New Mexico Part 3: Albuquerque and on to Santa Fe

We reached Albuquerque in the afternoon, checked into our hotel, and realized that the ABQ BioPark Aquarium was nearby and we could squeeze in a visit before it closed for the day.

First stop for me was the stingray tank. I love them. Look at that creepy little face. It's smiling at me.

The top attraction for Jackson and Olivia was the shark tank.

Moray eels are one of the freakiest creatures I've encountered. This guy just laid there making direct eye contact with us and opening and closing its gaping jaw. Without speaking, it told me it will haunt my dreams.

Thank goodness for tiny jellyfish. Everyone: "Aww, tiny jellyfish!" (Moray eel: "I'm still here. Waiting.")

On the lower level, a pirate ship display allowed Captain Olivia to practice her navigational skills.

After saying goodbye to our aquatic friends, we had dinner at Church St. Cafe. I forgot to take a picture. I was still full from lunch, so Olivia and I shared a quesadilla. The coolest thing about this restaurant was the building, which dates all the way back to 1706.

There are many old buildings in the aptly named Old Town section of Albuquerque. This church, San Felipe de Neri, is also over 300 years old.

On the Old Town plaza, the kids made a new friend and stretched their legs.

Goofballs, ready to head back to the hotel and hit the hot tub before bed.

The next morning we had a few stops to make before heading out of town. First, The Candy Lady, a cute little candy shop.

Pinons (pine nuts) were a big thing in New Mexico; I saw them used in lots of different ways. Pinon caramels? Awesome.

And here's where I reveal the extent of Tony's and my Breaking Bad love obsession.

The Candy Lady made all the "product" used on the show. It's actually blue rock candy. And now she sells little baggies of it. 

We also visited the White residence. How many pizzas do you think have been thrown on that garage roof?

The car wash is a few blocks away.

After we finished dorking out over BB landmarks, it was on to Santa Fe. We arrived in town hungry and, thanks to my guidebook, stumbled upon the wonderful Cowgirl BBQ. The children's patio was just what this travel-weary family needed. Beer for me and Tony, and a playscape, chalkboard, and beanbag toss game for Jackson and Olivia. 

Austin may be proud of their barbecue, but they really shouldn't be until they get a Cowgirl BBQ.  Not only is the children's area awesome, so is the food -- and for a barbecue place, there were a ton of veggie options including tofu fajitas, veggie burgers, and butternut squash casserole! I long for a BBQ place in Austin with multiple veggie options and a playscape. It would make dining with my parents so much easier.

We started with the Cabeza de Ajo, roasted heads of garlic served with melted jack cheese, tomatillo salsa, and crostini.

I had the daily special (yep, a vegetarian daily special), mushroom ravioli served over braised kale. Wonderful. 

Santa Fe, what other wonders do you contain? We shall find out tomorrow.

From me and my stingray BFF, have an A1 day!

New Mexico Part 2: White Sands and Very Large Array

After spending the first night of our vacation in Marfa, Texas, we crossed into New Mexico. My first visit to this neighboring state started at White Sands National Monument, outside Alamogordo.

We really lucked out. The temperature had been in the mid-90's but, as we approached the visitor center, it started to rain. And then, as we ran inside the visitor center for cover, it started pouring. We nervously wondered if this afternoon storm meant we had to leave, but we were told, don't worry, this will pass in ten minutes. So we looked around in the gift shop and sure enough, the rain passed. And when we stepped back outside, the temperature had dropped by at least ten degrees. It was overcast, still sprinkling rain, as we headed out to the dunes.

The rain allowed us to stay out there much longer than we probably would've been able to otherwise. The white sand reflects the sun, so when it heats up, it really heats up. We took our time exploring. Jackson and Olivia loved running up the dunes, then sliding down, running up, sliding down...after an eternity in the car, this was the perfect opportunity for them to burn off all that energy.

Sometimes I would get to the top of a dune and look around, and see no other signs of humanity in any direction. 

Although the area feels vast, only a small portion of the dunes are open for hiking. Another part is reserved for missile testing. 

My friend told me there are foxes and bunnies, but this was the only sign of animal life we saw...

I learned the sand is white because it is made from gypsum, rather than quartz.

On our way to Socorro to spend the night, we had to make a U-turn when we passed this beauty. It's the World's Largest Pistachio, standing proudly in front of McGinn's Pistachio Tree Ranch. We love pistachios!

