It's been a great few days in Las Vegas but I need to move on again - Nomad Life is never stationary! I was awake at 0445 (no alarm required) and started teleworking immediately. My work day went pretty smoothly and I skipped breakfast, hoping to eat a big lunch instead. At 1100, I checked out of hotel but then got online (using my phone as a hot spot). With everything in order, I went in search of cheap gas that I saw on Google. Unfortunately, the price was inaccurate and required Full Service pumping (no thanks). Instead, I drove over to a nearby Sonic to get some lunch (1110) - I ended up getting a New Mexico Hatch Green Chili burger and a "Frito Pie" burrito and it was good. While eating, I worked for about 45 minutes on my computer in the parking lot. After getting finished with my meal I departed Las Vegas on I-25. My first destination was Pecos National Historical Park and I was able to reach it rather quickly (1210) via NM-63. Unfortunately, I found the gate closed due to the government shutdown. Several other folks were there, as well - we'd all thought we could access the park because the website said it was open. Apparently, the other people had been encountering this situation since October 1... Meanwhile, I tried to make the best of the time I had and was able to get views of the structures behind the gate (Pecos Pueblo and Spanish Mission Church). After learning more about the local area, I continued (via NM-63) into Pecos. By then, I was thinking about getting gas but found that the two stations in town were unbelievably expensive. Switching to NM-50, I drove west until I found units for the Glorietta Pass Battlefield (also part of Pecos NHS) and stopped to learn about the area. I got back online and completed the rest of my required hours from the car. Eventually, I was back on I-25 and drove the roughly 20 remaining miles to Santa Fe. After exiting the Interstate on the outskirts of town, I found myself following Old Route 66, the Pecos Trail and, later, the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro NHT. Several times, I thought about stopping for a walk but ended up continuing across Santa Fe. At 1310, I finally (after several early attempts at stations with broken pumps) got my gas fillup at a Shell. As I was pumping, a big train came through the middle of an already snarled area of traffic - yikes! From there, I used US-84 and NM-502 so I could reach Los Alamos, a place I've always wanted to visit. The drive was very pretty and I enjoyed seeing the big mountains in the distance. Meanwhile, the temps had risen into the 80s - fortunately, it was a "dry heat". When I arrived in Los Alamos, I found more government shutdown impact when I visited the Visitor Center for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. After stopping in for help at the town's Visitor Center (1400), I was able to take a walking tour on the grounds of the 1940s era "secret base" - along the way, I stopped to see the Ice House Memorial, Ashley Pond, Oppenheimer -Groves Sculpture, Fuller Lodge, Stone Power House, Bathtub Row (including home of Oppenheimer). At the end of my (nearly two miles of walking) tour, I took a look at the Bradbury Science Museum (run by the National Laboratory) but decided not to use my valuable time indoors. Similarly, I'd been told about a chance to drive onto the property of the Los Alamos Lab but there was no stopping for sightseeing allowed and I declined. Instead, I backtracked out of town (on NM-502) and stopped to walk on the Canyon Rim Trail but it was closed for maintenance - from an overlook nearby, though, I was able to get views of several laboratory buildings. Before departing Los Alamos completely, I made a stop at the old "front gate" of the secret base and got a picture of the welcome sign for the town (1415). From there, I drove east until I could get on NM-4 (and be able to head south). On the way to the nearby town of White Rock, I tried to stop at the Bandelier National Monument (Tsankawi Unit) but found the parking lot closed due to the government shutdown - dang... Unlike in Pecos and Los Alamos, all I could do was take photos of the interesting mesas and rocky cliffs that were visible from the highway - perhaps it doesn't count as a "true visit" but I'm going to say that I made up for what I missed within the next hour. Continuing south, I followed directions that were given to me by the Los Alamos Visitor Center and located White Rock Overlook Park. After checking out the amazing overlook itself, which provided great views of the Rio Grande as it flowed through the valley below, I parked and did some more walking (another two miles) on the trails (Blue Dot, Canyon Rim, etc.). In the park, I encountered lots of birds - this has been a great trip for that! I was done by 1645 and returned to NM-4 to drive north. Later, I got on NM-502, which I used to reach US-84. Earlier in the day, I'd passed an interesting formation called "Camel Rock" and I made sure to find a way to access it on the way south. Stopping at a sort of rest area (1715), I was able to get pretty close to the landmark - it really did look like a camel! After this, I used US-84 to reach NM-599 (bypass of Santa Fe) and then continued on to I-25. I drove into sun's glare towards Albuquerque and nearly had an accident when drivers in front of me, no doubt distracted by the tough driving conditions, made bad decisions. For that matter, I should note that my opinion of New Mexico drivers degraded throughout the day - they seemed to be quite careless and even reckless. Regardless, I finally reached Albuquerque and the main road very close to where Trish and Terry live (Paseo del Norte / NM-423). Hoping to find something good for dinner, I explored several strip malls in the area east of I-25. Along the way, I was startled to see the Albuquerque ARTCC building! Eventually, I found a place (Stone Face Tavern) that looked promising - it took me forever to park and, even then, I couldn't get a seat at a table or at the bar. Instead, I headed to a place I'd previously visited with friends: Twin Peaks. I'd put the establishment on a tier above Hooters but the ambiance was similar. I ordered dinner (spicy chicken quesadilla) and beer at about 1845 and enjoyed a stein-holding contest, sports and the company of the friendly staff. I was done eating by 1945 and then drove to Trish and Terry's home. They had given me detailed instructions for accessing their private neighborhood and home and everything worked very well. With my car in the garage (nice) and my bed located, I spent most of the rest of the evening organizing, doing laundry, blogging, logging eBird entries and doing Duolingo exercised. I plans with a Notre Dame friend for the next day and then figured out the Balloon Fiesta schedule. There was even time to watch movies on my tablet and I reached 2300 before turning out the lights. Went to bed feeling pretty good about my upcoming stay in Albuquerque!
