Weekend Doing NM Tourist Stuff

With my sister and her husband in town, we ended up doing all the tourist things that we almost never do ourselves. On Saturday we drove through the Jemez Mountains.

This was the scene of a forest fire just a few years ago. Already, there is new growth filling in.
We really lucked out that we caught the leaves changing just about at their peak.

Next we went to the Valle Grande Caldera

This is the remains of a gigantic volcano that blew up over a million years ago

It started to rain and we ended up in the town of Jemez Springs looking for art work. When we came out we were greeted by this great rainbow.



On Sunday Wife and Sis went on a hot air balloon ride. But the Bro-in-law and I went hiking. In the afternoon we took the tram up the to the Sandia Mountain crest. I've hardly ever taken the tram up. I've mostly hiked up the mountain and taking the tram down. It's a different experience going up which I captured photographically

Leaving the lower terminus

Going past the first tower

Starting to slide by the upper slopes

Past the second tower

At this point we are over a thousand feet over the ground and you can see the other tram going down.

There has already been snow at the top of the mountain. It was 58 degrees when we left the terminus and it was 27 when we arrived at the top.

Upper terminal in sight.

My Brother-in-law was actually terrified during the whole ride up.

Looking East from the top.

And West.