Today's Location:
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Day 1: March in Iowa can bring big snowfalls...but not this year. The year 2000 has provided very little snowfall to our state. In fact, imagine not seeing snow for three weeks like the In Search of the Quest team had...and then traveling 1100 miles south and west to the state of New Mexico to see it once again. That's what we encountered as we flew into Albuquerque on Sunday, March 26th. We saw snow in the foothills...not what you'd really call mountains. But they were hills - BIG HILLS! Our exact location above sea level is 5,280 feet. Although many people call Denver the mile-high city, Albuquerque can lay claim to this title as well. The New Mexico area is quite unlike anything else you'll encounter in the continental United States. At present, the color brown is everywhere. I'm pretty sure that's the color you'll find here any time of year. The various colors of brown that adorn the adobe homes are very unusual. It makes you wonder just how many shades of brown there are. Tumbleweeds are lying along the highways and in the ditches. In fact, it's just like we've seen in movies of the Old Wild West. Yes, history...real western-type history is here...you can feel it and embrace it without even using your imagination. Albuquerque itself is a rather clean city much like Des Moines. West of the downtown area is the Old Town Plaza. Sunday night, the Quest team, Jenny, Theresa, Peter and I ventured down into the Plaza for a look at the old town and some of the customs that still exist today. What I see is really confusing. You wonder if you're in Mexico or in the land of the Native American Indian. Perhaps that's why New Mexico seems to fit this state to a T. The two cultures, Mexican and Native American Indian have somehow melted into one. Outside the shops that line the Old Town Plaza, the descendants of early New Mexico sell their wares to the public. Jewelry and turquoise seem to attract the most attention. I'd better not forget the food. Mexican food has a spice all its own. The four of us relaxed at the Casa de Fiesta, a quaint little restaurant. Chips and salsa were followed by steak ranchero, burritos made from marinated pork, chicken fajitas and the popular #1(blue corn tortillas with meat sauce and fried egg on top.) After a dessert of sopaipilla (deep fat fried bread covered with honey) we left the restaurant and headed to the hotel stuffed by good food and satisfied that our first day in New Mexico was eventful. John
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