Today I went and got the rental car (my first time to do that ever!) and drove down Route 66 into the Old City of Albuquerque. I keep thinking about how different the architecture is here than in the South.. there are no stately Georgian buildings on a square surrounded by large trees. After having the best new mexican food I have ever had at Church Street Cafe (including sopapillas), I jumped on I-40 and headed down the Turquoise Trail to Sandia Peak.

The Turquoise Trail is a route that was mined for turquoise, gold, coal, and lead, was mined by Indians, Spaniards, Mexicans and Americans. The first stop on the Trail took me up to the pinnacle of Sandia Peak, which was 10,000 feet above sea level. The views from the summit were breathtaking, literally and figuratively. I hiked around a bit, exploring probably the only real trees in New Mexico. The rest of the Turquoise Trail was a scene right out of a John Wayne movie, complete with ghost towns, tumbleweeds, and little shrubby bushes.

The Turquoise Trail eventually led me back to the interstate and the road to Santa Fe. Downtown Santa Fe hosted an arts and crafts fair, which had a plethora of jewelry and art. I haven't purchased anything yet, but I do want to purchase some turquoise jewelry before I return. After dinner and a visit to Walmart, I am now at the hotel with a lack of caffeine headache.

Tomorrow, I hope to go to Los Alamos or Taos, but first I have to shop the outlet mall in Santa Fe.