ABQ BioPark, Old Town Albuquerque, Rattlesnake Museum

August 14, 2021

I didn’t really have much of a plan today, aside from going to the zoo, but it turned out to be quite an eventful day.

I woke up way too early again (I HAVE to get this under control) and being here in my apartment when I have somewhere to be drives me bonkers.

I went ahead and showered and was ready to go at 7:00, even though the zoo doesn’t open until 9:00. I decided to drive up to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. I hadn’t had breakfast there in a while, so I thought, “why not?”

I got there at like ten after and was seated immediately. My server took my order and my food was brought out promptly. I took my time eating, knowing I had time to kill before my prescribed time to arrive at the zoo. I finished, paid and left, taking the scenic route, down Rio Grande Blvd, to the zoo in the heart of the Barelas neighborhood of Albuquerque.

ABQ BioPark

I got to the zoo just before 9:00 and there was already quite a line. I waited patiently, and was finally admitted. I headed straight for the flamingos, as one should- it’s the first exhibit you come to.

I went straight from the flamingo pond to the penguin exhibit. Penguin Chill just opened a couple years ago so I haven’t spent a ton of time inside that exhibit, but I spent a little more time today, and actually shot some video. I stitched a couple short clips together and made a kinda fancy-ish YouTube video out of them…

I’m kinda halfway impressed.

Anyway, I left there then headed up to the wolves, then the Raptor Roost, then onto the Catwalk.

Most of the animals were inside, the gorillas and orangutans were off exhibit due to an illness, so all told, I think I might have seen like half of the animals the zoo normally has to offer. But that’s OK, I’ve seen them before, and truth be told, once you’ve seen them, you’ve seen them, right? I did hope to get more pictures, but ah well.

I got done with the zoo around 11:00 or so. I went to swing by the gift shop on my way out and it’s gone. So much sadness!

My legs were still killing me from Friday so getting back into my car was ideal.

Old Town Plaza

Part of my outing today was dedicated to trying to find as many Historical Markers around the areas I was visiting as I could. With a little help from the Historical Marker Database, I was able to track down 13 in the Old Town area and downtown.

Once I had snapped pictures of the last of them, I headed up to Church Street Cafe for lunch. Nestled on the alley/road that runs just behind the San Felipe de Neri Church, Church Street Cafe is one of the stops we made on the very first ghost tour I ever took with AbqTours.

I was seated on the patio in the back of the restaurant. My server took my order and brought me a water, which I promptly drained (I was very hot and thirsty.) I ordered the Old Fashioned Chile Rellenos, Christmas (both red and green chile):

Made the old Spanish way with shredded pork, cheese, and chopped green chile,
battered, and deep fried

Old Fashioned Chile Rellenos, Church Street Cafe menu

When the food came, I remembered that I should have asked for no lettuce as there was a healthy mound on top of the chiles. As I scraped it off, I realized the chiles were about the size of habanero peppers. Little round balls, deep fried to a gold brown. These were not the long Hatch chile peppers I was expecting.

I don’t recall ever having chile rellenos stuffed with pork, but I must say, it was absolutely astounding! The flavors melded wonderfully and the red and green chile gave just the right amount of heat without being overbearing.

The meal was followed by the customary sopaipillas. The Church Street Cafe ones are a bit smaller and triangular, almost like a square sopaipilla from, say, Sadie’s or Little Anita’s, that had been cut diagonally. I got two of these little ones so I wasn’t too distraught about it.

I finished off the dessert, paid the bill and walked down the street for my final stop of the day.

The Rattlesnake Museum

The Rattlesnake Museum is… well, just that: a museum that exhibits rattlesnakes.

Unlike most museums, with this one, you enter through the gift shop. The museum is housed in the rear of the storefront, giving you the opportunity to shop around for souvenirs before buying your ticket into the museum.

I scoped out a couple of targets prior to making my way to the register. I got my ticket for the museum and entered.

You are immediately greeted by a back storage room with piles of stuff kind of everywhere. In the middle of the room is a glass case with some animal skulls topped with a cobra statue. Lining the walls are some terrariums showcasing the wide variety of rattlesnakes there are. As you make your way through that first room, you soon realize there’s another room with more exhibits. This second room has more artistic pieces regarding rattlesnakes. Paintings and sculptures and that kind of stuff.

As you meander through this room, you make your way to a third room. This is the big one. Not only are there more terrariums with more varieties of rattlesnakes, but there are also a scorpion, turtle and tarantula exhibit, among other things.

Unlike the reptile exhibit at the ABQ BioPark, the Rattlesnake Museum gets you up close and personal with these slithery little fellas.

And at the end of it all, I walked out with a certificate of bravery, demonstrating that I was able to make it through the exhibit while gaining added knowledge of rattlesnakes.

I picked up a pressed penny album (finally, something to hold the stack of pennies I already had!) and a Rattlesnake Museum magnet.

Closing

After making it though the museum, it was about time for me to head home. I went to the dog-sitter’s where Ash had been since Friday morning, picked him up and came home where we both promptly fell asleep for a good, long nap.

It was a fine day. I wished I’d seen more at the zoo, but that’s OK. There will be plenty more visits in the future I’m sure.

I planned another hike for Sunday, August 15th (I’m currently finishing this post after that hike, so stay tuned for my write-up on that, and I started another project that just might make it onto this website.

In the meantime, make sure you head to my Photo Diary to see the pictures I took on this day.

In looking for a quote to end this post, I stumbled upon what I do believe is the perfect attitude for me to take at this juncture.

Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.

May Sarton

And finally, I thank you once again for stopping by. I appreciate you.

-Phil