Red or Green?

It's official!! I have crossed into CO from all four of it's borders....and for some reason I am actually getting tired of driving! I think it is partially because this last trip I drove alone. I met up with some coworkers on Saturday in Santa Fe for a much needed spa day!! Yup you heard me right!! I went to a spa!! Oh it was so worth it!! I think my back cracked 4 times during the massage!! It was a lovely Japanese spa out in the middle of no where just as you would picture one. 10,000 waves!!

http://www.tenthousandwaves.com/






I needed the relaxation after the day on Friday. I worked the weekend before so I had the day off Friday. I drove to Albuquerque (which I have finally learned how to spell!) for the International Hot Air Balloon festival!! They were to have a Balloon glow Friday night where the balloons are blown up but don't take off. It was a bit too breezy. So they didn't have the glow. There was a big fiesta( I would call it a fair on the east coast!) With lots of food crafts and local companies and big sponsors. Honda and Pepsi were there. I got to sit in the new 2009 CRV. hmmm..... gas prices are going down... http://www.balloonfiesta.com/

So unfortunately I woke up at 5 am Sat to see if the winds had died down and go to the mass ascension on Sat AM!! As I was driving in I realized that I had turned into my parents!!! They are in Hershey this weekend and I grew up going to antique cars shows at 5AM to see them all drive into the show!! Hmmm wonder where I get this from???

Unfortunately I found out that Friday morning was not a good day for the fiesta. Someone died in a balloon accident..good thing I didn't decide to go up in one!!

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=4c96c709-c43d-4b9a-a1c1-5625c7e8fd97

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/10/balloon-hits-po.html


I did have a chance on Friday afternoon to get to the Petroglyphs national monument. It was a nice hike. I wish they had more of a description of the meaning of each picture.

http://www.nps.gov/petr/


So after going to the balloon festival and walking around at an ungodly hour of the morning on Saturday I wandered up to Santa Fe for the much needed spa day! We wandered around Santa Fe in the evening and had some great mexican food. Actually I had a breakfast burrito at the fiesta as well! It had Green chiles in it. I discovered that the popular question at most restaurants down here is "Red or Green chiles" on your food...

Then on Sunday we found a wonderful french cafe and had crepes!! I am loving all the French food out here!! Whoda thunk it?

Hope you are all doing well...no more out of town trips planned for a while..maybe I will send some pictures of snow soon!! Pikes Peak is getting some accumulation on it!!






The drive down to Albuquerque, NM.



Ok so I took the scenic route for part of the trip!!!




Adobe buildings EVERYWHERE!! Driving through Santa Fe.


Lots more pictures from the trip down and the balloon festival.

http://picasaweb.google.com/chan13hikes/20081010NM?authkey=Z2_OlQo8MXQ#








No it is not a fake rock or a sponge!! It is volcanic!!! When igneous rock flows out of the volcano or blows out it is full of air bubbles and solidifies this way!!


Again I am seeing over toasted marshmallows!!



Apparently NM is one of the most volcanic States in the country aside from Hawaii of course!!!
Most of the state is a giant rift...from the watermelon mountains below across to the other end of the state. It is the largest Rift in the country. The CT river valley is a volcanic rift but not that large!


The Sandia mountains in the back ground are the edge of the rift in NM. The name means Watermelon in Spanish since they turn pink at sunset!!




That is a basket framed in the sunset.

Sandia Mountains...where could that name have come from??



Two of my favorite things....quilts and Hot air balloons!! I didn't win it though...oh well. I have a picture!!!



Mom, look they even had your marshmallow gun at the Hot Air balloon festival!! And people wonder where I come from???




Santa Fe A state capitol building without a dome?? I think this is the shortest capital building I have seen!! (and I have been to a few)



Even the parking garages are adobe!!! I can't believe this is a parking garage!!




The Spanish were here before the British!!! The oldest church in the country was also in town.




I think this may be one of the tallest buildings in Santa Fe!!!

There is quite an interesting story behind the spiral staircase to the choir loft in this church....to the point where it was on unsolved mysteries!!



We attempted to go to a church service here but it is no longer a Roman Catholic church?? Not sure why?

http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.html

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/loretto.asp



The staircase is made entirely out of wood...that is not native to the area... There is no supporting pole up the middle of the staircase...the railing was added years later!!






Two more days of pictures!!!


http://picasaweb.google.com/chan13hikes/20081011NM?authkey=fmEcXDU9hzM#

http://picasaweb.google.com/chan13hikes/20081012NM?authkey=C6EwkzqnmkE#