Day 255 - Valley of Fires, Albuquerque

We woke up to a grand vista of the Valley of Fires. Our campsite was on the top of the hill and we we had almost a 360 degree view of the surrounding valley. After the howling wind of the night before, the morning was calm.

"Valley of Fires recreation area is located immediately adjacent to the Malpais Lava Flow. Approximately 5,000 years ago, Little Black Peak erupted and flowed 44 miles into the Tularosa Basin, filling the basin with molten rock. The resulting lava flow is four to six miles wide, 160 feet thick and covers 125 square miles. The lava flow is considered to be one of the youngest lava flows in the continental United States.

From a distance, Valley of Fires appears as barren rock but when you walk through the nature trail there are many varieties of flowers, cactus, trees and bushes typical of the Chihuahuan desert. Animals include bats, roadrunners, quail, cottontails, mule deer, barberry sheep, and lizards. It's also a virtual birdwatcher's paradise with great horned owls, burrowing owls, turkey vultures, hawks, gnat catchers, cactus wrens, sparrows and golden eagles." - BLM website.

After a morning of meetings, we took advantage of the accessible trail through the lava to see the formations up close. The lava had lots of tube, holes, and bucked flows. You could see in places where the sandstone had been cooked by the hot lava. By noon the wind had picked up considerably again. 

We decided that it was a close second to White Sands NP and it was amazing that such different landscapes were only a couple of hours driving apart.  The second best decision we made all day was an impulse stop because we (Stephanie) were tired of driving. (The best decision was going to White Sands NP).

We then headed on to Albuquerque. We had some hopes of taking the Sandia Peak Tramway up the mountain, but it was closed due to weather. We got rained on some more (bringing the rain from Florida with us through the desert as we go) and saw some lighting in the mountains. The wind continued to be impressive and there were a number of "wow" moments when we were buffeted by a sudden gust. The tumble weeds flew by in places.

While we were making our customary Costco gas stop (almost empty $125 to fill @ $2.73) we got restaurant advice from a friend who grew up in Albuquerque.  

Sadies of New Mexico was great, we had the Prickly Pear Margaritas and Stuffed Sopaipilla. The small bowls of chili that came with the meal were very tasty (and fairly hot). Sopaipilla with honey was a side with each dish. 

There was an announced hour wait, so Stephanie dropped the RV at the Balloon Park RV a few miles away and Lyfted back to the restaurant (so we could have margaritas). On the way home, we once again found the ride share to be hard to come by. (No Uber, and about 10 minutes just to get the Lyft assigned. This was at 7.30 PM.)