May 3, 2022
by David Ryan
2 Comments

Albuquerque Jane’s Walks – 2022

Jane’s Walks – Albuquerque – 2022

Volunteer-led Walks on Saturday, May 7

Volunteers will be available to lead walks from 10am to 2pm

Volunteer-Led Walks will begin and end in front Ricochet Gallery at the SW Corner of 11th and Mountain

Download the Brochure – jw-001

 

Jane’s Walks are held in over 200 cities worldwide and are named after Jane Jacobs who was a pioneer in protecting urban neighborhoods. Her 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, is a classic and was a wakeup call for many to protect and save their neighborhood. Jane’s Walks are volunteer led and are held in early May to celebrate her birthday and urban neighborhoods.

Several of us had hoped to conduct Albuquerque’s first Jane’s Walks event in May 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevented that from happening. With the pandemic still uncertain in 2021, last year’s (2021) Jane’s Walks were self-guided.

This year’s (2022) Jane’s Walks will be a mixture of self-guided walks and volunteer-led walks. Volunteer-led walks will begin and end in front of Ricochet Gallery at the SW corner of 11th and Mountain. Volunteers will be available from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, May 7 to lead you on the Mountain Road Arts Corridor walk or the Wells Park Troche Moche walk. The April 21 issue of the Albuquerque Journal had a great article of the Troche Moche walk on the GO! page in the Sports Section (page B-6).

In the meantime, please feel free to check out the walks that have been posted below. You are more than welcome to take a self-guided walk whenever it is convenient for you.

Since most of Albuquerque was developed after World War II and was, therefore, built for driving, our walks are a refreshing alternative as they go through neighborhoods meant to be walked. Before cars became predominant, houses were built closer to each other, the streets were narrower and less circuitous, the blocks were shorter, and retail and commercial establishments were oftentimes intermixed with houses. All of this made and still makes it easier to get around on foot. As a bonus, you’ll find that our walks will keep your attention from beginning to end.

Walk # 1 – Mountain Road Arts Corridor walk (2.7 – 3.0 miles long) features the art and architecture along or near Mountain Road. The walk begins and ends near the intersection of 12th Street and Mountain Road and heads east and will take you through some of Albuquerque’s oldest and nicest neighborhoods near Downtown. Along the way you’ll see wonderful artwork, interesting streets, and the best of neighborhood living. Please go to the Jane’s Walks tab on this website for a Map and Narrative of the walk.

Walk # 2 – Downtown Core and Barelas walk has been provided to us by Peter Rice of the Downtown Albuquerque News. As the name of the walk states, it features Albuquerque’s Downtown Core and the Barelas neighborhood south of Downtown. Please go to the Jane’s Walks tab on this website to access a Map and Narrative of the walk.

Walk # 3 – Old Town and the Sawmill District walk (2.3 miles long) picks up from where Walk # 1 ends. Rather than heading east, this walk heads west from the 12th and Mountain area to include Old Town and the Sawmill District. Like the other walks there will be plenty of artworks and other items to catch your attention. Please go to the Jane’s Walks tab on this website for a Map and Narrative of the walk.

Walk # 4 – Troche Moche Walk Around Wells Park walk (2.3 miles long) has been provided to us by Martha Heard, the driving force behind the Wells Park Neighborhood Oral History project. This walk like Walks # 1 and # 3 begins and ends near the intersection of 12th and Mountain. Rather than going east or west, this walk heads north to explore the Wells Park neighborhood to the north and east of 12th and Mountain. Please go to the Jane’s Walks tab on this website for a Map and Narrative of the walk.

Walk # 5 – Nob Hill Architectural Walk (2.6 miles long) has been provided to us by Steven Justrich, an interior designer and one of the Albuquerque Jane’s Walks organizers. This walk explores the fascinating architecture of Nob Hill and includes the “world famous” Bart Prince spaceship home and studio. Please go to the Jane’s Walks tab on this website for a Map and Narrative of the walk.

April 6, 2022
by David Ryan
2 Comments

Wandering to the Trinity Site

With three UNESCO recognized World Heritage Sites and with a countless number of stunning landscapes that you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the country, if not the world, New Mexico has to be at or near the top of the list of states with the largest number of visually stimulating “Gold Star” attractions. (Only California has as many World Heritage Sites as New Mexico.) But of New Mexico’s many Gold Star sites, the Trinity Site, where the first atomic bomb was exploded, may have the most impact!

The Trinity Site, located in the heart of White Sands Missile Range, is open for visitation only two times a year. Traditionally this has been on the first Saturdays of April and October. For 2022, the October visitation date will be the third Saturday of the month – October 15th. Before planning a trip to Trinity, it might be worthwhile to check the official White Sands Missile Range website to make sure that the dates have not changed. Continue Reading →

March 9, 2022
by David Ryan
2 Comments

Checking Out Dinosaur Tracks and Oklahoma’s High Point While Wandering Through the Epicenter of the “Dust Bowl”

Last week my little dog Sparky and I headed out to the High Plaines in the northeast corner of New Mexico to check out some dinosaur tracks and then continue across the border to Oklahoma’s highest point at Bleck Mesa.

The unending grasslands of the High Plaines are both haunting and beautiful at the same time.

This very area (the northeast corner of New Mexico and the western Oklahoma Panhandle) was the epicenter of the “Dust Bowl” in the 1930s. What had been, prior to European settlement, an unending High Plaines of semi-arid grassland best suited for buffalo was turned into farmland when homesteaders poured into the region in the early part of the last century. (This was one of the last areas in the country to be homesteaded.) The new arrivals were certain that “rain would follow the plow” and went ahead to plow up the grassland. Unfortunately, after a few good rain years in the late teens and twenties, the rains stopped and the now plowed-up grassland turned into dust and catastrophic devastation during the 1930s. Continue Reading →