Yes, we know our way to Santa Fe!

First thing this morning was the 2018 International Balloon Fiesta kickoff, Albuquerque Aloft, which features hot air balloons launching from various public schools throughout the area. The school kids come in early to see them up close and personal. By 7:30, there were more than 60 hot air balloons floating on the horizon.

After that, we had a great day exploring Santa Fe. It was only about an hour to get there from Albuquerque. The old downtown area is very cool with lots of jewelery stores, high-end western wear stores and art studios. The architecture is pretty unique for the US and it seemed like a coordinated effort was made to make the downtown architecture fairly consistent. . Many of the buildings had a mexican adobe look and were finshed in a red stucco-like material. The downtown area felt like a cross between an old Mexican town and a old western town. In terms of the architecture, it was one of the more unique places we have visited. We took quite a few pictures.

We had an authentic mexican lunch at The Burrito Company and later went for a margarita at a rooftop restaurant called the Coyote Cafe and Cantina. Both were absolutely outstanding. We went in a lot of shops…..we were primarily looking for a turquoise pendant for Nancy. Unfortunately, she didn’t find anything she liked well enough to purchase.

On the way home, we decided to take a scenic highway called the Torqoiuse Trail. It took a little longer to get back but it was a very nice drive through the mountains and some old mining towns. One town we stopped in (Cerrillos) still had dirt roads and a bunch of very old buildings that are still inhabited. One of the pictures below shows the scenic overlook the little town advertises. Right beside it is a petting zoo that consisted of a few chickens, some doves, 2 goats, and a llama. Hard to believe they didn’t have more cars in the parking area!

Balloon Fiesta Kickoff event at about 7:30