5 Oct 2019 – The lava fields of El Malpais are huge!  We imagine Hawaii lava fields look very similar.  Lots of sandstone formations in this large national monument near Grants, New Mexico.  Beautiful views.

7-10 Oct 2019 – Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta!  Fantastic event we thoroughly enjoyed.  Early mornings spent watching balloons get inflated and take off.  The balloon launch involved over 400 balloons going up – colorful, fancy shapes.  Spectators are allowed on the fields up close to watch everything.  At times it seemed we were being swallowed up by balloons all around us. Balloon referees in black and white outfits with whistles kept everything safe and moving.  It takes a looong time to launch 400+ balloons.  Awesome experience!

We also took some time to go into Albuquerque’s old town.

A trip to Sky City – Acoma – showed us an old pueblo city on top of the mesa dating back to at least the 11th century.  People still live here in old adobe homes with no running water, electricity, or indoor plumbing.  Many people are artists selling intricately painted pottery.  We walk back down from the pueblo using the old steep trails with handholds carved into the sandstone. It gave us a great feel of how hard life was.

The large rocks were also used as rock walls for corralling livestock.