Who KNew Mexico (could be this terrific)?

Hi everybody,

When we last left you, we were in Flagstaff, AZ on our way to Albuquerque, NM. On the way, we drove through the "Painted Desert" of Arizona and viewed incredible redrock buttes. We got to Albuquerque late last Thursday evening (10/19). Very early the next morning (@5am), we got up in order to go to the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta's "special shape" liftoff (which included 'regular" balloons as well) . To say that it was spectacular would be an understatement.

While in Albuqurque, we played also golf at the University of New Mexico's spectacular golf course and went to the Pueblo Indian Cultural Center.

We left Albuquerque on Sunday and headed to Santa Fe, where we spent the day in old Santa Fe shopping in the Plaza and doing typical tourist things - going to galleries (Georgia O'Keefe et al).

We attended evening Mass at the oldest continuously open church in the US (The Mission of San Miguel). We also saw the "miraculous" staircase in the Loretta Chapel -- it is a suspended spiral stairway in a beautiful old church.

The next day we decided to get serious about delving into the scientific history of the area and drove to Roswell, NM to get to the bottom of the alien invasion of 1947.

On Tuesday, we drove further south to Carlsbad, NM and took the natural entrance and big room tours of Carlsbad Caverns. The pictures did not turn out great because it is very dark at 800 feet below ground level and the few lights they have do not allow photos to do it justice. The next morning we took a guided tour of additional rooms that are accessible only on ranger-led tours. It was an amazingly incredible place -- hard to explain. Lace in stone.

Now we are in Lubbock, TX hoping that tomorrow is good golfing weather......

20 days until we return to vote....

Jim and Beccy