Here we are in Albuquerque, NM

We left Fools Hollow campground this morning. As it turned out, we never did get a neighbor and so had that great big site to ourselves. Nice! We did not do much of anything yesterday (Saturday) - the weather turned cool and rainy and so we just relaxed and caught up on a few chores.

Entering New Mexico

This morning, we took the scenic route from Show Low to Albuquerque, and it was an absolutely gorgeous drive despite the rainy weather. We went along Highway 60 for about 200 miles before turning north at Socorro. This route runs through the White Mountains, rising and falling from around 5000 ft to over 7000 ft above sea level. We passed through the Gila National Forest and the Cibola National Forest - this is all "high desert" county and is lovely. Highly recommended!

Part of the Array behind the car

A few miles west of Socorro, still on Highway 60, we came upon the Very Large Array - one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories. I pulled over and took a few photos but, unfortunately, could not  capture the immensity of this antenna complex. Sometime around 1997, I toured the VLA when I was in Socorro on temporary duty with my Air National Guard unit. It is impressive!

We're now settled in the campground at Kirtland AFB, and like it. We ended up in one of the newer pull-through sites which are huge, but unprotected by any trees or foliage.

Newer part of Kirtland AFB Campground

The wind can blow pretty hard here this time of year and so, in hindsight, it might have been better to choose a site in the older area. The older area has smaller back-in sites that are protected by trees and hedges. Kirtland AFB campground has an off-leash dog park so I know Sydney and Barley will love it here!

We have a long "To Do and See" list for the next five days in the Albuquerque area, thanks in part to suggestions from friends.

Stay tuned!