We made our way to Albuquerque, New Mexico via a five hour drive north west from Lubbock, TX. Jaci's mom Tarrae, step father Tom, and sister Emma all call Albuquerque home. As did Jaci over eight years ago. On the way to the city we always look to get green chile in our bellies as soon as possible even if it meant a drive-up Sonic green chile cheeseburger in Roswell, NM (yummmm). In Roswell, we saw no signs of alien life but plenty of UFO museums. From there, we drove through the Capitan Mountains, home of Smokey the Bear National Park (he/she really is from SE New Mexico). The winds picked up dramatically as we hit Carizozo and The Malpais (aka: The Valley of Fire/Badlands). Passing horse farms we eventually hit I-25 and headed north for an hour drive under big blue skies towards Albuquerque, NM.
At Jaci's moms house we have spent the past few days enjoying family, eating great food (Chef Tom), going to the dentist (Jaci), watching Liverpool advance to the Champions League final, kickboxing at Albuquerque Martial Arts Academy (go Emma!), working on the backyard, purchasing travel health insurance, finalizing some of our travel itinerary, and reuniting our two dogs, Zannah and Wyatt, after many months of being apart. Wyatt has begun to get acquainted to his new surroundings as well as to Tarrae's Catahoula Mountain Dog named Bella. So far so good.
One of the highlights of our stay in New Mexico was Tarrae and Tom's gift to us both: our first ride in a hot air balloon! As some might know, Albuquerque is the annual host of the Internationl Balloon Fiesta and home of the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum. Tom must have pulled a few strings because he got us a ride with none other than one of the museum's namesakes and world class balloonists - Richard Abruzzo. We spent a full morning hovering over Albuquerque and learning about Richard's ballooning adventures (including traveling from ABQ to the coast of Delaware in less than two days, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, and winning the Gorden Bennett race). The flight was amazing and we ended with a traditional champagne ceremony for people completing their first flight. There is a lot more to tell about our experience and what we learned about ballooning. Please take time to check out the International Balloon Museum website to learn about the incredible history of ballooning. Thank you so much Tarrae and Tom for helping create such a great memory.
Our flight to LA is set for May 7th and then to Fiji May 8th. I guess it's time for some more green chile before we leave...Thanks for everything Tarrae, Tom and Emma!!
Click HERE for more pics.
2 comments:
It's a little-know fact that I also won the Gorden Bennett race. And, coincidentally, I also drink soda on my knees like a dog while other people pour liquid on my head. In fact, I pay people to do this to me. What IS that picture??
I've been enjoying the travel blog, so I thought I should post a comment so you know you have an audience. Hi!
Interesting to know.
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