Our day started in the village of Tijeras. We visited the nearby National Forest Ranger and Visitor Station where, to our delight, we found the Tijeras Pueblo Archaeology site.
So, we donned our hats and grabbed our cameras to hike the 1/3 mile self-guided tour of this ancient site of the Anasazi indians. There are no longer any buildings to be seen, but the posted signs and a little imagination fill in the scene beautifully.
We wandered through the brush and trees to the place where the kiva once stood surrounded by a circle of large rocks.
Further on, we found the food preparation area with the stones ground smoothly from years of grinding
There was no sign of the springs that once brought the indians here to settle. Still, it was easy to picture them tending their crops and hunting small animals.
After that pleasant visit, we drove north on highway 14 and took the turn to Sandia Crest. This winding road was filled with hairpin turns and switchbacks. But the views when we reached the 10,650 foot top were incredible.
From one side of the visitor station, we looked out over a huge valley, punctuated with smaller mountains.
And from the other side of the station was a breathtaking view of Albuquerque. You know it's a big city when you drive from one end of it to the other, but to look down on it from that height is something else.
We checked out the gift shop and snack bar and marveled at the change in temperature. It was 88 degrees in Albuquerque when we started up the mountain and 68 degress when we stopped at the top. In the shade, we even spotted snow!
We headed back to the coach with a quick detour to a produce stand we had checked out earlier. They had strawberries in 1 pound containers for $1.00. We had to have some of those! We also bought chili powder (red and green) and potatoes. Their produce looks fantastic with quite a variety. We'll probably stop back on Saturday when they will be getting even more delivered.
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