That night we grabbed some Taco Bell for dinner and crashed hard. In the morning, we drove out to the Very Large Array, about 50 miles outside Socorro. New Mexico seems to be full of secretive government doings out in the middle of nowhere. Well, granted, the Very Large Array can't be too secretive since it has a visitor center.

But I found the radio antennas mysterious. They tilt and move of their own accord, picking up the sounds of outer space. What are they hearing out there?

There are 27 antennas, each 82 feet in diameter.

You're free to take a self-guided tour around the facility, but you can't get all up on the antennas. They have a job to do, whatever it is!

Next we drove back into Socorro for lunch at the Socorro Springs Brewery.  One thing we observed during our first meal in New Mexico, and which proved true over the course of our visit: New Mexicans like their salsa spicy! Texans may think they know hot salsa, but on average the salsas we tried in New Mexico were hotter than the ones we're served in Austin. This did not stop Jackson, of course.

Wood-fired margherita pizza for the kids...

Spinach salad with tomato, red onion, roasted red pepper, almonds and bleu cheese for me.

Tomorrow: See you in Albuquerque.

New Mexico, Part 1: West Texas

Sorry y'all, I totally lost momentum with the whole Vegan MoFo thing. We had a lot of family visits in September and blogging fell by the wayside.  

I thought I would kick off October with a recap of our New Mexico vacation.

Day One, we left Austin in the morning, planning to spend the first night in Marfa, a small town in west Texas. A drive that should;ve taken seven hours ended up taking ten-plus, because Jackson and Olivia were not in a traveling mood. There was a lot of backseat fighting, and requests to stop and use the restroom at every gas station we passed. 

Admittedly, it wasn't a very exciting drive, in terms of scenery. West Texas has almost a primordial feel. Rocks and weeds...snakes and tarantulas (yes, we saw them!)...and the sun scorches everything to a faded yellow. It felt as though we could have traveled this same road a thousand years ago, and everything would look much the same. We passed by tiny roadside towns that had simply been abandoned...who knows why? And we passed by other could-barely-even-be-called-a-towns that still exhibited faint signs of life, and wondered to ourselves, "Who stayed here after everything else left? How do they get groceries? Where do they work?" (Here is a whole list of these ghost towns, in case that type of thing interests you, as it does me.)

We made frequent pit stops to stretch our legs. As we walked around a state park in Balmorhea, we were happy to see the landscape changing, becoming less flat, less barren. Mountains welcomed us in the distance. That was our destination. Up, up and away from the oppressive August heat, into the air that was thinner and cooler.

Then we drove through Wild Rose Pass, and suddenly, we were surrounded by nature at its loveliest.

There really were wild roses, growing along the side of the road. Truth in advertising.

At last we came to Marfa, known as an oasis of artsy, hipster weirdness. There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men were filmed around here. We checked into the historic Hotel Paisano, where James Dean and Liz Taylor lived while filming Giant back in the 50's.

Super awesome hotel room art. 

We walked around town and Tony got a burrito at a gas station, because it was the only thing open at 9 p.m.  The minimalist artist Donald Judd moved to Marfa in the 70's and helped turn it into the arts center that it is today. More than one building in town has the Judd name on it.

Other buildings just look cool.

After the sun set, we drove out to see the Marfa lights. Because, aliens! Sadly, the aliens were not interested in communicating with us that night. But here is a video if you want to see them. The lights, that is. Not the aliens. We'll save that for Roswell.

After a good night's sleep, and a necessary stop at the Dollar General for some new toys and a SpongeBob DVD, we all had much better dispositions as we set out on the next leg of our journey. As we headed out of town, we stopped at the Prada Marfa store.

It's not really a store, it's an art installation of a fake Prada store, set along the highway in the middle of nowhere (well, between Marfa and El Paso.) Inside, there are shelves full of real Prada items like shoes and purses. There are also dead bugs. Many, many dead bugs. Prada Marfa may or may not be torn down in the near future. I hope it stays.

We made it to El Paso at lunchtime and found ourselves at L&J Cafe, or "The Old Place by the Graveyard," a description that is both morbid and geographically accurate.

Guacamole soft tacos, an adequate if not remarkable lunch.

Tomorrow, we actually reach New Mexico...