Partly cloudy
59 miles
I was up at 8.20, and took advantage of the Super 8's inclusive breakfast. I left at 9.45 and managed to take the wrong turn onto the freeway (US signposting frequently leaves something to be desired) but fortunately could turn onto the other carriageway at the other end of town. The freeway crossed a pass through the Sandia Mountains on its way into Albuquerque, and on the western side I turned north onto a road along the base of the mountains. The name Sandia comes from the Spanish for watermelon, as apparently the evening sunlight on the mountains gave the range the appearance of the sliced fruit.
Near the northeast corner of the city, I turned off to the Sandia Peak Tramway, a tram out here being a cable-car rather than the sort as found on the seafront at Blackpool. I entered the terminal building and purchased a ticket for the roundtrip, then went outside to take a few photographs looking up the mountainside at one of the cars as it descended.
The tramway travels a distance of 2.7 miles up to an altitude of 3163m (10378ft), almost a mile above the city of Albuquerque. In doing so it passes over steep, thickly-forested mountain terrain, including ``TWA Canyon'', site of a plane crash in 1955, where some fragments of wreckage still remain. After disembarking at the top, I wandered around for a while admiring the views over both sides of the mountain (the eastern slopes are a popular ski area in winter) before going into the ``High Finance'' restaurant for a bite of lunch, barbecued beef sandwich and fries.
After lunch I decided to take a walk northwards along the ridge, away from the busy area at the top of the tramway. Among the shade of the forest, large patches of snow still remained. I took a detour to Kiwanis Cabin, a stone hut built on an exposed peak in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps to replace earlier wooden shelters which could not stand up to the winter weather at this exposed site. From here there were magnificent views looking back towards the restaurant and tramway.
I continued to Sandia Crest, at 3255m (10678ft) the highest point along the ridge, to which a road led from the eastern side of the mountain. I stopped to attend to a minor cut I had somehow sustained en route (not entirely trivial given the lack of running water at this site), and got myself a drink.
I decided to return via a less well-travelled route, heading down the mountainside some distance and then continuing on a relatively level trail underneath the cliff on which the cabin stood. Along the way I met a couple who wanted me to take their photographs, and who returned the favour before proceeding to relate to me a series of rather tall tales.
I returned to the tramway head, where a car was just arriving with the distinctly awkward load of some paragliding gear fastened to its roof. A few minutes later it was ready to descend, hauling the other car up as it went.
For accommodation that evening I decided to remain in the area, as there was one attraction I wanted to visit en route to Santa Fe. I drove to another Super 8 motel in the small town of Bernalillo, almost the northernmost suburb of Albuquerque, just off I-25 on its way up to Santa Fe. After a rest I went out for dinner, taking a look at the evening light on the Sandias and not seeing a particularly close resemblance to watermelon myself. Rather than take the car, I crossed the road (not an easy feat in given the traffic) to another Denny's outlet, at which I had a meal of salad and country steak. Returning to the motel, I prepared for the next day and went to bed at 11.20.