Philmont: Magical Mystery Tour
Well, after a very short amount of sleep the troop and crew woke up at 5:30 AM (mothers, take note), ate, then hit the roads of Albuquerque at 6:30 AM for a wonderful tour of activities with our hosts Blue Skies Adventures. First stop was a hike to the “Three Sisters”, which is three volcanoes in the local area.
Although it was bright and early, we weren’t alone on the trail. Along the hike we were joined by a plethora of wildlife including several millipedes, beetles and a horn toad (almost mistaken for a local rattlesnake).
From there we were off to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History to learn about ancient local history, NASA projects in the area and to catch a 3D movie about surfing the big waves in Tahiti. One of the most interesting exhibits we saw was the Sun Daggers, which are three rocks which were strategically placed to allow the local Chaco Canyon population to tell time over 1000 years ago.
After the museum and the IMAX movie we headed to lunch. As we’re told, almost every meal in New Mexico involves green chilies and lunch was no exception. We enjoyed a nice meal at Albuquerque's very own LotaBurger with the crew. We had a choice of burgers, burgers with fries, chicken burgers and shakes – oh yeah, green chilies on the side for everyone!
Most groups would have said “enough’s enough” and went home for a nap, but 466 was off to the next adventure. Next we visited Old Town Albuquerque. After a quick history lesson in the park we went out and toured the area. Aside from the local trinket shops, we were able to take in great sites such as the Rattlesnake museum. Sam found himself surprised at what was inside the rattlesnake eggs pouch and likely won’t be as curious in the future.
After Old Town we were off again to visit the National Nuclear Museum since Albuquerque is home to much of the research, development and testing behind the nuclear age. The museum was rather interactive and the troop enjoyed many of the attractions provided inside.
From there we headed to our last stop of the day – Sno Peak’s gondola ride up the mountain. At one point we were hovering over 1000 feet off the ground. The sights were amazing, although we were not able to hike to the old CCC lodge at the top of the hill due to the New Mexico wildfires.
Now, we’ve returned to the hotel to take much needed showers, get some swimming in and enjoy the warm evening air. Tomorrow has another early morning ahead of us to include some hiking and kayaking to fill our day before heading to the Philmont camp.