Bright and early on the morning of July 11th, 2009, the 714 E2 crew sat buckled in in their American Eagle plane as the captain spoke over the intercom: " I'm sorry folks, but we've been told, by Chicago O'Hare, to delay take off because the weather in and around Chicago this morning is so bad that flights are backed up and we would only add to the chaos. Their current estimation is a 45 minute delay."

Grumble, grumble, toil and mumble: "we're going to miss our connection. Beautiful!"

Thirty minutes later their plane lifts off and climbs to 35,000 feet. For the next hour the turbulence was so horrific as to make the scariest roller coaster seem like a carousel ride. Finally, with clearance from air-traffic control, the pilot took the plane to 37,000 feet and the rest of the ride was smooth as silk.

Long story short: The crew arrived in Chicago in plenty of time to grab a bite, catch their connecting flight, and land in sunny, hot Albuquerque, NM one half hour early.

The tour bus that was scheduled to pick them up at the airport had broken down in Santa FE and necessitated some scrambling which took enough time as to require them to scratch a visit to the Atomic Museum. Waiting for their ride, the rumor floated around that the temperature was 107 degrees. Actually, it was really 95 degrees. It was incredibly hot when they arrived in Old Town to shop, eat lunch, and observe a wedding.

First stop: San Felipe De Neri Catholic Church.

The wedding was taking place across the street in the gazebo in Old Town Plaza.

Next the adult members of the crew proceeded to the Church Street Cafe. The choice of restaurant was made due to recommendations of locals who were asked while waiting at the airport. This restaurant, as well as many others ,was once a private home that has been converted to a restaurant. This one in particular is in the oldest residence in Albuquerque. The teen members of the crew were already there. The food was delicious and the staff alot of fun. Their green chile was to die for. Green chile? It's a NM culinary mainstay.

The final tourist destination for day one was a visit to Sandia peak Tram. This was the piece de resistance!