Rattle N' Brew
February 27, 2019: We spent the morning exploring in a rattlesnakes’ natural habitat of the New Mexico desert plains and even though it would have been kind of cool, I’m glad we didn’t encounter one. However, we were still on a mission to see some rattlesnakes on this sunny February morning. We had actually tried a few weeks back, but we hit the museum one of the weeks it is closed during the winter months. It didn’t take much to twist our arm to return to Albuquerque’s Old Town (more on that later) where the museum is located. Upon arrival, we paid the minimal admission fee and set out to explore.
The American International Rattlesnake Museum is home to the largest collection of different species of live rattlesnakes in the world! According to their website, they house more varied species than the Bronx Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo, National Zoo, Denver Zoo, San Francisco Zoo and San Diego Zoo combined! As we made our way around the museum, we enjoyed the diverse collection of over 30 different species. We did find ourselves just a bit jumpy when there were snakes on each side of us. Having my back to a snake (caged or not) is apparently not my preference. You also had to watch your step as the museum has several resident tortoises that have free range of the museum. We may not be overly swift on our feet, but we’d take a tortoise in a foot race any day!
While the majority of the snakes in the museum were of the “rattling” variety, there were other snake species as well as “Mollie” the Gila Monster. Gila Monsters are America’s largest lizard and native to the desert and semi-desert areas of the southwestern United States. The museum is not limited to only live exhibits, as there are numerous works of art, skeletons and artifacts. My favorite was the uber active (at least during our visit) rare albino Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. The snake was missing the pigment that gives other snakes their coloration. These snakes are at a disadvantage in the wild as they are easily spotted due to their light color. Lucky for this resident is that she is safely in the care of this animal conservation museum and is said to likely be seen by over one million people in her 20 to 30 years of life - what a little celebrity!
We spent about an hour in the museum and you certainly could make the experience whatever you want it to be. You could spend hours reading about each and every snake and watching the video or make it a quick trip and be in and out in a half hour, if time is of the essence. Regardless of the length of your stay, don’t forget to collect your certificate of bravery for all your time spent in the presence of the many rattlesnakes!
After a morning of hiking and seeking out petroglyphs and a few hours with vipers, we were due for a coffee break. Some days we leave the RV with a plan and other days without, but today’s adventures were planned and included a destination of Cutbow Coffee. Having read about the local shop in several articles, it was quickly added to our ever-growing list of coffee shops to visit in Albuquerque. When we arrived, we were awed by the ambiance being comfortable, classy and clean. We were greeted with a smile and some helpful advice of what to try on our first visit.
We selected a flight, choosing 3 different coffees (one from each of the flavor profiles). The flight was delivered to our table by owner and coffee aficionado Paul Gallegos who gifted us with some of his knowledge. He knows his craft and was able to guide us through the coffees starting with the most acidic and progressing to the ones with more body.
Like many people, we like to start our day with a cup of coffee (or two, or three). We have had cups that have made us say “wow, that’s great coffee” and others that have just simple provided a caffeine jolt. It wasn’t until we were presented with different flavor profiles that we understood what made a cup of coffee “good” to us. The owner, Paul, has batch-roasted millions of pounds of coffee with many years of experience at Peet’s coffee before he launched his own roastery and coffee shop in Old Town Albuquerque. To say he knows his craft is an understatement and we were lucky enough to just hear him talk about his passion and explain things like the bean belt, his favorite distributors and how to describe each of the six single-origin coffees Cutbow Coffee offers in store. As we tasted and cleared the palette with sparkling water in between, we settled on a favorite of Papua New Guinea which found itself in the middle of our flavor flight.
The coffee game is definitely strong in Albuquerque and we have been impressed with many coffee shops in the area. After our visit to Cutbow Coffee it definitely went to the top of our “Best Coffee Shop in Albuquerque” list. While slightly disappointed to have been in Albuquerque for two months before visiting, we were thankful to have almost another two months left to frequent Cutbow. The sign out front stating “Aqua is vida, Cafe is Amor” are words that we live by — water is life, coffee is love. We definitely recommend a visit for a guaranteed great cup of coffee and you might want to throw one or a few of Planty Sweet’s bundt cakes on your tab too. They are both gluten free and vegan and based on the bold flavor and moist texture, you would never guess that either are true.
As promised above, we couldn’t leave you without some more information about Old Town. The charm of Old Town must be experienced and while the biggest draw is all the shops and galleries, it can easily be enjoyed without reaching for your wallet. I didn’t say it would be easy, just possible! Old Town is Albuquerque’s first neighborhood and centered around a plaza. Encompassing about ten blocks, it was and remains a focal point of the area and is filled with historic adobe buildings all built around the oldest building in the city, San Felipe de Neri Church. The beautiful church sits on the North side of the plaza and the city’s settlers started building all around it in 1706. The original church did collapse after a very rainy summer in 1792 and was quickly rebuilt as you see it today where you will find walls five feet thick.
While you may see some Victorian buildings mixed in, Old Town has mostly retained its charming, walkable streets lined with Pueblo-Spanish style architecture. If you do have a couple Benjamins burning a hole in your pocket, might we recommend perusing the local shops, peeking at the handmade goods and jewelry being sold along the Plaza or stopping in at one of the many New Mexican restaurants in Old Town.
