Monday, October 3, 2011

Wine Tasting and Hiking

Over the weekend, we decided to check out a few of Albuquerque’s other places of interest. Along with two other couples, we stopped at the Gruet Winery for a tasting. 

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Bill and I wanted to do some hiking at the Petroglyph National Monument since it was so close by. The other couples weren’t interested, so we headed out by ourselves.

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A very common sight all over Albuquerque is a string of chilies hanging to dry. Even at the Visitor Center, we found them. Here are two of several that lined the porch.

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We saw lots of petroglyphs along the 2.5 mile trail. Archeologists believe these figures were chiseled into the rocks between 400 and 700 years ago.

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The sun was intense and there was no shade whatsoever. Unfortunately Bill forgot his hat, so he tied his handkerchief around his head!

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We also took the Sandia Peak tram for some breathtaking views of the city below.

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The air was really thin up there!

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Fall colors and cool temperatures (high 40’s) made walking around the summit quite a contrast from our desert hike.

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We were impressed with the variety of things to do and see in Albuquerque. We still had a return trip to the balloon fiesta planned – in the evening this time. We’ll post that tomorrow.

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