July 11 -Albuquerque

July 11, 2016 – Albuquerque
We were able to sleep in so that Leah could make sure that the people leaving got to the airport. We left the hotel at 10:15am to go to the Pueblo Cultural Center. This new facility opened in April 2016. In front of the museum is a statue depicting a warrior and a soldier. It is a powerful image. The center has exhibits explaining both the history of the Pueblos but also the way they live. We saw some beautiful pottery, paintings, and basketry. We had lunch at the restaurant at the center. The courtyard had very large murals painted on the walls.
After lunch the bus took us for a ride on Route 66 through Albuquerque. There are some really nice Art Deco buildings downtown. Some areas have the old style building with neon signs while other areas have torn down the old buildings and replaced them.
When we got back to the hotel Earl, Linda, and I set out to see the Natural History Museum. We decided to walk since it was just 3 to 4 blocks away. Well, they were very long blocks and it was 100° out. We were very hot by the time we got to the museum. They have it set up so you start learning about New Mexico in the Precambrian and Paleozoic Eras and end in the Pleistocene Era. It was very well done. On the way out we noticed another exhibit on the history of computers which we all really enjoyed.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel. It was still very hot but the massive amounts of water that we had all drunk at dinner helped.
Tomorrow some of us are going out at 5am to do a hot air balloon ride. If we survive, we will come back and eat breakfast. At 10am the whole group is going to the Petroglyph State Park for a film and a walk. Next is a trip to the Balloon Museum