Albuquerque, New Mexico Drive

10/23/15. Friday.  Our next stop was Albuquerque, NM.  Funny to realize we were back in the same spot we were about 5 months ago!  The day was nice for our drive.  I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see even a little dusting of snow on the mountains in Colorado Springs.  We just missed it by a day!  My friend sent me a picture as they were leaving Colorado Springs a few hours behind our leaving Raton.  After the rain stopped in Colorado Springs, this is what we missed:

But we did see snow on the mountains all along our drive from Raton, through Santa Fe, and on to Albuquerque.  I just love snow capped mountains! 

Even though there are mountains in the distance, they are pretty far away.  So the interstate still has some pretty lonely roads over the plains.  

Then the landscape around Santa Fe changes to trees and mountains.  It is a pretty area. 

And we got to see more snow!  Not much yet for the winter, but it was still pretty. 

So here we are back in Albuquerque just passing time at Kirtland Air Force Base for two weeks before heading further West.  As stated from my last post on Albuquerque 5 months ago, the base is located at the base of Sandia Peak.  We have been here several times over the years. 

Saturday, the day after our arrival, we caught up with our friends, Ron and Yvonne, and went to diner together at Cracker Barrel.  Their campground was only 20 miles from us.  Then Sunday, we met at Old Town Albuquerque to just shop among the stores in the square.  Even at 11:00 AM, and this time of year, the place was packed!  Guess the better time to go is other than on a weekend.  We had fun together and, yes, I went to my favorite Mexican/Indian jewelry store, AGAIN!  I found what I was looking for to match other pieces I had, plus another stone set I was looking for.  Good thing my next Social Security check was due!  Oh, but I had fun, and I am sure the sales clerks did too as I contributed nicely to the store’s profit!  Can I help it if I-40 runs right through Albuquerque and makes for a nice stopping point!?  I-40 has become a very expensive interstate!

Ron and Yvonne were only with us for two days and are on their way to Tucson.  We have more time to kill than they do, so we are taking our time before reaching our winter start date in Surprise, AZ.  We have done the tourist things here before so probably won’t do much exploring before leaving after a two week stay.