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This morning we woke up to a much higher altitude I think.
I went out for my morning run at my normal pace and nearly imploded my lungs. I thoughts my eardrums were going to burst after I was done.
Then I couldn't stop coughing with tight lungs and realized it was asthma!
The younger two boys had similar ear issues. Panadol eased that.
We were given permission to use Bodie's newly purchased BB gun. How fun! We all had a turn. I am a good shot!
Some of the crew had a go on the fun pedal bikes corralled in a corner.
After a frustrating encounter getting GAS, and some Starbucks, we headed towards Bearizona.
Bearizona was an even bigger hit with all the kids than I thought it would be. The older boys were enthralled.
We had gaffa tape applied to all the plastic plugs on the back of the RV as the wolves apparently like to chew them off.
This of course heightened our anticipation!
On the drive thru part where the animals roam free, we saw bison, skunk, badger, wolves, bears, Doll sheep, two different types of goats and other animals. All along the way,
we had an automated tour guide box that was triggered to give us information about each new animal as we entered their enclosure.
Bearizona highlights:
- having a couple of wolves lope along after us for a while
- watching the world's dumbest Doll sheep(apparently they are the Olympic athlete of beasts, being nimble mountain climbers) jump off his house and then try very very hard ( nearly screwing his own head off in the process) to figure how to get back up there.
-a bear 'fight' that we missed but had the older boys transfixed.
- the bird show where a Great Owl's talons only just missed Zac's head when he flew over u.
- the 7 yr old up on stage as the volunteer 'mouse' : blindfolded, with a Mickey Mouse hat on and a squeaker he had to press when he heard the owl swoop. He heard it and squeaked at the right time.
Uncanny moment: driving through the part where the wildlife roamed free in Bearizona, Zac said 'This is like Jurassic Park'
And a couple seconds later the automated tour guide said:' welcome
to the land of T-Rex exhibit. No, this is actually not Jurassic Park.....!'
After a quick lunch, we drove 3 hours to Gallup past amazing red rock formations- vast desert plains-and HUNDREDS of huge signs advertising Indian products and experiences. It is a country that commands awe. Especially when the setting sun casts a dusky pink coat over all of it.
Tonight's dinner was one of my most highly anticipated in the trip: El Metate Tamale Factory.
I really wanted us to have an authentic Mexican dining experience and after scouring Yelp and Tripadvisor; El Metate Tamale Factory fit the bill.
It is certainly not on the restaurant strip; tucked away in what seemed to be a quiet, maybe-suburban street. It was dark when we pulled in. Very dark.
It didn't take us too long to locate the restaurant. Inside, I loved the walls with bold snakes and other Mexican-themed objects painted in warm vibrant colors.
Very quickly our menus arrived with a baffling array of items from which to choose, most of which I was not familiar with.
Our host, Carlos came out and took command of the situation. He explained the menu, found out what our tastes were and gently steered our thoughts to match the more authentic dishes.
While we waited, two plates of the best corn chips with a tangy jalapeño( I think) coriander(cilantro) dipping sauce. Hot, but amazing! The plates were whisked away and replaced with fresh ones after we nibbled our way through them.
Along with the sides we purchased, Carlos brought us out a sample of a drink I cannot remember the name of: but it consisted of milk, rice and cinnamon. It was so refreshing with the ice and it was smooth, so I don't know if maybe the rice had been blended.
Carlos' love for his cuisine was certainly infectious. Guess who has eaten there? Jamie Oliver! Carlos showed us the newspaper article. Certainly puts this place even more on the map!
Our dishes came out quickly and every last one was cooked perfectly. At some stage in the meal, Carlos asked if we had ever eaten tamales. on hearing the 'no' he immediately set to remedying that with a tasting plate of 3 different ones.
By the end of the meal, my mouth was on fire but my taste buds were weeping with joy.
After we finished, saw that Carlos and his wife had at least two boys, so I raced over to the RV to grab some Aussie souvenirs for them.
Heartwarming moment:As we left, the 7 yr old gave the souvenirs to Carlos to give his boys.
As we left, I saw the boys so excited for their souvenirs. We were just pulling out when one boy ran out and said ' thankyou so much for the presents. Can you wait a minute?' He ran off.
We waited a minute. I got the 7 yr old next to my window, and the other boy came out and said to the 7 yr old 'we're getting you two cards'.
Next minute out came the first boy with Carlos.
The boy handed the 7 yr 2 Pokemon cards ( my heart melted).
Then Carlos said: ' Wow, thank you for those things.' He handed me a plastic storage with a folded fabric in it.
'You guys took me by surprise with your presents, but I want you to have this. He pointed to the fabric,which was obviously carefully embroidered. ( it is the one in the photo)
'You can put all your mobile phones on this. My wife made it.' ( my melted heart dropped all down my insides.)
What a sweet sweet moment. We will probably hear from them too as the are coming to Australia next month!
Toilet trivia- American toilets are different to Aussie ones. The water level is noticeably higher. And then when you flush everything including the endure is sucked down.
I keep forgetting how high the water level is and when I drop the TP down a couple of tomes my hand has been baptized in a most nightmarish way.
Tomorrow: El Rancho, no Zuni Pueblo as it is too far off the beaten track for the RV. So we get an easier day before driving to serial killer capital: Albuquerque!!!
- comments
Sarah Oh man, you are making me homesick for the Southwest! I was actually just thinking about if you had made it to Bearizona when I saw this on fb. Sounds like we will have to get there on our next trip. There is an advantage of the higher water in toilet - no splash back from #2s, if you know what I mean.
Michelle Haha, I get it now!