Watermelons in the Sky

I am finally ready to do some blogging about our recent trip to the Southwest a few weeks ago. It is a part of our vast country that I have never experienced and it was great to explore with Jeff. Part was a winter getaway and we were indeed lucky to grab some fabulous warm weather. But it is really a different planet from our Land of Lakes in MN. Monochromatic browns and life moving much slower all around.

 

One of our experiences was a must-do and something I never even knew was there. The lovely Sandia Mountains wrap the city of Albuquerque to the East in a vast panorama. They are the southernmost remnants of the Rocky Mountains as they turn to rolling desert. But these are indeed giant mountain crests nonetheless. If you aren't aware - Sandia is Spanish for Watermelon. They get this name due to the Granite flecked with Potassium-feldspar crystals that make up the rocks; they turn to a coral red glow when the sun sets to the West and reflects back on the majestic hills. It is even magnified more by the ridges of Pinon, Juniper & Ponderosa Pines at the top which give it a watermelon rind rim. Like any of these huge ranges, it is difficult to capture the scope in photos. But up close you can see the details of the yuccas, sumac & prickly pair that scatter across the rocks.

We made the ambitious trek outside of town to the range and took the Gondola cable car ride up to the crest. The Sandia Peak Tram is the 2nd longest cable car built in the World! It starts at the foothills and travels 2 miles up the mountain via 2 giant towers over the major apexes. There are two cars holding around 50 people that operate in tandem known as a jigback tram - when one goes up, the other returns and then cross mid-point. It is a fifteen minute ride each way which is just the right speed to take in the incredible views through the massive glass windows on all sides. Building was completed back in 1966 with several renovations over the decades since. It required over 5000 helicopter trips to deliver manpower and materials to strategic plateaus along the ridge as it was being built. One cannot fathom the amount of cable over the length of the trip or the tension required to lift that much weight back and forth. It was sheer adventure.

 

At the top is a visitors center, a lodge and a fine dining restaurant to savor the views. Prime time is at sunset, but we were only able to schedule during the late afternoon which just started to show the emergence of the brilliant colors going into dusk. While we were up at the top we  took in a hike on the Crest trail. Temps were in the 60s on the ground, but near the top had retreated to 15° cooler . For us this felt warm and was no issue. However skiing season had just recently come to a stop on the East side of the hills as most of the snow had gone. But you could see how treacherous the trails were as pockets of remaining ice and mud surprised you in the dark crags where sunlight does not hit. Deaths and exposure are not unheard of on the miles of trails over the top. We felt we got some great views and had our adventure.

I was amazed at the typical tourists that rode the tram up, then returned to the queue to immediately go right back down to base. It seemed a waste to not take in the mountain air and open views on this perfect February Day. Watermelons in the Sky indeed.