We had a nice couple of days in New Mexico.  We spent an afternoon in Santa Fe and a day in Albuquerque.  For once the weather was very nice- we didn't get stuck in a snow storm.  In Santa Fe we walked around the old town which is so interesting.  In Albuquerque we took a scenic  drive on the Turquoise Trail and then, took a walk by the Rio Grande River and then drove up to the mountains.

In Santa Fe, we came across this very attractive window ledge.  The old town is full of adobe architecture.

Here is a close up view of the flowers.

I walked along Canyon Road which used to be an artist colony.  Now it is famous for its art galleries.  I happen to like the adobe architecture.  I came across so many interesting doors.

During the walk I found  these old stone steps.

I was trying to find a colourful garden but there most of the houses in the area were behind wooden fences so this is the only garden I could see.

This was one of the many colourful stores in Madrid.  The town is located in the Ortiz Mountains,  the oldest coal mining region in New Mexico.   The town is on the Turquoise Trail which is located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.  Today the recovered ghost town is an artists destination.  

Imagine living in the mountains with very few neighbours.  

During our drive we met up with some horse back riders.  Doesn't this rider look like he belongs in the west?

We came across this old door in the old mining  town of Los Cerillos, located just outside of Madrid.  Los Cerillos is officially considered a ghost town, however several residents still live here.  Some thirteen movies have been filmed in this area.  

After our drive on the Turquoise Town, we returned to Albuquerque and went for a walk along the Rio Grande River.  

During this walk we came across two very large ponds which were very scenic.

The challenge of this walk was to get close enough to the turtles without scaring them away.  

We went to the mountains at sunset time.  This was the best I could do- just too many clouds for a great sunset.