Sandia Peak

 

One of the main attractions in Albuquerque is the Sandia Peak Tramway.  One of the longest gondola rides in the US.  And boy did the line show it....a 2 1/2 hour long wait.  Luckily, there was an option to go eat at the restaurant while you wait - OK!  Sign me up!  We jumped on that opportunity immediately.  We had such an enjoyable "wait" that we nearly missed our "flight" up...we were running through the terminal showing out tickets and begging the workers through the window to let us get on.  Which they did that ...whew!  We were packed in that little car like sardines!  Spare no space!  The boys were nervous on the ride up - they were white knuckled and held on tightly to Clay all the way up.  The girls on the other hand, were loving it - hands on the windows leaning against the door...no fear there!  The view was breathtakingly beautiful.  When we got to the top, the terrain was completely different on the other side of the hill.  It went from rocky and desert landscape to green, lush, trees, forest, and fall colors everywhere.  We had fun hiking around, exploring and just enjoying the beauty of nature.  On the ride down - we got front row seats!  Not as "front row" as some people....we saw a girl who was standing on the roof.  What is she doing up there?  Surely she isn't going to ride down on the top?  That's crazy, sure enough..the tram started it's decent and she was on top.... talk about CRAZY!  There is no way Laura would do that...ok, maybe if they were on The Amazing Race and 1 million dollars was at stake..maybe then, maybe but definitely not by choice.  Clay and Julee on the other hand said they would do it in a heart beat, no problem....what? Are you nuts?  I guess some people are!  Wow....  On the ride down the mountain, the boys enjoyed it more.  They were more relaxed and Detric even fell asleep on Clay's head! I guess that is as relaxed as ya get.