ROCK STAR PARKING - 10/3/14 . . .

First thing this morning I made a few last minute purchases at the camp store. Then Tim and I pulled next door to Camping World. All of the Airstreamers attending the ABQ Balloon Fiesta needed to arrive between the hours of 7AM and Noon. Here the parkers queue all the Airstream rigs up in order of arrival and escort us 10 to 12 at a time over to the Fiesta Field. This was the smoothest and quickest parking of 200 trailers in about 3 hours that I have ever seen. They do a fabulous job organizing this event and you can tell it's not their first rodeo. 

Tim and I wanted to arrive around 9AM to miss the initial rush. We made it over there by 9:30AM. Not bad for us! Once we arrived it was about a thirty minute wait until we departed. Then it was a thirty minute drive over to the field. 

On our arrival we realized we would be parked almost to the rear of our area. And that was fine because all the spots are great ... we are literally right next to the launch field. When our parking escort came, he asked if we were with a group and we answered 'No' ... follow me he said. We have an empty spot four rows up and in the center. 

When we arrived at our parking spot we found ourselves receiving 'Rock Star' parking right next to the central meeting area for our Airstream Rally. 

After we got settled in we walked around and saw a few people we knew and met many new people. Then we picked up our welcome bags and enjoyed a fabulous catered enchilada dinner. Just about then I needed to walk (one trailer over ... because we have Rock Star parking) to the Airstream to get a jacket. That was when I saw and heard a balloon flare. Well right behind our Airstream another group was doing a demo (without the balloon) with just the basket and burner. Tim could see the flame over our Airstream from where he was and I hear that he yelled 'Alice! Are you cooking?' LOL

All in all it was a fun day getting settled in. Seeing everyone and enjoying being in the center of 200 Airstreams. Tomorrow will come early. We have a pre-dawn launch and the opening ceremony. It is going to be spectacular! Not only the all the Airstreams, the 500+ hot air balloons but also the people. We hear that over 800,000 people will attend over upcoming week. Amazing!

BREAKING BAD . . .

Our Current Location on Rt. 66 in ABQ

Right here in Albuquerque the AMC series BREAKING BAD was filmed. The series finished filming its 5th season and final episode last year. BReaking BAd was nominated for a multitude of awards and won many including Emmys, Golden Globes, SAG and WGA's just to name a few.

 Our campsite at Enchanted ... notice we have shade!

A few months ago I began watching the series. By the time we departed for this adventure I had just began watching the third season. It is so good and I can't wait to finish watching the entire series when we return home. Everyone tells me is just gets better. As most of you know I work in the biz and am so not the person to go in search of this sort of thing BUT I did. I became one of ... uh ... THOSE PEOPLE that I see when I am on set working ... a crazy tourist gawking! Poor Tim has not watched a single episode and entertained me by chauffeuring me around Albuquerque to see a couple of the filming locations.

The A1 Car Wash

                                           Tim and I at the Car Wash where Walt worked!

Dog House

                                            (Character Jesse Pinkman's occasional hangout)

After Tim finished taking me on this crazy chase of film locations we needed a place to eat lunch. Prior to leaving the Airstream at Enchanted RV Resort we had done some research on where to eat but after our wild goose chases we kinda forgot which restaurants were where and where we were. So we looked at our smart cell phone devices and landed at El Modelo. El Modelo is not a filming location for BReaking BAd but should have been. It was an interesting place and located in an industrial commerce area. I just knew Lee Garmanita was taking us on a crazy run to no where but she was right. The entire place was filled with locals ... we so looked out of place. El Modelo's sells no beer, has no inside seating, no public restrooms and is pretty much take out only. Everything is made on site - even the bread, tortillas, chips, guac ... everything. Outside on the edge of the parking lot are a few picnic tables to sit at. This style of Mexican food was different than what we are use to. Tim and I will try a few other Mexican style places to make a comparison.

