Murphys All Over: Sandia Peak Tramway

On Saturday morning (June 18) we slept in! We had a short drive to our next stop in Albuquerque, NM, so there was no need to jump up early. Since leaving home, driving through New Mexico has been the prettiest drive so far. We spotted some more fun signs on the first part of the drive. Couldn’t post one of them though cause it had a naughty word on it, but here are a couple of the fun ones.

Bet there's lots of cowboy hats & boots in there on Sunday mornings.

This is the Old New Mexico Bird House Company.

We arrived in Albuquerque before check in time, so we ran to grab a bite to eat. Scott found a pizza place called Red Brick Pizza. They had a TV at every table. Not very conducive to family conversation, but we figured we were getting enough family bonding time this summer, so no problem! After all, it’s not every day you get your very own TV at your very own booth. ;-)

TV at every table... with a remote control!

Back to the hotel to check in… Homewood Inn & Suites – my favorite so far! A bedroom with two queen beds, a full size kitchenette, and a separate living area. ROOM TO SPREAD OUT! We unloaded and then crashed for a bit. While Scott & I relaxed in the living room, the girls took off to the bedroom, pulled out their art supplies, and dove into making their Father’s Day cards for Daddy for tomorrow.

Hand-made Father's Day cards for Daddy

After our R&R, we took off for the Sandia Peak Tramway, supposedly the world’s longest tram. It was a 15-minute ride to the top, elevation of over 10,300 feet, and the wind speeds while we were in that car dangling by a rope was about 35 mph. Help me, Jesus! And if Scott could have made it swing more, he would have! I asked one of the operators if it was always that windy. He said, “No.” That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I wanted him to say, “Yep, we do this every day in 35 mph winds with no problem!” It was quite a fun ride with some spectacular views going up the side of the mountain.

It's a looooooong way down!

View from inside tram looking down the mountain

When we got to the top, we took a 1.5-hour hike to a stone cabin on the edge of a cliff overlooking Albuquerque. Then it was back down the mountain and back to the hotel for dinner. I was so excited to have stove, so I made a quick trip to the grocery store for some veggies and pasta and pizzas. After dinner, we enjoyed more down time before turning in early since we had to get up early the next day. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s adventure.