Cochiti Lake/Albuquerque NM

SUN., JULY 17, 2022 thru SAT., JULY 23, 2022

On Sunday we left Little Creek RV Park in Alto, New Mexico with a partial family pod. We had to say goodbye to (brother) Bob & Deb as they were headed back home. But we had (brother) Andy & (sis-in-law) Linda and Cheryl & Joe with us! We traveled 230 miles north mostly on I-25 to Cochiti Rec Area on Cochiti Lake in New Mexico, which is about 45 minutes north of Albuquerque. Gorgeous drive from the Alto/Ruidoso area! As Joe said, ruggedly beautiful. It was like being in the middle of a watercolor painting. The mountains were a hazy mix of brown, rust, and green. In addition to mountains, we saw wide open vistas, and passed thru 7 “Indian” reservations. I’m not sure if it’s politically correct to say “Indian Reservations” anymore but that’s what all the signage says! We also passed by Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest in the lower 48 states, and a 400 acre Pecan Orchard.

The views from this Corp of Engineer park are spectacular and the sites spacious. We’ll enjoy our week’s stay hanging with Linda & Andy and Cheryl & Joe. The elevation is lower here at 5,584 ft. so temps are back up in the upper 90s. Every day we are treated to the most interesting cloud formations, and every night to gorgeous sunsets. New Mexico definitely has the best cloud formations we’ve ever seen! 

On Monday, July 18th, we stopped at the Visitors Center here at Cochiti Lake and learned that the Cochiti Dam (5.3 miles long) was completed in 1974 and built to prevent Albuquerque from flooding. Unfortunately we can’t walk, drive or bike on it. Bummer. The Cochiti Dam is one of the ten largest earth-filled dams in the U.S., and Cochiti Lake is on the Rio Grande. I had no idea that the Rio Grande traveled this far north. It’s 1,885 miles long and drops 13,000 ft from the headwaters in Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico.

We went swimming in Cochiti Lake, or as Gary said, “we can say we swam in the Rio Grande.” In our case we were “floating” since we used our floaties first purchased in Roswell.  Completely delightful! Water temp was comfortable and we were surrounded by beautiful mountains and the dam! Air temp was in the high 90s. Not so comfy, but at least it’s a dry heat. 

On Tuesday, July 19th, we enjoyed a fun day exploring Albuquerque with Cheryl & Joe! We first headed to the International Balloon Museum. In 1783 “man freed himself from the confines of gravity with the invention of flight. In that year both hot air and gas balloons were invented near Paris, France.” Every year in October Albuquerque hosts the International Balloon Fiesta, which is the largest balloon event in the world. Staff working the balloon festival are called zebras. They dress in black & white to stand out. We learned a lot about the history of ballooning. 

From there, we headed to Old Town, which was very nice with quaint shops and interesting adobe architecture but HOT! 102 degrees so we didn’t last long. We enjoyed lunch at Laguna Burger, which was recommended to us by the staff at the Visitors Center. I know Meigs and Paul… we didn’t do the Owl Cafe. Laguna Burger was across the street from our next sightseeing location… the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Convenience won out! Gary and Joe both opted for the green chili burger, which they both enjoyed. Cheryl & I had something a bit tamer. Visiting the Pueblo Cultural Center was our only chance to learn about the pueblos (villages) since all 19 actual Pueblos are closed in NM to outsiders because of Covid. There happened to be a skateboard exhibit on display at the Cultural Center when we visited. Beautiful skateboard “decks” were painted by Native American artists. Absolutely gorgeous! 

The Pueblos have no written language…. strictly oral. So the native Pueblo languages get passed down from generation to generation. 

In 1680 there was a Pueblo Revolt to oust Spanish rule. All Pueblos in New Mexico banded together, and it was the only time that a tribe was successful in removing a large group of foreign inhabitants. The Spanish returned 12 years later to a re-conquest. We learned many interesting facts about the Pueblos including they are all considered sovereign nations and have their own tribal leaders. 

Afterwards we came home for a well-deserved nap (girls) and met up with Linda & Andy later for Happy Hour. Winds picked up in the evening but gorgeous star gazing, and we could see lightning in the distance.

Wednesday morning, before it got too hot, we all sat outside for awhile with our coffee and watched the hummingbird activity at Linda’s feeders. Some of us had Bloody Marys… they shall remain nameless. 🙂 We have seen so many hummers in New Mexico. Amazing! In the evening Linda & Andy hosted dinner for everyone. Delish as always! Then we taught L&A how to play Skip Bo.

Thursday morning we all drove to the Sandia Peak Tramway outside Albuquerque to take a ride to the top. It’s the longest tram in the Americas and 3rd largest in the world! It’s a mile long and covers almost 4,000 vertical ft and takes 15 minutes to reach the top where you’re at an altitude of 10,378 ft and the crest of Sandia Mountains. An 11,000 sq mile panoramic view awaits. Gorgeous. It stops running if winds reach 45 mph. Thankfully that wasn’t a problem the day we visited. We walked around a bit, but you do feel that elevation, particularly if there’s any uphill climb… even a modest one! We enjoyed a “linner” at the top then took the tram back down. Great experience! Hubby wanted to stop at the Sandia Casino on the way back. It was a short stop as he did not do well. In the evening we had an incredible sunset right from our site. A great day.

Gary did a time lapse video of our Sandia Peak Tramway ride. We were going a little slower than this on our actual ride down the mountain. Hee hee. 

Friday and Saturday we enjoyed more hummingbird watching in the morning with coffee… and Bloody Marys for some. In the afternoons we enjoying floating in Cochiti Lake! A relaxing time before heading to Santa Fe on Sunday! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this Corp of Engineer campground. Spectacular mountain views. Located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, it’s a gem.