NEW MEXICO, DAY 1: TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, BOSQUE DEL APACHE, AND ALBUQUERQUE

 June 25, 2021

As we continued on our slow trek north, we saw signs for the town Truth or Consequences and decided to take a look. T or C, as it is informally known, has a population of about 6,500. 

Originally named Hot Springs because of curative natural hot springs in the area, it changed its name in 1950 when Ralph Edwards, the host of the radio show Truth or Consequences, announced that he would air the 10th anniversary program from the first town that renamed itself after his show. For 50 years Mr. Edwards returned to T or C during the first weekend in May for a fiesta that included a parade, a stage show, and a beauty show. (Note: The radio show Truth or Consequences eventually became a syndicated television show.) That May Fiesta continues to this day.

Our next destination was a national wildlife refuge called Bosque del Apache, or Woods of the Apache. "Bosques" in the Southwest are the dense shrubbery and tree growth that occur alongside the Rio Grande River and in its floodplain.

We entered the reserve close to 5:30 PM, and it was still 99°, so we didn't have any desire to get out and go for a walk. We were happy to drive the 12-mile loop.

The refuge includes areas of floodplain, irrigated farms, wetlands, arid grasslands, and mountain foothills.

The dominant tree is definitely the cottonwood.

The trees were full of ping pong ball-sized clumps of "cotton."

There are cultivated fields in the reserve--a cooperative agreement between farmers and the government for the benefit of the birds and other wildlife. It was beautiful scenery, and SO GREEN for such a hot time of year.

We saw deer in at least three different places during our drive.

We also saw plenty of wild turkeys.

Turkeys are so ugly--much uglier than vultures, if you ask me. I'm so glad Ben Franklin didn't get his way. He wanted turkeys to be our national bird.

I thought the way the sun shone through the turkeys' wattles was interesting.

Bob has many more photos of birds than I do, but I did get this photo of what looks like a headless kingbird. My bird photography skills leave much to be desired.

Crossing the "Big River."

We finally made it to Albuquerque, our destination for the day.  We arrived in time for dinner at a place Bob had scouted out ahead of time: Church St. Café. 

I loved the mariachis on the roof. I could tell this was going to be a fun place.

In fact, it turned out to be one of my favorite eating experiences of the whole trip. First of all, I loved the décor--adobe walls, a large open room, New Mexico colors.

I have developed a fondness for the Virgin of Guadalupe and liked seeing her adorning this clay oven/fireplace. The grill beneath her feet has a silhouette of a church.

I have no idea who this is, but he looks very "New Mexico-ish."

Each table in the restaurant has a different hand-laid tile picture top.

Stars twinkle above.

The live entertainment was unlike any mariachi band I have ever heard. The harpist was fantastic, and so was the guitar player. Bob commented that these two  men might be his favorite musical entertainment ever in a restaurant and even tipped them twice.

The food was as good as the atmosphere. Bob had a vegetarian sandwich and his second batch of fries with chile cheese sauce of the day. It was good . . . 

. . . but not as good as my chile rellenos. Drool.

It was evening by the time we finished. The restaurant is located in Albuquerque's Old Town, so we decided to try to walk off some of what we had eaten.

In one direction, we found this statue of Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes, who founded Albuquerque in 1706. He rides his proud steed at the entrance to Old Town, which appears to be a popular gathering place.  (We even saw one woman taking photos of her chihuahua carefully posed between the horse's legs.)

In the other direction lies the Old Town Square (or zocolo, as it is known in Spanish) and the church. This part of Albuquerque feels like old, traditional Mexico.

Every zocolo needs a bandstand in the center. This one is especially charming. It looks like a movie set.

Facing the zocolo is the San Felipe de Neri Church, which was built in 1793.  The oldest church in the city, San Felipe has been in continuous operation since the first church was built on this spot in 1706. The 1793 version was remodeled in the 1850s-1860s to give it a more European appearance, but it has retained a Colonial-era feel. 

Unfortunately, it was locked up for the night, and when when we returned the next day, they were preparing for some big event and we still couldn't go inside, but here are a few photos from our daylight visit:

There she is again, Our Lady of Guadalupe:

I saw her all over the gift shop as well, including this depiction of a tender embrace with Pope John Paul II and a representation of Juan Diego, the Mexican peasant who was visited by her.

I have to include two shots of "The Old Town Loo," which was next to where we parked our car. I was very impressed by how clean and efficient it is!

Anyway, by the time we finally got to our hotel at the end of the frist day, I could barely make it into my PJs. We had been going all day on just an hour or two of sleep, if that, and were grateful to finally climb into bed.