Day-6 I-25 .. to Albuquerque

brrrr-   dark, cold (~36 deg.), and windy ..  perfect early morning for a long drive !
In fact- it was this cold and rainy the entire drive to the New Mexico border !!   I had left so early
that it was too early for the visitor center to be open at the Air Force Academy!   Doggone it!
I continued south on I-25.   My disappointment was short lived.   After exiting at Pueblo and
exploring the older parts of town, I discovered some gems.   First-  they have a RIVER WALK,
similar to the BIG one I'll be exploring in San Antonio.  Did not look too pretty on this gray day,
but in the summer it looks like this :

Second, they have a very neat old town with hand painted signs and art on the walls.

Then-  towards the REALLY old part of town there was a 1901 office built for the headquarters
of the CF & I steel plant in town.  I thought it looked pretty neat.

Many of the original steel plant worker's homes' neighborhood is close by.    The plant was nearby :

Today the 'updated' plant is now run by EVRAZ.    It always pays to explore 'old town'.

Isn't it fun to have more history lessons?    Just wait-  there's more!

After so much fun exploring .. I needed a rest stop.   Just down the highway there was an

interesting one at .. Cuerno Verde Rest Area at Colorado City :  see sign on car?

More history -  the Ludlow Massacre Memorial.   It started out of a conflict:  The Colorado

National Guard and Colorado Fuel & Iron Co. (CF&I) guards attacked a tent colony of 1200

striking coal miners and their families on April 10,1914 using machine guns.  

A somber note on this .. gray, cold, and windy day.   I continued started to climb going south. 
At Raton Pass and the border to New Mexico, the weather and scenery changed big time!
The skies opened up to sunshine and puffy clouds!   AND- it was about 20-degrees warmer.
Mesas, buttes, and mountains dominated the view as I drove south. 

Here's a couple more historical signs :

Drove by Santa Fe.  Kathy and I will be visiting this very historic town tomorrow while Jeff
goes to work.    Arrived at Kathy & Jeff's (church friends) house in Albuquerque at 5-pm.
Kathy & Jeff prepared a very delicious dinner of steelhead, salad, and rice!

My timing is so lucky!    This week is Albuquerque's BIG week of the year!
It's their International BALLOON FIESTA !   They couldn't fly Sat., Sun., or Mon. due to the
high winds.    Hopefully - TOMORROW!

Santa Fe exploration day with Kathy tomorrow.

Trip accumulated mileage : 1713