We are up early, bags packed, have had breakfast at the delightful Macy’s, checked out - $5 key deposit given back, $20 remote control deposit in our pocket - and on the road. We are on our way to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Driving through the desert, we come across a sign advertising a meteor crash site up ahead. We see a petrol station on the exit and decide we can stop, get petrol and check out the crash site - and of course enjoy the all important toilet break, which are few and far between.
We make a right, veering off the highway, dodging massive semi-trailers, weaving our way to the exit.
We make our stop at the petrol station, buy snacks, enjoy the rest stop, and then keep heading up the road towards the meteor museum/crash site. We drive along the straightest road, passing massive fields of dead grass and hungry cows. We drive over cattle grates, past splitting dirt roads that veer off to nowhere.
Finally we see a building on the hill ahead of us. It is a concrete block, built in to the side of what looks like a hill, but what we soon discover is the massive crater left in the ground by the force of the falling meteor.
We park the car and get out. We are nearly swept sideways by the powerful winds. After paying our admission and being sold on the “really exciting and fascinating movie that is going to start really soon, so you better get a move on up into the cinema, otherwise you will miss it!!”, we rush into the museum, practically running up the stairs, so fearful that we will miss the greatest show on earth. We reach the cinema doors. We have 10 minutes until it starts. We take our seats and wait in utter anticipation for the movie to start.
After a tough, popcorn free wait, it starts. What follows is a very EDUCATIONAL 15 minutes about meteors. The gist of it is that we are all going to die some day by a falling meteor shower. THE END.
A bit depressed about the earth's impending and inevitable future, we leave the movie, glance around the tiny museum and then head for the actual crash site. We climb a set of stairs leading out the museum. As we reach the top, we are greeted by a massive dent in the earth. It is an actual meteor site. As we stand at the top of the crater and look down at the dent, we can actually imagine the meteor falling to earth and as it is landing, pushing the surface it lands on out like it was just soft clay.
After being amazed, awed and scared by the reminder of our insignificance in comparison to the greater universe, we head back to the car and continue on our way to Albuquerque - not before Marty walks on the moon of course :)
After a very long drive, we have spent nearly eight hours on the road. The road has been long, straight stretches of highways, thundering trucks, the occasional and therefore very exciting rest stop and dry desert.
We finally make it to Albuquerque.
As we drive over a slight rise, we see the city of Albuquerque nestled in to a valley surrounded by mountains (we think they are the tail end of the Rockies) and thinning out to desert. The city is a green oasis.
We follow Sally’s directions - our sat nav - towards the B&B we have booked. She is confused and leads us all over the place, changing routes and directions every 20 seconds. After a very long and unnecessary detour, we find the hotel, park the car and check in.
We are staying in an old house that has been converted into a Bed and Breakfast. The Bottger Mansion of Old Town is beautiful. Inside the property's walls, there is a little garden that has classic American reclining garden chairs and is full of birds. The grass is soft and green and the garden smells fresh and in bloom.
After checking in and meeting the ‘Inn Keeper’, we make a cup of coffee in the complimentary guest kitchen, grab a book, and settle down in a chair in the garden to unwind after our long driving day. We are in New Mexico.
As we relax, in a flash this strange looking bird darts across the lawn and stops dead right in front of us. We have never seen anything like it. It is a bird but also looks like a lizard. It sees us and then darts up the closest tree. We watch it for a while, trying to work out what the hell it is. We are later told by our hosts that it is a road runner. It doesn’t look a thing like the cartoon.
As the sun starts to go down, we decide it is dinner. We program in the address of a restaurant called Thai Vegan. After another confusing drive with Sally, we are out in an industrial area of Albuquerque. We are losing confidence in our sat nav’s ability when we round the final corner and end up right in front of the restaurant. We are unsure of what to expect. The location seems strange and from the outside we are not quite sure whether the restaurant is actually a restaurant. But, the minute we walk through the door, we enter a little oasis. There is peaceful music playing, with nature sounds softly echoing over the top, there is a water feature bubbling somewhere in the background, and the delicious smells of dinner are wafting from the kitchen. We grab a seat, stare excitedly at the menu - WE CAN ORDER ANYTHING!!! - and after long deliberation, settle on our meals and order. Dinner is fantastic. The food is fresh, nutritious and so tasty.
We thank the staff profusely for an amazing meal, jump back in the car and drive back to our B&B for some much needed sleep.
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