Museums aren't normally a big part of my travels, primarily because I prefer being outdoors. However, I found a couple in Albuquerque that really appealed to me, and I think you might find them interesting. The first is the Unser Family Racing Museum.
I was familiar with the success that Al and Bobby Unser had at the Indianapolis 500, having yearly duels with other greats such as A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti. I also had some awareness of their exploits at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, only because I was camped in Colorado Springs once when I noticed two monstrous motor homes occupied by the Unser Brothers there for the race. By touring the museum, I learned of four generations of racing history by this amazing family. The record is too extensive to cover fully here, but suffice to say the family won a total of 26 Pikes Peak races with Bobby winning 13 times himself. Bobby, Al and Bobby Jr won the Indy 500 an incredible nine times. Sadly, those three champions all passed away in 2021.
The Unsers raced every type of car at every type of track, winning at every level. They worked with auto makers, tire companies, etc to innovate performance and safety improvements, and they were never reluctant to share tips and techniques with fellow drivers.
One "wind tunnel" model is valued at $1 million, more than the full sized car that resulted from it.
And how could I pass up an opportunity to visit the Rattlesnake Museum? The answer is, I couldn't. The plexiglass cages and interior lighting had a negative effect on the photos, but that was better than having the snakes in the open.
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