Albuquerque did not disappoint! (If you need to catch up on the beginning of our road trip, check out Part I and Part II.)

When we arrived at Liz’s & Dan’s in Albuquerque, we were immediately immersed in New Mexican culture with Dan’s green chile stew for dinner. A bit spicy for my palette, but perfect for Mark’s. Liz & Dan even gave us a welcome bag! A custom printed canvas bag with Greetings from New Mexico on one side. It’s filled with thoughtful gifts: commemorative Balloon Fiesta pins, guava hand cream, green & red chile olive oils, lip balm, green chile hot chocolate mix, Watermelon Mountain soap, a bumper sticker, an official Balloon Fiesta calendar, Fiesta literature & maps. Everything we never knew we needed.

We pulled the van around and through a gate into their backyard where it stayed for the remainder of our visit. Our friends from North Carolina, Cathy & Don, had arrived the day before and were set up in the one guest bedroom. So our van served as our backyard bedroom.

Our first full day in Albuquerque was a bit laid-back. We all started the day with a walk, or, in Mark’s case, a run. I saw my first roadrunner that morning! (The bird, not Mark.) Of course, I didn’t have my camera, so Liz took a few pics with her phone.

Later, the women went shopping around Albuquerque while the men stuck close to home, relaxing with a few good craft beers.

We stopped at a local market to watch the traditional green chile roasting. The smell of roasting chile is one that permeates the state this time of year. The store was chock-full of spices and chile products. What a tantalizing mix of smells!

After the market, we headed for The Center for Action and Contemplation. Both Cathy and I have read and been inspired by Fr. Richard Rohr who founded the Center. As expected, it was a peaceful, inspiring, yet unassuming place. We bought a few books, checked out the enormous cottonwood tree in the back, then walked the labyrinth at the Center’s former location down the road.

At the end of the day, Dan, originally from Louisiana, served up some gumbo for dinner. He and Liz graciously opened their home to us for laundry, showers, and use of their stove and oven to restock our prepared foods in the van. And we certainly took advantage!

The next day, the day before the Balloon Fiesta, we spent our time hiking Carlito Springs in the Sandia Mountains, visiting the small, touristy town of Madrid (emphasis on the first syllable), and walking along the Sandia Crest at an elevation of 10,678 feet to end the day. Surprisingly, the altitude has not been an issue for us on this trip. My two previous visits to Colorado (Breckenridge and Denver) resulted in massive three-day-long headaches. This time around, we didn’t fly in, so the introduction to the altitude was more gradual. I’ve also been taking — don’t laugh! — chlorophyll. Apparently it’s a thing. It’s supposed to help with oxygenation. Anyway, I’m guessing it’s the combination of these that has helped me acclimate to the mile-high-plus destinations.

Here are a few pics from our hike at Carlito Springs:

And these are some pics from our trip to the eclectic old town of Madrid. Note the hat shop in one of the photos. The owner showed us photos of hats he’d made for Tim McGraw & Faith Hill and the cast of 1883. And he’d just finished one for Beyonce. The hats were cool! But he didn’t have a single one to sell because he was so behind on all his orders.

Lastly, our drive up the mountain and our walk on the Sandia Crest:

We slept well after such an active day, but we were up early the next morning to catch a 5:30 am shuttle bus to the Balloon Fiesta. I don’t mean to disappoint anyone, but the Fiesta deserves it’s own post. So, I’ll leave you to anticipate those photos and hope that I can bring a bit of the Fiesta magic to you, wherever you may be reading . . .