On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
September 12, 2017 Day 6
Our daughter asked on Face Book if any of her friends knew someone who could come over and take a look at her roof. One of her high school friends volunteered her dad and they set up a time to check it out. Electricity still out in most of the neighbors and long lines at restaurants that were open. I sent up prayers for her day to go smoothly before we began our sixth day on the road.
Judy Wills has mentioned Sandia Peak several times in her blogs and I was anxious to see it. Plus, I had listened to Stealthy Steps by Vikki Kestell and it was set underneath Sandia Crest and that increased my interest. I was disappointed that we would not be able to take a tram to the peak as it was not running on that day but we were able to drive to the crest, so I was happy.
The cafe at Sandia Crest
One of the aspects of the Albuquerque area that fascinated me is the diversity of rocks in the different layers. At the crest, this section of rock looked to me like the earth had thrown up mud piles.
The elevation where we were standing was around 10.000 feet and we were looking down on these mountains.
To our left we spotted this couple. It really was as dangerous as it appears. Some people are crazy.
I was surprised and pleased to find these colorful wild flowers after driving through miles of arid landscape.
It is usually chilly on the crest but it was a beautiful day. My husband snuck this picture of me while I was taking a picture. As you can see, Albuquerque sprawls across the landscape below. The city is way too big for this small town girl.
On the drive up to the crest, I spotted a picnic area and we decided to stop there for lunch before we continued on our drive to our stop for the night in Pueblo, Colorado. We were the only people in the picnic area and we enjoyed the quiet beauty. There is nothing better than the scent of the woods undisturbed by city fumes. I was glad to see that the picnic area included “facilities” as it was a longish drive back to civilization.
As we left the Sandia area the mountain vegetation changed. From a distance the mountains appeared to be carefully landscaped with squat round bushes.
To our surprise we came upon the town of Madrid, New Mexico. According to their website: Madrid is nestled in a narrow canyon in the Ortiz Mountains. Once a historic coal mining town and ghost town, Madrid is now a creative community with over 40 shops and galleries, several restaurants, a spa and museum.
The town is definitely colorful. One of the things I love about road trips are the unexpected jewels, like this town.
While we were enjoying our day, our daughter had met with her friend’s father who inspected her roof. It seems that Hurricane Irma’s wind had blown up under the roof flashing and it would be a simple and inexpensive fix. She was still without electricity so it would be another restless night for her.
Old Things R New 