2013-8 Cochiti Lake (Army Corp campground) Santa Fe New Mexico

stunning mural, downtown Abq. Central Ave./ route 66

2013-8

Albuquerque to:

Santa Fe New Mexico

Campground:  Cochiti Lake Reservoir. Army Corps. campground.  Senior rate: $10.  Sites have 50 amp electric.  Water and dump station available.  All sites are paved and the back in sites are a breeze to back into.  I got a nice pull-thru, but it’s not very level.  Reservable sites all have elect/water at each site.  Strong 4g verizon signal.

After leaving the casino campground this morning, I headed into Albuquerque to have the boo boo on my camper fixed.  Aloha Rv did the work and I must admit although it was cheap, they did a very poor job on the installation.  I’ve had to go back over some of their non-work and fix it myself after the fact.  It’s not perfect, but at least it doesn’t look like I’ve been running down any green wooden fences lately.  

Distance traveled:  67 miles

views from Cochiti Lake

I arrived at Cochiti Lake where I used the dump station and filled up my holding tank before getting to the campsite.  Once at the campsite, 052, which is a pull-thru I discovered there was a water connection right next to my campsite.  Not all sites have water, but apparently all of the reservable site do.  White caps are starting to form on the reservoir lake below.  

And yes, I did look at a few new campers while at Aloha Rv,  they are a bit smaller than the current one I’m in (between 3-4 feet shorter).  Even asked them to provide an estimate on a trade in and will see what they come up with. Fun to look and I really would like to get into a slightly smaller camper (lengthwise).  Still want all the slides and space I can get.  I received an estimate, but won’t act on it as it wasn’t all that great of a deal.

We’re expecting up to 50 mph gusts today and I was glad to get off the road by noon before they started to get severe.  As a full time rv-er I’ve found that the winds usually pick up in the afternoons, so I try to get to my campsite early in the day.  Actually I had a tail wind so it even helped push the camper forward.  Maybe I saided a gallon or two of diesel fuel.  

         

Cerrillos NM 

There are so many places to explore in this part of the state besides visiting the wonderful city of Santa Fe.  One of those excursions I took today was to The Turquoise Trail.  I visited two old mining towns, Cerrillos and Madrid.  Now for those that may not have heard of the Turquoise Trail, it was the original trail that native Indians took in search of turquoise.  They would mine it and make various ornaments which were then traded all over the south west and into Mexico.  The town of Cerrillos has a state park has numerous pit mines that one can hike to.  And who knows, you may find some turquoise yourself.  Cerrillos is a pretty dead town overall, the state park headquarters in town is only open between 2-4pm the day I arrived.  I stopped in one of the few shops that was open.  A dusty antique shop that really was dusty.  As I browsed around I could see the dust rings around the objects that had been picked up and moved slightly.  Glasses and dishware all covered in a layer of dust.  No extra charge for the dust.  One of the shop owners was warming herself next to an ancient but functional wood stove that put off a wonderful warm glow while she puffed on a cigarette.  

After walking up and down the dirt streets, noticing a mix of upscale adobe homes, ramshackle homes and trailers, upright post fences, a couple dogs barking and a turkey cackling from on top of a tin roof I decided to head onto Madrid.

Madrid NM

              

the wonderful smell and look of lilacs in the springtime

Madrid is a short drive south on the turquoise trail and I found it to be much more vibrant.  With a good mix of art shops, restaurants, mining museum and pubs.  The waiter at the “Hollar” told me about 150 artists and shopkeepers live in town.  This is a local hangout and considered one of the best restaurants in the area.  I sure enjoyed my meal and they had great deals on beer too.  Maybe that’s why so many of the shopkeepers end up there around 5pm.  Stopped at one shop that had a lavender lilac bush out front and I had to stop and take in the wonderful spring smell that I remember from living in Northern Michigan.  A shopkeeper told me that the lilac bush has bloomed early this year in this little town and even offered to let me take a sprig back home.  

Whoa there Pardner, I almost forgot to tell you about a fun day trip that Lynn and I took in Albuquerque.  By the way, thank goodness I don’t live here, I would never figure out how to spell the towns name if it weren’t for spellcheck.  

Lynn and I drove down to the old heart of town along the original Route 66.  Now called Central Avenue. Seeing lots of the old motel signs that the state of New Mexico is restoring as a part of the Route 66 heritage.  What a great idea.  There’s also a most eclectic downtown area near the University as well.  I’ll post a few photo’s of the area and also check out my Picasa web site for more pictures.  Talked to a lone security guard at the De Anza Motel.  It was all fenced in and closed down.  He said the city has purchased it and is waiting for a buyer to restore and open it back up.  It was built in 1939 and has quite a history along with Route 66.

We tried to get into the Kimo Theatre, but it was closed on the day we were there.  It’s been beautifully restored in it’s original Native American Indian theme and has a number of events there, so check it out if you're ever in the area.  

Kimo Theatre

The rest of the week so far has been just enjoying the local area, doing a few chores, downloading a few e-pub books to my Kindle and overall just vegging out.  

Since I’ll be in the area for another full week, I’m sure I’ll be doing more exploring.  Till then, enjoy your own journey wherever it leads you.

additional photos:  PICASA