October 2, 2007

October 2, 2007

In the morning we head to Albuquerque’s historic Old Town. Much of it is now devoted to shopping and restaurants. On one edge is Museum Row. I am feeling the symptoms of dinosaur withdrawal so I drag Aimee to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. We have been to a lot of museums in the last year, but this one is very well thought out and I find it very interesting. Over half of the exhibits are about the development and progress of life on earth. The section on the initial development of life is extraordinary. Initially the earth had a carbon dioxide atmosphere until blue-green algae transformed it into oxygen, precipitating thick beds of iron oxide ore, and opening the door to the development of animal life. The museum is also well stocked with mature docents just looking for somebody to talk to. One tells me that unlike mammals, reptiles continue to grow throughout their lifetime.

Starvation is the only thing that drags me out of the museum early. We walk into Old Town and have a delicious Mexican lunch in an outdoor courtyard. After lunch we stroll thru many of the shops on our way to the RV. The ornamental shrub Pyracantha or Firethorn is growing all over the area. This evergreen has a beautiful dense cluster of orange berries. We like Albuquerque’s historic center a little better than Taos or Santa Fe. The atmosphere feels less touristy and more laid back. And it didn’t hurt that our food choice was much better this time.