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The Sandia Mountains have long been a landmark and
backdrop for Albuquerque. From the top, there's an 11,000 square mile
view. (it says here)
From the car park, I saw
this rather interesting cloud, presumably caused by the mountains
themselves. |
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All aboard and away we go: 2.7 miles of spectacular
mountain scenery. |
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At the first tower, there was a painter at work as we
whizzed past. |
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It was made by Bell Engineering of Lucerne,
Switzerland and constructed between 1964 and 1966 at a cost of 2 million
dollars. No less than 5000 helicopter trips were made during
construction of Tower two. |
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Two miles high, and the temperature has
dropped to just above freezing.
The view is excellent. |
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Remnants of snow are a clue to the temperature. We
are still in spring for this part of the world. |
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Here's a clue to what goes on on the other side of
the mountain in winter! |
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Look closely at the roof of this cable car; there is
someone standing on the roof! |
Our next stop was to be the Petrified forest, one of
my friends had recommended it. At this point, we are driving along the
high plateau that has big skies and infinite views.
The forest is over 53,000 acres of spectacular desert
scenery. |
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Petroglyphs? What are they? |
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Answer: ancient rock drawings where people have
scraped through the dark coating to expose lighter colours underneath. |
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A helpful sign explains all. |
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Why? |
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An emergency phone powered by solar
panels. |
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