Doggie Park, Farmers's Market and a Hike = A Great Way to Welcome Fall!

 Albuquerque, NM
September 21-22, 2013

HAPPY FALL! Can you believe summer is officially over for 2013?

To welcome the new season, we sure packed in a lot this weekend.
Saturday morning, we were up and at 'em bright and early. The morning air was brisk and our jackets sure felt good. By 8:30 we were all loaded in Pearl and headed for one of the public doggie parks.

We picked Rio Grand Park...it had 5 bones! It is located near Old Town in a nice neighborhood. We both agree it is deserving of its 5 bones...very clean with a walk and gravel,  and a big area of grass (the fake kind) with NO stickers.

Looks like Dover and Wrecks are in cahoots!



 

 

Dover made lots of friends.

 Jack just wanted his ball, but there were to many pups that also wanted his ball so we had to put it away.

 Dover had no problems running and playing!

Sally wasn't so sure...that's  not Jack, that looks a little like Jack, where is Jack? She was a wee bit confused!

And no...this is not Wrecks. This is Daisy. She sure looks a lot like Wrecks did when he was 5 months old.  She is a Carolina dog too.






 This is not our pup, but I couldn't resist including his picture. When he wasn't chewing on the sticks, he was singing at the top of his lungs. Way funny!

Daisy was a sweet pup...she is only 41/2 months old. In her eyes, Wrecks could do no wrong and she was bound and determined to keep up with him.

Joe and I were most impressed at how the owners visited with each other, but also interacted with all the pups.  If you travel with your canine dependents, and visit Albuquerque, you might want to check out this park.

Mid morning Joe and I decided to go to the Farmers Market. Here it is not called a Farmers, instead it's a Growers Market. It is located in historic Robinson Park in downtown Albuquerque. From May to November, local farmers set up their canopies every Saturday morning from 7:00am to noon.

What a nice surprise to see a big crowd and lots of vendors.

Fresh produce anyone? What a huge selection! Local growers had squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, onions, peppers and all kinds of lettuce just to name a few...

Also on hand were local apples, watermelons, cantaloupes, and varieties of honey.

Dairy items included goat cheese and spreads.

We left with our bags full of fresh tomatoes and squash.

There were several vendors selling fresh bread, pies, and croissants. Sure did smell good! The temptation was great, but we resisted!

 The cut flowers were beautiful...



as were the pepper plants.

The local artists were plentiful...a very nice variety of crafts.

 

 Our morning in the park also came with entertainment. It was fun watching everyone having a great time.






One last booth caught my eye...no stress test needed here! It's a great life!




Sunday morning, nature was calling!

Since we had hiked up the west side of the Sandia Mountains on the Pino Trail, we decided to give the east side a try. Our hike of choice was the Tree Spring Trail.

This trail is 1.75 miles to the juncture with the Crest Trail which we did last week.

Also, Tree Spring Trail is a non-wilderness trail which means you might encounter mountain bikers and horses. The gain in elevation was 1440 feet.





It was a wonderful hike! It is well shaded with only a few breaks in the trees for sunshine.

 This side of the mountain seemed to be greener because it receives more precipitation. The wildflowers were still in bloom.

The Cibola (See-bo-lah)
 National  Forest covers more than 1.6 million acres in New Mexico.

Much of the trail could be described as craggy...this makes it difficult for taking pictures, but sure makes for a fun hike.

The views were not as spectacular on the east side...but you could see for miles and miles.

There were a few switchbacks toward the top of the trail.

The trees were spectacular...the old and the new!

 

 I love the meadows...we're always looking for signs of wildlife. We haven't had any luck though.

 This is a great hike...a winner in our book! In fact, we are seriously considering returning on Tuesday with Dover and Wrecks.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 Until next time...

 take care, and...

enjoy the view!

 

Sandia Peak Tramway and South Crest Trail

Albuquerque, NM
September, 19, 2013



The Tram from Pino Trail

 The Sandia Peak Tramway or The Tram as it is known around Albuquerque is a must do if visiting in the area. Joe and I chose to ride The Tram for 2 reasons...first it is way fun and second, it's the only way we had time to hike the Crest Trail.

We first spotted The Tram when we were hiking on the Pino Trail. The Sandia Peak Tram is 2.7 miles in diagonal length and is a bi-cable double reversible aerial passenger tramway.

...to the top!

Bottom...

The car we met in the middle!

Both the tramcars are attached to hauling cables and the weight of the downhill tramcar helps to pull the uphill car to the top. When the tramcars pass in the middle, they are almost 1000 feet above the ground.




Top speed of the tramway is 24 feet per second, averaging about 12 mph.

Towers one and two

Tower one is located at an elevation of 7010 feet and is 232 feet tall. It leans at an 18 degree angle to evenly support the cables.  Tower two, located at 8750 feet is 80 feet tall. Helicopters were used to build this tower as the terrain was to difficult to build a construction road to ascend the rocky face to the required tower location.

More than 10,000,000 people have enjoyed the tramway ride since it took its first passengers up in May, 1966.

The views are quite spectacular...you can see about 8% of New Mexico! Unfortunately, my pictures weren't very good thru the window...sorry!

A little chilly at the top!

We climbed nearly 4000 feet in 15 minutes...now that was a WOW!

There are several hiking trails at the top of the Sandia Peak. Our first choice was to walk the Crest Trail...south towards Pino Trail where we had stopped the day before. 

 This was another WOW! and speechless moment...walking in the clouds,








and on a bed of granite!
















The pictures do not do the views we saw justice. We were surrounded by beauty in all directions! Enjoy... 

It was a wonderful morning! Another hike we highly recommend if you are in the area.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time...

 

...enjoy the view!