanish colonizers).


He led us through the history of the pueblo, and like so much Native American history it was filled with the horrors of colonization.  It's a testament to the strength of the Acoma people that their village, way of life, and language have been preserved through the centuries. Of course, the village has changed over the years, but inhabitants still don't have electricity and their water must be transported onto the mesa.  However, it's no longer carried in jars atop of women't heads, but comes by water truck.   We saw examples of the early sandstone brick construction, adobe brick construction, which was introduced by the Spanish, and a modern day cinder block building.


Approximately 30 Acoma people, mostly elders and their caretakers, still live on the mesa, and most of the remaining 5,000 live in the towns just outside the valley.  Like all peubloans, they are known for their pottery and we were lucky to purchase several pieces from artists while we were there.


We opted to walk down the secret staircase when the tour ended, and it was a little harrowing.  Thankfully the centuries old hand holds still work.


This post is already long, but it wouldn't be complete if I didn't share one more story.  While we were in Albuquerque we got to spend time with Ardis & Ed's granddaughter, Shanta, a vibrant, talkative, and lovely 14 year old.  The girls were immediately smitten and shared their love for American Girl dolls with her.  Shanta pulled me aside before dinner on our second night and asked if it would be okay to give Julia her Kit Kittredge doll.  It's not an exaggeration to say that my mouth dropped.  Julia has been pining for a Kit Kittredge, and we had reminded her many, many times that she could ask for one for Christmas.  Well, Christmas came early for Julia, and I know that forever in her mind the true highlight of this trip will be that she received her first American Girl doll.


Thank you, Shanta, you're fantastic!

Well, that's about it.  If you want to see Balloon Fiesta pictures, go here, and if you want to see Acoma pictures go here.  I know that Craig wants to put together some sort of summative post, and I'm sure that will come in a day or two.  Also, we'll wrap up the Weather Girls with an interview.  See you then.