Skyscrapers Trip to the Land of Enchantment: New Mexico 2006
January 2006 :
And we’re off again! This time it’s to the beautiful state of New Mexico. There’s still time to sign up if you haven’t already. We’ll leave on Saturday April 22 and return the following Saturday April 29. As always, we try to keep the cost to a minimum and it looks like the total cost for this trip will be between $1,000-$1,100. The price includes airfare from Providence, hotel (double occupancy), SUV rental, gas, meals, and miscellaneous admission fees. The southwest is a great place to buy hand crafted Native American jewelry and pottery, so plan your personal budget accordingly.
On Saturday January 21 we had our first organizational meeting and here is the tentative itinerary with links to more information about some of the destinations:
Saturday
- Depart Providence and fly into Albuquerque, New Mexico, Check into hotel in Albuquerque
- LodeStar Astronomy Center & Planetarium
- Old Town Albuquerque
- Astronomical observing with The Albuquerque Astronomical Society
Sunday: Chaco Canyon
Take a tour of Chaco Canyon using Google Earth.-
Two options:
- Visit all ruins – only moderate walking
OR
- Visit two major ruins (Pueblo Bonito & Cherto Ketle) and then hike 2 miles each way to Penesco Blanco, site of the famous petroglyph depicting the crab nebula nova in 1054 AD
Monday
- Shopping in Santa Fe
- Bandelier Ruins
- La Cienega petroglyphs
- Astronomical observing with the Albuquerque group
Tuesday
- Leave hotel and head south – we will stay in either Roswell or Alamogordo
- Apache Peak Astronomical Observatory and the National Solar Observatory
Wednesday
- UFO Museum in Roswell
- 3 Rivers petroglyph site
- Carlsbad Caverns
Thursday
- Check out of hotel and head back towards Albuquerque
- VLA (Very Large Array) Radio Telescopes
- Acoma Pueblo
- Check into hotel in Albuquerque
Friday
- Zuni Pueblo (featuring the famous Spanish Mission from the 1600’s with life size murals by Alex Seotowa) and El Moro monument
OR - Tram-way to the top of the Sandia Mountains and the Turquoise Trail
Saturday
- Return to Providence