tinkertown
Last Saturday, after the rodeo, my friend Mick took me to a really amazing place that was probably the highlight of the trip to Albuquerque. Hidden on what they call the "Turquoise Trail" is the Tinkertown Museum. The museum is a truly amazing collection that is centered around the carvings created by a guy named Ross Ward over the course of 40 years. Added to the carvings are collections of memorabilia, americana, and all kinds of crazy coin-operated machines from eras long gone. Every inch of space, floor to ceiling, inside and out, is covered. Ross has since passed away. Outside is the car that his wife convinced him to turn into an "art car" as a project in order to get him to stop driving as Alzheimers took over in his last years. The museum is still run by his family and friends.
If you ever get near Albuquerque, this is one of those stops that you'll never regret.