Afterwards I remembered a local brewery that might be nearby that made some BReaking BAd themed beers. So we made a quick stop at the Marble Brewery to wash down the food we just ate. Also I hear that even though this was not a filming location for BReaking BAd it was indeed a hangout for the cast and crew while they were in production.

This was pretty much our day. I hope not too boring for those who are not BReaking BAd fans. Tomorrow we will be loading into our location on the ABQ Balloon Fiesta Field and should be ready for the Saturday morning opening ceremony of the Fiesta!!!

ABQ!!! HERE WE COME - 10/1/14 . . .

Thankfully today's journey to Albuquerque was uneventful. The two hour drive in on the dirt/gravel road took us just 1 1/2 hours to get back out. The road was mostly dry and passable.

Once back on the hard road it was smooth sailing. We passed though a few little towns getting here. Then eventually we landed at Enchanted RV Park on Rt. 66! At check-in we asked about a place to wash the Airstream. The lovely young lady working the desk directed us to Mike's Car Wash. Mike's, also on Rt. 66, is a self serve coin operated kinda place. A few miles and about fifty dollars in quarters later Tim and I had one clean truck and one clean Airsteam! Life is good!!!

Tim and I are here in Albuquerque now for the ABQ Balloon Fiesta. This one event is what we scheduled and based everything on this trip around. The ABQ Balloon Fiesta is the largest hot air balloon fiesta, with over 500 balloons in attendance. It is also the most photographed event in the world. We are so excited to be here. On Friday we will meet up with 199 other Airstreams and just like magic move onto the Fiesta Field. Then the Fiesta begins on Saturday. We will stay in Albuquerque until Tuesday morning. So much excitement yet to come!

(A few vintage trailers here at Enchanted)

ELEVATION: 5,738'
MILES DRIVEN TODAY: 175
TOTAL MILES DRIVEN: 2,413
TEMPERATURE: 79*
(But was 36* in Chaco this AM)

CHACO CULTURE - 9/30/14 . . .

Our journey today in Chaco Culture National Historical Park was an amazing one. When we woke up it was 36* outside and 41* on the interior of the Airstream. It didn't take long for most of those in tents to wake at which point we turned on our heater. Last night we had left it off. Most of those camping here are in tents and I'm sure they didn't want to hear our heater kicking on at all hours of the night. We keep enough sufficient supplies anyway to keep us comfortable in these situations without the use of the heater. Later a Ranger informed us that it had in fact dropped to 31* here. The exterior of the Airstream was frosty and our chairs we had left out were as well.

First we took off and got out bearings together at the Visitor Center. There we were able to gather information on the Chacoan people and figure out all the available sites we would be able to see today. At almost 34,000 acres this park is massive. In total Tim and I viewed three sites here in the canyon and attended three Ranger Programs today. Exhausting but oh so much fun and the wealth of information was mind boggling.

Our first site was a self guided tour of Una Vida. Una Vida is a Chacoan 'great house' built of distinctive masonry. Also at this site are petroglyphs that we had to climb a very rough and steep cliff to get to.

Hungo Pavi was next. Another Chacoan great house that was built starting in 990 AD. This house contains an enclosed kiva. These round rooms you've been seeing in my photographs are believed to be important places for gatherings and ceremonies. Modern Peublo people still use kivas today.

Chetro Ketl came next. It's one of the largest structures it began as a single story around 1010 CE and grew from there.  It became three floors in places and almost 3 acres. Estimates are 500 rooms - 225 on the ground floor and 275 rooms on the second and third floor.

Casa Rinconada was a Ranger guided event for us. This one contains the Chaco's largest excavated Great Kiva. Here the Ranger told about the significance of the kiva to ancient astronomy. Ok . . . mind boggling!!!

Then at 4pm we attended a Chip Wills presentation. Chip is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of New Mexico. He told us about some of the recent and ongoing projects here in the canyon that he has/is working on.

With barely time to eat we went back to the Airstream for a quick dinner. While there we spotted a large elk near camp. So far we've seen a pack of coyotes, many roadrunners, prairie dogs and herds of elk here.

