Leaving New Mexico, Arriving in Arizona

Dateline Holbrook, Arizona. We left Santa Fe this morning (with regrets!), heading for Holbrook, Arizona. Several miles before Albuquerque, we noticed a mountain range to our east - part of the Cibola National Forest. As we got closer, we decided to pull off of U.S. 25 to get a closer look and found another little gem - Sandia Peak (http://www.sandiapeak.com/) which has the "the world's longest aerial tramway". We did not have the time to take the tram ride, but did walk around the base and were impressed with the area and the view of and proximity to downtown Albuquerque.


We reached the Arizona stateline at around 3 PM only to find that it was only 2 PM locally, thus gaining an hour. Our next stop was the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest (http://www.nps.gov/pefo/)- absolutely stunning!






A note for those of you over 62: you can get a lifetime pass to all National Parks for just $10 - a so called "Golden Eagle" pass - compared to spending $65 for an annual pass with the same benefits if you're under 62. The pass can be obtained at any national park.