Fall color in the Sandia Mountains

This morning we visited Petroglyph National Monument, which stretches along the West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city's western horizon. The National Monument protects a variety of cultural and natural resources including five volcanic cones, hundreds of archeological sites and an estimated 24,000 images carved by Ancestral Pueblo peoples and early Spanish settlers. We visited the Boca Negra Canyon area where many of the petroglyphs are concentrated. Many of the images are recognizable as animals, people, brands and crosses; others are more complex. Later in the morning, as the heat was building we visited the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center,which is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of Pueblo Indian culture, history and art. The museum displays feature the Pueblo Indian cultures from prehistoric times to the present through a variety of exhibits and artifacts, and represents all 19 pueblos found in New Mexico.

In the late afternoon we took the Sandia Peak Tramway (cablecar), which ascends the steep western side of the highest portion of the Sandia Mountains, passing close to dramatic cliffs and pinnacles, from a base elevation of 6,559 feet to a top elevation of 10,378 feet. The tramway first opened in May 1966, and was put in to provide easier access to the skiing slopes on the far side of the mountains. The tramway has a diagonal length of 2.7 miles, and has just two support towers. The first tower is 232 feet tall and situated at 7,010 feet above sea level and built as an inclined tower. The second, just 80 feet tall, is situated at the end of a major spur of the mountains at an elevation of 8,750 ft and had to be installed largely by helicopter. The longest span is between the second tower and the top terminal. This span is the third longest clear tramway span in the world, at a length of 7,720 feet, and passes over Domingo Baca Canyon. Mid-span, the cables are 900 ft above the ground. The desert vegetation gradually gives way to forest, and as you neared the top some fall colors became evident - the yellows of the aspens and the reds of the Gamble oaks. The views were just amazing, as evidenced in my blip, especially in the late afternoon golden light. We went walking on some of the trails until the light began to fade then we returned nearer to the top of the tram and watched the sun set. Once the sun had set, then the lights start coming on in the city, and you had this carpet of glimmering lights spread out before you - just magical!

One year ago: City Hall, Columbus, Indiana