All roads all the time

actually, I haven't had to wait for a moose. But, better to wait for one that to run into one.

Great links here!

I've driven through several cattle drives, both in California and Nevada. After the first one, the novelty wears off.

c.i., I agree, Highway 1 is probably the most spectacular road I've ever driven. It's especially fun if you have a flatlander riding along with you

I visited Victoria, B.C. last fall and one thing I noticed was how courteous the drivers were and how they follow the laws of the road to the letter. At least that was my observation. My California sister made me a little nervous with her "California stops." On the other hand, I was glad she was willing to drive where there was lots of traffic, since I'm not very experienced with that, and it would have made me even more nervous!

Moose are a lot bigger than turtles too. Don't imagine that even seven our to a herd of 436 crossing a road would be killed by speeding drivers. Of course, Moose tend to be loners, so a herd of 436 might be indicative of a Moose A2K Gathering.

Near Albuquerque there is the Turquoise Trail leading northward on the east side of the Sandias to Santa Fe. The Turquoise Trail is not as fast as the I-25, but is a much more enjoyable drive. There is a road that leads up to Sandia Summit. Tinker Town lies along that road. The attraction is a wide array of dioramas filled with detail and figures constructed over forty years by one man. The Summit road winds past the Sandia Ski Lodge to spectacular views extending for hundreds of miles from Sandia Summit. A series of footpaths run along the cliffs and through the forest that covers the east side of the summit. This little trip to the top of the Sandias from the Turquoise Trail is a frequent day trip for us.

The Turquoise Trail continues past Golden, a little old village that manages to avoid being a ghost town by retaining perhaps a dozen citizens. The Golden Church, sitting just off of the road, is often photographed. Some of the gravestones in the front Churchyard are so old that time has worn the inscriptions entirely away.

Madrid is another popular destination along the Turquoise Trail. Originally Madrid was a coal town, but during the 1960s it became home to Hippie artisans and has since become a haven for artists and craftsmen. The town probably has close to fifty shops where some really nifty stuff can be bought. There is a small theater that puts on melodramatic plays, and there are several fair restaurants. Sightseeing in Madrid can easily consume an afternoon.

Beyond Madrid there is Cerrillos, a place where Pueblo Indians mined turquoise long before the gold rush that created the town. Somewhere off the Turquoise Trail just north of Madrid is a movie ranch where many western films were made. I can't really say much about the road, or attractions, north of Madrid since we haven't gotten that far along the Trail yet. By the time we leave Madrid, we're ready to go home. I suppose that this summer we will make it all the way up to Santa Fe on the Trail. Usually when we go to Santa Fe, we take the faster I-25 so that we can spend more time around Santa Fe.

Asherman stop, you're making me so nostalgic as to want to start looking through old photo albums. I'll never get out of my head today..... ok, don't stop. I love Madrid. Sigh.

Have you ever taken the exit for Lake Cochiti? It's right at the foot of the big hill between Alb and SF. If you take that road, cross over to the other side of the highway, you can get to Algadones and Lake Cochiti (and the Cochiti reservation). If you don't cross the highway, but back track on the access road you eventually end up at a vista point with picknick tables and a very nice view. It was my very first side trip on my first drive from Alb to SF.

And. along the turquoise trail, tucked between Sandia Crest and alb is a national forrest which houses the black plague among other critters.

Is the movie ranch town you're thinking of Galisteo?

What I remember about driving in New Mexico when I was stationed there in the late fifties is seeing a whole lot of dead rabbits on the road. c.i.

Dead rabbits, eeyep.

I don't recall the name of the movie ranch, but it wasn't Galisteo. We drove through Galisteo once when going up to Santa Fe from Moriarity. It's a great place to take pictures, and I'd like to go back sometime with my cameras and a lot of time.

So far we haven't really begun to explore New Mexico. I expect that in 2003-2004, we will begin to finally get out of Albuquerque on a more regular basis. Cochiti is one of the places we'd like to visit. I have some relatives up near Farmington. A trip over toward the Four Corners would also give us more opportunities to buy Navajo products.

New Mexico is the Plague capitol of the country, but there isn't much real danger, unless people are foolish enough to pick-up dead squirrels they find out in the wilderness.

I hope this will motivate some folks to go to the Western Gathering thread where you can tell us when such a gathering would be best for you.