Captain’s Log --- Star Date 06292009
Location – Enchanted Trails RV Resort, Albuquerque, NM
Trip Miles – 892.6
Report from Engineering – All systems functioning normally; Star Ship Wolverine cleared for transit to Galaxy of Texas
Diesel Price -- $2.56 per gallon
Weather --- Sunny and clear; Temperature is 84F

Have you ever eaten a sopaipilla (SO-PA-PEE-YAH)? Fresh bread dough, fried so that a fragrant burst of steam escapes when you tear it open….drizzled with honey…eaten with sticky fingers! Oh, MAN! These golden treasures are GOOD, I tell you what! The Commodore limited me to one instead of the three or four I would have chosen without her interference. We were having lunch at La Hacienda in Albuquerque’s Old Town, watching a stream of life pass by as we sat at an outside table, being ably served by a waitress with classic Indian features.

I don’t care if you HATE museums…you will take in The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History in Old Town! That is an order! Four centuries of spectacular paintings and sculpture pieces, Native, European and American, are coupled with an arresting display of weaponry used by the Spanish centuries ago. War is hell if these weapon displays are any indication! Huge, ornate swords, pikes and spears are shown with 69-caliber muskets. I do think being hit by a 69-caliber musket ball would have done serious damage to a poor soldier’s internal organs! The grounds around the Old Town museums and galleries are sumptuously decorated with modern sculptures, fountains and gardens.

Up 12th Street from Old Town sits the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center… a must-see for any visitor to Albuquerque! Of course, a visitor will get a different view of history from any view glorifying the Spanish Conquistadores! Quietly stated, this history shows Native people as being kind and generous to the first Spanish arrivals. These Natives were rewarded with cruelty, oppression and the suppression of their cultures. However, these cultures went into hiding and survived to this day. The art works on display, all by Native artists, are magnificent!

Albuquerque has a fetish on Route 66, the storied U.S. Highway that ran to the West Coast before the coming of the Interstate Highway System. Central Avenue (part of the original Route 66) is all tricked out in art-deco style, reminiscent of the Route 66 glory days. We cruised a two-mile section of Central, over by the University of New Mexico. Brilliant white, blue, red and black store fronts line this famous stretch…even a vast pink tattoo parlor!

A ride on the Sandia Peak Tramway is called a “flight”. This odd usage made sense when we discovered that our 15-minute tram ride to the top of the Sandia Range took us a thousand feet above the ground! Up at 10,300 feet elevation, we set out on a 3 ½-mile round-trip hike to the Sandia Crest, at 10,678 feet elevation. What a hike it was, with sheer rock walls, blooming wildflowers and evergreens in abundance! We were real PROUD of ourselves for daring to heroically venture out along the La Luz Trail on this hike! It was at that point in time that two octogenarians, loaded with backpacks, courteously passed us and left us in the dirt. Ah, the Lord God has a marvelous way of disciplining our egos! Further along the trail, we made a steep ascent to the crest, pumping out several gallons of sweat. That little trek tired us out! We’ll be sore tomorrow! Lunch was at High Finance Restaurant at the upper tram terminal. The restaurant has a peculiar name but serves a most creditable cheeseburger with green chilies.

The state flag of New Mexico shows a red sun with four groups of rays with four rays in each group. Ancient Native people believed that the Giver of All Good gave gifts in groups of four. The gifts are …

The four directions – north, east, south, and west
The four seasons -- spring, summer, fall and winter
The day – sunrise, noon, evening and night
Life – childhood, youth, middle years and old age

I walk in Beauty
Beauty before me, Beauty behind me,
Beauty above me, Beauty below me,
Beauty all around me…
It is finished in Beauty,
It is finished in Beauty.

Prayer of the Dine’, the Navajo People

We love Albuquerque…too bad it’s 900 miles from San Diego!

Tomorrow we venture into the immensity of the Galaxy of Texas!

Best Regards to All –
Captain Baldy