ALBUQUERQUE - EPILOGUE

Home we are, despite the best efforts of CA highways to reduce our rig to a pile of rubble.  Coming up I5, which is breaking up very badly in the truck lane, we slammed from one hole to the next for miles on end, resolving never to do I5 northbound again.  Finally, Patti heard metal dragging on the road.   Started out with an occasional ping and finally got loud enough and continuous enough that I could hear it, we pulled to the side of I5, which is a bad thing to do anytime.  The damn tail pipe has broken just aft of the last hanger, just couldn't take any more jouncing I guess.  I broke it off and we went to the next exit to deal with it.  Baling wire and plumbers tape to make a temporary hanger and we came on home.

Anyway, here is a synopsis of our expedition to Albuquerque.  12 days on the road total, 4 days to get there, stopped lots, 5 days of touring NM (hub tour), 3 days to hightail it home (no stops).  2049 miles on the Bronco, 468 miles on the T, total gas for the Bronco $409.65, total gas for the T $48.54, most expensive gas, $2.90 in Los Altos, cheapest $1.99 in Albuquerque. There were 92 T's at the event and over 200 people.  Only one T had a fatal problem.  Highest altitude in the T was 9101 ft at the Valles Caldera (1.2 million years ago volcano)  enroute to the Jemez Pueblo.   Lots of low pedal.
Pat's favorite sign on the whole trip, "Indoor Machine Gun Range", this was in Needles, those folks ain't voting for no stinking gun control.

Yesterday evening, Pat went out to take the Fusion downtown and came back in and said it is vibrating.  Raised the hood and this is what we found.

A damn rats nest, Fusion running on 3 cylinders because of the chewed wires.

Spliced in some new wires and set some rat traps.   Went out this morning and the new wires and more of the other wires were chewed, no rats in the traps.  Got it to run again, more drastic measures required.  (machine gun?)         End of story.   Where we goin' next year?

ALBUQUERQUE - Day 9

Boy, some maddening developments today.   Overnight, a truck, trailer and speedster were stolen.  And one vehicle broken into in the parking lot behind the hotel. That is the bad, the good is, they found the truck and arrested two scumbags, but have not located the trailer yet.   The hotel has a security guard walking the parking lot tonight.   I would like to invoke sharia law for this, whack of their hands.

On a lighter note, Sam the snake found one final place to lurk,  Bill bratt's speedster.

Nice easy day, toured within 10 miles of the hotel, including getting lost.  Found our way to Old Town and Pat bought two ankle bracelets from this nice Indian lady who is a sidewalk vendor.

Our next stop was the Unser Racing Museum

The ladies were all thrilled and loved it, Ray and I hated it.

Great collection of Pikes Peak, dirt track and Indy cars plus a collection of Model A Fords, an apparent weakness of Al Unser's.

The above is the car Al Unser won Indy at age 47.  They had a simulator that you could drive 5 laps at Indy in.  I was very fast but I hit the wall three times,  don't laugh.

Tonight, the wrapup banquet.   Ed Archer provided some of the entertainment.

Managed to get a picture of most of the folks there,,,,,

Hey, these guys won my raffle prizes, original Indian pottery from Jemez, and a brass motor meter..

The other part of the entertainment was Lorna Azevedo's Ernestine at the switchboard.  Hilarious.

Well that is it for this Model T Tour, next year's tour is a return to Whitefish, MT.  Lot's of people remember that one and the Majestic Mountain Ski Resort transmission eater hill.

We won't be blogging on the trip home, just pedal to the metal, will do an epilogue later.

ALBUQUERQUE - Day 8

Santa Fe to Albuquerque, 122 miles, took the long scenic route.    Departed the Buffalo Thunder Resort and started climbing.  Up through Los Alamos again and then up some more on NM route 4, scenic byway.   Three miles steep stuff, low pedal, abusing the poor old pickabout at 10 mph, high rpms.

At 9500 feet, on the rim of an ancient volcano, overlooking the caldera, called the Valle Grande, beautiful verdant untouched valley,  elk heaven.

Descended down to the Indain pueblo of Jemez Springs.  Walked the trail around the old Spanish Mission dating from 1600's.   Explored a restored Kiva,

Down that ladder into a room maybe 30 ft in diameter, 12 ft high, with stumps to sit on all around the perimeter,  instantly transported back to a previous time. No pictures allowed inside.

Here is a little oddity, these are everywhere, every dwelling seems to have one, an outside bake oven.

The Jemez Tribe hosted us for lunch.  They led us on a tour through the streets of the Pueblo, kind of a grand parade, again no photos allowed in this part of the pueblo, but it was quite fascinating mix of old and new, narrow dirt streets, small houses, lots of outdoor bake ovens.  We waved, the folks waved, must have been the big occurance of the summer.  I like this picture of our parade of cars just before we entered the Pueblo.

Our parade ended at the community center building, the biggest and most modern structure in the pueblo, and we were treated to a lunch of Indian frybread covered with beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions and a fruitcup.   We even had entertainment,  these little guys did a butterfly dance for us.

One of the elders gave a history of the Pueblo, the folks living there are the actual descendents of the folks that lived there 400 years ago.  After lunch, lots of folks gave kids rides in Model T's.  I might have a picture on Pat's phone.

From there, back to the modern world, down down down to Corrales, for a stop for root beer floats at Larry Azevedo's home. (and garage, and workshop).  Very nice under the huge cottonwood trees.

I want Larry's workshop. This is just one little corner.

That's it, lots of redlights and back to the Elegante Hotel and collapsed.  Well not quite, went across the street to the Village Inn and had a chocolate milkshake for dinner and apple pie for dessert....  My cure for a hot afternoon drive......