At 7pm we headed back to the Visitors Center for an outside Evening Ranger Program in the amphitheater. First they started with a nice slide presentation and ended it with a hands on viewing. We all had a chance to spot andromeda through binoculars, spot M13 in a telescope and view the surface of the moon in their observatory.  SUPER AMAZING!!! Tim and I didn't return back to camp until well after 9pm. We got ready for bed realizing what a little spec of life we are on this massive planet, in this solar system, in this universe. My brain hurts!

TIMBUK2 - 9/29/14 . . .

Well almost. What an adventure today was! Our destination . . . Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Long story short  last week we basically threw a dart at a map in our decision to come here. The GPS kept wanting us to go back through Durango. Tim and I knew if and landed back in that town again we might not leave. Taking the longer route by way of Shiprock, NM then into Farmington before heading south to Chaco.  We continued.

As we approached Farmington we could see a bad storm ahead. We continued. With a quick glance at radar we saw a massive red cell had just passed over our designation. We continued because the storm was past us and heading east.

The storm looked bad and as we approached our turn off we knew we may have to go to Plan B. All of the side roads we had been passing were extremely muddy and looked impassible.  We continued. What lied ahead of us at our turn off was another 23 miles, 15 of which are a dirt/gravel washboard. We continued.

The road definitely lived up to its word. The area had just received close to an inch of rain in a very short period of time. Average rainfall here is just 7 to 10 inches per year. As we inched our way along in the mud at 5 - 10 miles per hour we all of the sudden saw what looked like snow in the ditches and fields. Uh ... no ... with a closer inspection Tim and I realized that it was hail accumulation. Phewwww! Glad the Airstream missed that one. We continued.

Up ahead we could see a car approaching us coming from the direction of the park. Two elderly little ladies flagged us down. They notified us of an arroyo ahead that had breached over the road. They had talked to an elder Native woman who told them the water would only rise, they turned around. We were great full for the heads up. As we continued another mile we came upon the flooded area. Of course there were big signs notifying one not to cross if flowing water is covering the road.

Our decision was to park, get out and assess the situation. Turn around if we have to. Just then a truck and travel trailer rig approached from the other side coming from the park. Without hesitation they crossed the water flow. Once clear they stopped to tell us what was still ahead for us if we were to continue. Otherwise we would need to back up about a half a mile uphill to where we might be able to turn around. I thought if Wally Byam (Airstream Founder) traveled with Caravans of Airstreams across Mexico and the continent of Africa from Cape Town to Ciro, way back in the day. If he could do that we could conquer Chaco. Decision made . . . we continued.

Tim put the truck in 4-wheel drive and off we took. Careful not to stop. Towing the Airstream through the flowing water. We made it! We continued.

Next Tim and I came across the 1/4 mile mud slick. At this point Tim put the truck in low gear. We made it through. No fish tailing, just massive amounts of mud. We continued.

Eventually we arrived back onto a paved road and the Chaco Culture National Historical Park World Heritage Site sign. Then shortly after that it was about one mile to the CAMPGROUND! All said and done the thee hour plus trip became five hours plus.  It took just over two hours to travel the 23 miles out here to our destination from Hwy. 550. We were surprised about the condition of the interior of the Airstream. All cabinets are still in place, no drawers flung on floor and the frig was still closed. Only one ball cap was on the floor and the mattress had shifted.

Beautiful here. Amazing! We are sitting in a small canyon 90% surrounded by rock cliffs. A Guy came to congratulate us for making it. He had passed us with his truck slide-in camper coming into the park. The Airstream is no longer silver. It has acquired a lovely matte shade of Adobe.  I have a rock table at our site. Our campsite is about 100 feet from a cliff dwelling. Once the wind died down Tim made a nice campfire. Life is good. Tomorrow we get to explore the park. What an adventure!!!

Tim and I are so thankful and great full to be an American and to have these resources for us to explore and for future generations to have as well.

ELEVATION: 6,228'
TEMPERATURE: 50*