Had a nice breakfast and then took Chile for a walk. Christine and John had procured tickets to the Torreón at the National Hispanic Cultural Center which is a huge facility on the south side of Albuquerque imbedded in a majority Hispanic part of town. The Torreón is a cylindrical room about the size of a grain silo. The walls and ceiling have been totally decorated with a mural encompassing the journey and history of the New Mexican native people from its origins in Europe to present day. It consists of over 200 different images.
The artist’s name is Frederico Vigil and he used an ancient technique of creating a mural, by literally layering the image onto the walls’ surface using colored plaster. The finished mural is five layers thick and took him over seven years to complete working eight hours a day, five days a week- essentially a full time job. We had a docent with us for over an hour explaining the artwork and answering questions. She was really patient and thorough and clearly knew the painting and history thoroughly.
Our tour was complete at noon so we headed for lunch to La Guelaguetza, a small, local award winning Mexican diner nearby. C & J found out about the restaurant from a review in the local paper. The owners are brothers originally from Oaxaca. La Guelaguetza roughly means “reciprocal exchange of gifts and services,” in the local dialect and translates for a variety of dishes on the menu.
They’re especially known for their moles. They will bring out a plate of the three different moles to try if you’ve never been there. John, Susan and Christine were sold and each got enchilada plates with mole sauce. When I was struggling to make up my mind, the waiter eagerly suggest their birria tacos, the house specialty. Birria was roasted seasoned beef in a taco shell with beans tomatoes and lettuce. You get a cup of au jus to go with it. Very tasty and very filling. The service and food were great. There were lots of local workers eating there as well which is always a good sign of value and quality.
Afterwards the plan was to take a hike in the Valle de Oro, a newish wildlife refuge not too far away. Due to the shutdown, the visitor center was closed but the hiking trails were open. For a wildlife area, there isn’t much going on. From the parking lot you can walk to the Rio Grande about a flat, straight mile away. The land had originally been farm fields and it looked like it was in the awkward stage of becoming something else. The area was wide open with no real landscaping and a distinct lack of wildlife unless you count grasshoppers and the occasional bird. We headed for the bosque. The walk was a flat gravel road with no shade.
Once we hit the end of the trail at the bosque, we took a left and completed a large loop. Personally I was happy to be done. We did manage to get a decent walk in however.
We returned home in traffic and then just chilled out until dinner. Dinner was leftovers. Christine and I took Chile for an evening walk. When we got back, John and I settled in to watch baseball playoffs and soon the girls went to bed.
Saturday, October 11
Got up a 4:45 am to make the drive to the airport. Got there with little traffic and no lines in the airport. Hopped on our plane and were home in just a few hours. That non-stop flight between MSP and ABQ is the best!