47 New Mexico
If I had written this just three months previously, my only experience with New Mexico was the previously mentioned trip to Four Corners National Monument as a toddler. Aside from that, I hadn't even really been close to the Land of Enchantment.
That all changed at the end of September when I went to visit pussygalore66, who has worked in Santa Fe for the past 7 years. For most of that time she also lived in Santa Fe, but this year she moved to Albuquerque. I spent most a week crashed at her place.
As luck would have it, Albuquerque's premier tourist event started up while I was there, so we spent an afternoon at the Ballon Fiesta. Albuquerque apparently has ideal conditions for hot air ballooning, and as a result the Fiesta has been a major tourist event for nearly 40 years. The specific event we went to was a 'glow', where the balloons are inflated on the ground as sunset approaches and then illuminated by their hot air burners. This was pretty cool - there were a few hundred balloons tethered on the launch zone, all with their burners flashing on and off.
We went to Santa Fe another day and pussygalore66 drove me around all the touristy areas, especially the plaza and the Cathedral.
We also took the the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top of Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque. The tram goes past the site of the crash of TWA Flight 260, although we were unable to see the wreckage from our vantage. We enjoyed the view and then ate at High Finance, which is an upscale joint at the top of the tramway. Alas, the food was average and overpriced, but the view was fantastic.
We also ate at several burger joints, two of which deserve a post of their own. We played a pub quiz with the team name "DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Princess." I read a lot of books. I briefly visited Dr. EY, who is now on the faculty at University of New Mexico. All in all, it was a very relaxing vacation. Solidly placing New Mexico in the 'Full Credit' category was just a bonus.
Albuquerque and Santa Fe alone have all sorts of cool things to do that I wouldn't mind trying out, so I'm sure I'll be back at some point.
Scoreboard
Full Credit - 34: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico
Partial Credit - 7: Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, Idaho
No Credit - 6: South Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Arkansas, Oklahoma
That all changed at the end of September when I went to visit pussygalore66, who has worked in Santa Fe for the past 7 years. For most of that time she also lived in Santa Fe, but this year she moved to Albuquerque. I spent most a week crashed at her place.
As luck would have it, Albuquerque's premier tourist event started up while I was there, so we spent an afternoon at the Ballon Fiesta. Albuquerque apparently has ideal conditions for hot air ballooning, and as a result the Fiesta has been a major tourist event for nearly 40 years. The specific event we went to was a 'glow', where the balloons are inflated on the ground as sunset approaches and then illuminated by their hot air burners. This was pretty cool - there were a few hundred balloons tethered on the launch zone, all with their burners flashing on and off.
We went to Santa Fe another day and pussygalore66 drove me around all the touristy areas, especially the plaza and the Cathedral.
We also took the the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top of Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque. The tram goes past the site of the crash of TWA Flight 260, although we were unable to see the wreckage from our vantage. We enjoyed the view and then ate at High Finance, which is an upscale joint at the top of the tramway. Alas, the food was average and overpriced, but the view was fantastic.
We also ate at several burger joints, two of which deserve a post of their own. We played a pub quiz with the team name "DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Princess." I read a lot of books. I briefly visited Dr. EY, who is now on the faculty at University of New Mexico. All in all, it was a very relaxing vacation. Solidly placing New Mexico in the 'Full Credit' category was just a bonus.
Albuquerque and Santa Fe alone have all sorts of cool things to do that I wouldn't mind trying out, so I'm sure I'll be back at some point.
Scoreboard
Full Credit - 34: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico
Partial Credit - 7: Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, Idaho
No Credit - 6: South Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Arkansas, Oklahoma