Up early, as usual. The hotel breakfast didn't start until 0630, and I had finished the NYT Sunday crossword already, so I hit the road at 0600. One advantage to such an early start is that I got to see the sunlight crawl down the mountain sides.
I'm on NM-14, aka the Turquoise Trail. That's because the first town along the road is Cerrillos, site of turquoise mining for well over a century. This whole area is artsy, with lots of “installations” at various homes/studios.
The road does offer scenic pullouts, where I could find possible photo ops showing the Rio Grande valley below.
Another photo op is this privately-owned rock formation, styled as “Garden of the Gods.”
A bit farther down the road is the old coal mining turned tourist trap of Madrid (pronunciation should be no problem for Missourians). The highway/main street winds narrowly between houses and commercial buildings, almost all repurposed to either art or other touristy functions. South of town, the valley east of the road is lined with tailings from the long-abandoned mines.
Hwy 14 ends at Cedar Crest, where I have a choice of I-40 or NM-333, historic US-66. At Tramway, it morphs into Central Avenue, carrying me past motels and restaurants of the past. I follow Central for miles to the University of New Mexico area, home of the Frontier Resataurant, a landmark. I stop for my breakfast of huevos rancheros with beans and green chile stew. Yum!
First stop will be the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. I'm early, but pleasantly surprised that it opens at 0900 rather than 1000. While waiting, I note that the bronze allosaurus is hosting a distant descendant between his jaws.
On to the plaza! It's early, and my favorite bookstore doesn't open until 1100. And, it's Monday – my favorite cafe is closed (advice: don't plan on finding anything ope in New Mexico on Monday). I walked around a bit, looked at some t-shirt shops and photographer studios. The latter sure made me feel that my efforts are inadequate. But, Treasure House Books opened and I spent $90 on books – 3 by Steven Havill and the latest Anne Hillerman.
I had green chile stew for lunch at the nearest Garcia's Kitchen. Yes, it's hot! I drove around a bit sightseeing, then checked in to the Pueblo-owned/Pueblo run Holiday Inn Express Old Town. Supper was a green chile hamburger at Laguna Burger, thick, juicy and well-adorned with tasty stuff.
Tomorrow I plan to return to the Plaza area to visit the City Museum of Art & History and maybe buy some more books. Afternoon will include a visit to the nearby Pueblo Cultural Center.
For the day: 82.9 miles, for the trip 1270.6
Average gas mileage to date 41.7 mpg!
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