Greetings from Albuquerque, New Mexico!

Two weeks ago, I attended a Department of Labor conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I’ve driven through northeastern New Mexico many times on my trips home to Texas from when I was stationed at Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls, Montana. And Brian and I spent a long weekend in Santa Fe at the opera several years ago. But this was my first trip to Albuquerque.

I went out a day early so I could get some sightseeing and hiking in. I started the day at Petroglyph National Monument, which offers several desert hikes. I began with the Rinconada Canyon Trail hike. It’s a fascinating mixture of desert landscapes, ancient lava fields, and Native American petroglyph carvings. There were lots of small finch-like birds in little colonies among the rocks. And I actually saw a tarantula, but it hid before I could get a photo.

Lava Field - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Lava Field – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

Asters - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Asters – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

Petroglyphs - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Petroglyphs – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

Desert Wild Flower - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Desert Wild Flower – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

Shamanic Petroglyph - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Shamanic Petroglyph – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

This one is very interesting. It was carved on an angle of the rock to give the face a 3-D effect.

3-D Petroglyph - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — 3-D Petroglyph – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

Lava Rocks - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Lava Rocks – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

Fantastical Figures - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Fantastical Figures – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

After I finished at Rinconada Canyon Trail, I did the 5-mile hike at Three Sisters Volcanoes, also in Petroglyph National Monument.

JA Volcano - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — JA Volcano – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

'Starfish' Cactus - JA Volcano - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — ‘Starfish’ Cactus – JA Volcano – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

Vulcan Volcano - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Vulcan Volcano – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

Albuquerque and the Sandia Mountains - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Albuquerque and the Sandia Mountains, from Black Volcano – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

Black Volcano Caldera - Petroglyph National Monument - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — Black Volcano Caldera – Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

New Mexico Vista - Albuquerque NM - October 2015 — New Mexico Vista from Vulcan Volcano – Albuquerque NM – October 2015

After the Sisters, I changed terrains completely and hiked the “Five Hills of Death” trail in Tijeras, about 20 miles east of Albuquerque. Isn’t that awesome?!? How could one not want to hike something called the Five Hills of Death? Luckily, I lived to tell the tale…