Travels in the 2nd half

Tinkertown Saloon Traveling from Albuquerque to Santa Fe is a beautiful drive, even on the interstate. But on a trip this summer, I took the more scenic route along the Turquoise Trail, and I was rewarded with great views and fun places to stop. The Turquoise Trail follows route NM-14 from Tijeras in the south to the suburbs of Santa Fe in the north. It follows the eastern edge of the Sandia Mountains. I first drove this route a twenty-five years ago. The Amazing Ms. D and I were drawn the promise to seeing three ghost towns along our trip. Today, the towns of Golden, Madrid and Cerillos are no longer abandoned. They have become centers of growing arts communities, and homes to the two stops I made this year. My first stop was at the Tinkertown Museum , in Sandia Peak. Tinkertown is a labor of love, created by Ross Ward. Ward began carving figures while in junior high school. He continued this hobby while traveling the country as a painter for all of the major carnivals and ...

Sansia Tramway This summer, I attended a course in photography in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Besides learning a lot, and getting to work with some great photographers, it gave me an excuse to return to one of my favorite parts of the country. Before and after my course I had the chance to spend some time in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city. Old Town Plaza Albuquerque sits between the Rio Grande River and the Sandia Mountains. The area was home to as many as twenty Tiwa pueblos before the Spanish invaded the area. In 1706, the Spanish settled in the area, building a town around a central plaza. Today, that area is called “Old Town Albuquerque.” Old town is a great place to walk around. The adobe buildings house restaurants, jewelry stores and other fun places to shop. Classic Cars on the Plaza More Classic Cars Indian vendors at the Old Town Plaza San Felipe de Neri Church The first place I visited was Los Poblanos organic farm and inn in Los Ranchos d...

When you travel to the Virginia Coast, you enter and area that is filled with naval history. Portsmouth is home to the largest naval base on the east coast. However, this history goes back a long way in the history of the United States. That history is captured at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News VA . Cape Charles Lighthouse Lens The city of Newport News sits on the north shore of the James River, on the Virginia Peninsula, which separates the river from the Chesapeake Bay. Its history dates back to the forming of the Jamestown Colony in the early 1600’s. Newport News became a thriving town when the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway decided to build their terminal there, making it the place where coal from West Virginia would be transferred to ships. USS Lancaster Eagle The Mariner’s Museum was founded in 1930 by Archer Milton Huntington , whose father founded the city. He, and his wife Anna Huntington, bought eight-hundred acres along the shore of the James River. ...