ALBUQUERQUE

In Las Vegas our friend Bev told us we HAD to go to Albuquerque. The Zoo and Botanical Gardens, according to her, are World Class. I've learned over thirty years that you simply do not say, "No" to Bev. But there was the additional incentive of seeing her brother, John again. Bev, her husband and John and I had vacationed for a week at the resort of another Whirly-Girl friend, Teen Corey several years ago. Click here to check it out. It was less than a year after Mary Ann had died and I really did need to learn to laugh again. And laugh, we did. Pretty much all day everyday.

We called John and confirmed that he would be in town. Luckily, he was. He retired recently from the Zoo and had just gotten home from an Alaskan Cruise.

He was kind and gave us a "private tour" of the zoo with Patty, a friend of his who just happened to be a fellow Penn State Alum.

The Polar Bears didn't seem to mind the unseasonably warm fall temperatures.

The Albuquerque Zoo has a very close relationship with the zoos in Australia.

Scientists assure us that Koalas do not get high on eucalyptus leaves. They just sleep up to 22 hours per day.

You looking at me ?

I KNOW you are, so I'll just pose for  you.

The Tasmanian devil doesn't look anything like the Warner Brothers one.

For many years, Australian authorities prohibited the exporting of  devils. But a contagious form of cancer has been decimating the wild population so there are now 8 zoos in the world that have them. Albuquerque is one of 6 in the United States.

Two more gifts from Australia.

Wombat.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a "Tree Kangaroo." He was enjoying lunch way too much to pose for Carol.

John and Patty had late afternoon commitments so Carol and I toured the Botanical Gardens and Aquarium by ourselves. Not the same as having a private guide, but still a great time.

One of the most beautiful areas are the Japanese Gardens. They have created several acres of classic Japanese Gardens - But they have used indigenous plants throughout.

These guys were probably not part of the original plans for the Japanese Gardens, but Carol thought they should be featured anyway.

John told us that Albuquerque had a program called "1% for the Arts." Any municipal project, from the Zoo to overpasses on the highways has 1% of its budget dedicated solely for artistic expression. It shows clearly throughout the city. Here is a large sculpture in the entrance area to the Botanical Gardens and the Aquarium.

Another wonderful day, made even better by the company of friends.

VALLEY OF FIRE

I had a little trouble convincing Carol to drive for an hour to see another batch of geological wonders.

2 months of canyons and buttes and arches was pretty close to my limit too.

But I had been there before and really wanted to share it with Carol. So we headed up the Interstate one morning.

It's a long drive off the Interstate through boring hilly desert and sagebrush. Then, you come over the crest of a hill and

The first overlook was called "The Beehives"

for obvious reasons.

Following our usual plan, we drove East through the park to the East entrance. Then we came back stopping at viewpoints.

Elephant Rock. This one was a little hard for my imagination because I was looking for just a head, not an entire elephant. But there it is.

The CCC built cabins here for people who were traveling through the Valley.

There was information about the people, but no explanation as to WHY anyone would travel through this desolate place.

Seven Sisters came next.

While at Elephant Rock we met a trio of people from New Orleans. Then we saw them again at Seven Sisters and talked more. Toni and Rene' Maggio and Rene's brother, Bruce Yokum. Even though they live north of New Orleans, they always travel during hurricane season. We shared tips about Las Vegas, New Orleans and photography. He's a bit more serious about it than we are. Check it out at www.studiomaggio360.com

Some other interesting formations near Seven Sisters

His mother always told him that his face was going to freeze like that.

A bit of trivia. Paramount filmed the death of James T. Kirk in "Star Trek Generations" right here in Valley of Fire.

Why do I mention this?

Wait for it.

I didn't see how anything could top that but we came to Petroglyph Canyon. I think I've mentioned earlier that many of the rock formations we've seen have a black coating on them. Geologists call it  "varnish". It weathers in interesting ways and I kept telling Carol I saw petroglyphs everywhere.

But HERE they really were everywhere.

Scientists struggle to date their origin but there are clues. No horses means pre 1500's.
No bows and arrows in hunting scenes means one to several thousand years old.

The next section involved hikes of an hour or more. But this sign was at the trail head.

So we drove to the next area.

Rainbow Vista. THIS is what the Valley is known for. Not just the reds and whites we'd seen almost everywhere, but purple and blue and yellow and orange. The sun was too high to really capture it but even so it's beautiful.

Atlatl Rock.

Here we climbed a staircase to a platform that allowed really "up close and personal" views of the petroglyphs.

"Atlatl" is a stick used to throw small spears. It was in use for thousands of years before the bow and arrow. Since it is pictured here, scientists believe these petroglyphs are definitely several thousand years old and may be 10,000 years old.

The atlatl is the horizontal stick at the top of the picture.

And Carol found another chipmunk.

WHOOPS. It's our first Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel. 

One more arch and we headed back to Las Vegas.

With the grays and browns.

Another incredible day including making new friends.

God is Good.