I Should Have Made a Left Turn at Albuquerque!

 

 

Last Sunday afternoon we got into Albuquerque and stayed several nights at the Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post located on Route 66 just outside of the city limits.  The campground is a former trading post with a friendly staff.  They even have some vintage trailers on-site to stay in.  Albuquerque was one of the destinations along my journey due to its Route 66 history a lot which is still evident on Central Avenue, the old main drag through town. 

 

The Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post on Route 66

Over the next week in addition to just hanging out I covered the 18 miles of Route 66 through the city.  I utilized a number of modes of transportation including walking, bicycling, public transportation and the Cortez.  Some notable points of interest included:

·         The Sandia Peak Tramway which takes you from the 6,000’ level to the top of Sandia Peak at just over 10,000’ where the temperature was 20 degrees cooler.  On the way up debris from the February 19, 1955 crash of TWA flight 260, a Martin 4-0-4 airliner, can still be seen.  Flight 260 was going from Albuquerque to Santa Fe when it hit the fog shrouded mountain, all 16 onboard perished.

The Sandia Peak Tramway at it approaches 10,000 feet

·         The Anderson-Abruzzo International Balloon Museum which included a display of the balloon bombs that the Japanese launched against the United States during WW II.

·         I met “Atomic Annie” at The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.  No that’s not local exotic dancer but the nick name given to M-65 280 mm mobile arterially also known as the “Atomic Canon”.

"Atomic Annie" at the Nuclear Museum

 

·         Quirky Tinkertown a folk art creation that took artist Ross Ward over 40 years to carve, collect, and lovingly construct what is now the Tinkertown Museum. His miniature wood-carved figures were first part of a traveling exhibit, driven to county fairs and carnivals in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Today over 50,000 glass bottles form rambling walls that surround the museum.

Great philosophy from the creator of Tinkertown

·         Walked through Old Town which dates back to the founding of the city by the Spanish in 1706. Now it’s a popular shopping and tourist destination of about ten blocks of historic adobe buildings grouped around a central plaza (a common feature of Spanish colonial towns).

Tried the local food scene including the Owl Café, the Frontier Café, the Route 66 Diner, the Flying Star Bakery, The Dog House (seen on the show Breaking Bad) and The Gravy.  Would highly recommend all of them.

After the trip to the Sandia Peak Tramway the Cortez started running a little rough.  Given that we still have a long way to go on our journey I was concerned.  I have learned to utilize a variety of resources with the Cortez.  Given its use of the Toronado drive just like the GM motorhomes of the same period I have lurked on their sites also to glean information.  As it turns out there is a shop that specializes in working on the GMC motorhomes here in town just blocks off Route 66.  I telephoned then dropped by the owner took my rig out for a test drive and told me if I had it back in the morning at 7 AM  he would work on it.  Did some more sightseeing and decided to boondock out in front of his shop so we were ready first thing.  Friday morning the owner himself, Jack Hodges checked it out and found the trouble right off.  The metering rods in the carburetor were seized.  He immediately went to work getting a carb kit and within about three hours the repairs, an overhaul on the carb were completed and we were back in action.  I am not very happy with my mechanic who was given the task of checking out the Cortez for a cross country trip back in August.  Especially since he told me he had trouble setting the idle on the carb.  I may be looking for a new shop.

 

Friday night we left town heading west on Route 66