Albuquerque Part II

On Wednesday, we braved the Sandia Peak Tramway. If we look a little panicked in these photos, it is because we combined our fear of heights with a rapid ascent to 10,000 + feet.

   It was worth it for the views!

Following our mountain hike, we spent the morning exploring the
 Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum.

We learned about flying balloons

and even got to go inside one of the big balloons.

They had many interactive exhibits to teach visitors about wind patterns and forces.

We were famished after learning all about hot air balloons and their history, so we

headed to Frontier to eat.  It is an old, very popular, cafeteria-style restaurant.

Harper chose a giant breakfast burrito!

After some shopping in Old Town, we went to Electric Playhouse.

They offer a huge variety of fully immersive, interactive games. 
Harper loved the Paint Splatter game

and the Asian cooking simulator.

Several of the games  felt like a throwback to the age of Pong

and Tetris.

It was a tough game of Air Hockey until Harper pulled a dirty trick.  She took advantage of my photoshoot and fired the puck into my goal!

Another favorite game was throwing dodgeballs at cans of soup.

After an intense gaming session, we headed to the Sawmill Market for a well-deserved treat.  We tried authentic paletas (Mexican ice pops).  While the mango was delicious, our top pick was the chocolate version that was dipped in melted chocolate and topped with Cocoa Krispies.

We went back to the hotel to relax for a bit.  When it was time for dinner, we decided to take what we thought was a shortcut to the hotel parking lot.  Spoiler alert: it was not. We went out a door and found ourselves on the hotel roof.  Then, it started pouring rain.  We decided to go back for our rain jackets, but the door was locked. Eventually, we found a way down near the horse stables. We climbed over some slick boulders, sprinted through the wet grass, and finally made it to the parking lot.  As I looked back to see if Harper was keeping up with me, I saw the most beautiful double rainbow!

We love making memories when we travel!

Albuquerque Part I

 This week we checked another state off Harper's list- New Mexico!

Arriving late in the evening meant we were stuck choosing
between a Prius and a minivan for our rental car.

Harper got a kick out of cruising around in the minivan.

We started off our first full day with a stop at Amy's Donuts. 
The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup donut was our favorite.

Our next stop was the Nuclear Science & History Museum.

Many of the exhibits reinforced what Harper has been learning in her science and world history classes-- atomic theory, WWII, and The Cold War.

Talking Einstein taught her about forces, gravity, and inertia.

She had to pedal this bike really fast to get the light and fan to work.

She tried the catapult

and used energy to shoot metal rings through the air.

She thought the DeLorean was cool, but had no idea what Back to the Future was.

We learned a lot about nuclear weapons including the Fat Man and Little Boy bombs which were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.  They had many large planes, helicopters, missiles and bombs in the outdoor exhibit.

Next, we checked out the Albuquerque Zoo.  We saw lots of animals, but didn't take many pictures. Unfortunately, the zebras were not out. But we had a great time anyway!

We stopped at the famous 66 Diner on Route 66 for lunch.

Harper checked out the soda fountain

and learned what a jukebox is.

Our favorite part was the food- fish & chips with mac & cheese for Harper and a cheeseburger and onion rings for me!

It was a warm day at the zoo, so we went back to the hotel to relax in one of the pools.

For dinner, we tried The Range Cafe. Harper loved the shrimp tacos.

That night, we roasted s'mores by the campfire at our resort.

What a tasty treat at the end of the day!

NYE and Harper's 15th Birthday

We rang in the New Year with cotton candy mocktails.

                                                                They were sugarlicious!

The next morning, it was Harper's birthday!
Cinnamon rolls with sprinkles were a sweet start to her morning.

Next, it was time to open presents.

She was surprised by a new iPhone.

This year, Harper chose a sugar cookie cake from Eileen's Colossal Cookies.

Harper insisted we pair our cake with an apple to keep things 'healthy.'

Harper's dinner choice was The Melting Pot.  This girl loves fondue!

We started with a loaded baked potato cheddar cheese fondue.

After the salads, we had steak, chicken, pork, shrimp, and potstickers. 

We were beyond full, but our stomachs magically opened up when they brought out dessert.

 We had a S'mores chocolate fondue that was flambéed!

Dessert goals achieved! We finished nearly all of it, and Harper said it was the best meal of her life.