In early October 2024, a group of ASURA retirees took a whirlwind tour of the four corners area of New Mexico and dropped down to take in a balloon festival. The following report was prepared by Tara Roesler who also took all the pictures. The story below has a number of pictures in the original version removed. You can click on the link to the right and read Tara’s report with all her pictures. So, settle back and enjoy Tara’s report.  

Day 1 morning: We enjoyed breakfast at La Posada Historic Hotel: Architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter's Southwest masterpiece, La Posada (the resting place), — Fred Harvey's Last Great Railroad Hotel.

Day 1 afternoon: We visited Aztec Ruins National Monument - A Place by Flowing Waters: These Aztec Ruins have some of the best-preserved Chacoan structures of its kind. We learned more about the ancestral Pueblo people in the park's museum and explored the Aztec West great house to see exceptionally advanced architecture, original wooden beams, and a restored Great Kiva. Aztec Ruins is a deeply sacred place to many Indigenous peoples across the American Southwest.

Day 1evening: We dined at Three Rivers Brewery a historic brewery and distillery in downtown Farmington, NM.

Day 2: We toured Chaco Canyon National Park - The Center of an Ancient World: We explored the monumental structures and breathtaking landscape at Chaco, a thriving regional center for the ancestral Pueblo people from 850 to 1250 CE (Common Era), through an expertly guided tour. Chaco Canyon is a sacred and deeply personal place for many Indigenous peoples throughout the Southwest.

Day 3 morning: We toured Bandelier National Monument Cliff Dwellings – home to hundreds of ruins of Anasazi cliff houses and pueblo-style dwellings. The multi-storied stone homes stretch over 800 feet high and the cave rooms or cavates climb way up the cliffs. Additional cliff side dwellings include the Tallus House and the Alcove House, which is perched on a cliff that reaches 140 feet from the Canyon Floor. Some of the dwellings were rock structures built on the canyon floor; others were cavates produced by voids in the volcanic tuff of the canyon wall and carved out further by humans.

Day 3 afternoon – Explore Santa Fe: Santa Fe, New Mexico is a city unlike any other, truly living up to its tagline, The City Different, at every turn. With legendary history and culture around every corner, an art scene that spans from traditional to contemporary, accommodations with a local feel yet world-class status, award-winning cuisine that’s as eclectic as it is sumptuous, and countless experiences to encounter. 

Some of us explored Loretto Chapel - Home of the famous miraculous staircase - “Three mysteries surround the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel: the identity of its builder, the type of wood used, and the physics of its construction.”

Others of us explored the Georgia O’Keefe Museum - Georgia O’Keeffe was one of the most significant artists of the 20th century, renowned for her contribution to modern art.

Lastly the group split up for lunch and sampled various dining establishments/cuisines in the Santa Fe downtown district.

Day Three early evening: We rode the famous Sandia Tram. Rising from the hustle and bustle of Albuquerque, we ascend one of America’s most stunning urban peaks. Reaching the 10,378-foot crest of the Sandia Mountains, an 11,000 square mile panoramic view awaited us. It’s an elevation of the body, mind, and soul in a mere 15 minutes.

Day 3 evening: We all enjoyed dinner at County Line BBQ.

Day 4 morning: We departed at 4:45 am for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. “Any local will tell you that October is the most beautiful time of year in New Mexico, made so in large part by the much-anticipated sight of colorful balloons, over 500 of them, punctuating the skyline. During this season, the sky is bluer, the days are gentler, and the mornings crisper -- almost as though the landscape has taken a deep sigh -- and on the desert’s warm breath sails the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.”

Day 4 afternoon: We experienced the Acoma Sky City - Beauty. Culture. Art....For More Than Two Thousand Years. Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum rich in cultural architecture, serves as the reception center and museum for visitors to the Pueblo of Acoma. It is the gateway to Acoma “Sky City”. Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico is more than just a tourist destination. Its part of New Mexico's cultural heritage, as the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in North America and the 28th Historic Site designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Acoma history is also the story of the Southwest, from its initial role as the home to the Anaasazi people, to the thirteenth century founding of the Pueblo, which is still alive and well as a community and touchstone for Native Americans in the area and nationwide.

Enlightened and exhausted we arrived back at the Tempe Public Library at the end of Day 4.