Thanksgiving Feast ala Brazil

Just another southern Colorado Mesa

We left The Garden of the Gods in early afternoon and headed south toward Albuquerque, New Mexico. Along the way, it was the unofficial sworn duty of the passenger to record the scenery along the way, and what scenery there was!

We very-nearly-almost saw a massive UFO... of sorts, hoovering over a mountain.

Incoming MOTHER SHIP! 

We made it all the way to the Land of Enchantment.

Plenty of scenery & mesas in New Mexico too.

We stopped to get a few snaps of a herd of Pronghorn spotted in the distance.

They were far off from the highway

But the super-zoom lens worked its magic

Doe with  over-grown twins

And the cow farm legacy continues... am I right Joann?

And it got dark, and beautiful. William, riding shotgun, took a portfolio's worth of beautiful sundown shots.

Close up of the 'sky salamander' (it's facing right)

We made it into Albuquerque, facing a dilemma - today is THANKSGIVING! We needed some spectacular & toothsome eats for our empty bellies. Where to go? William pulled out his iPhone & quickly scanned Yelp. A restaurant was open - even though most were closed or closing - and the best praised restaurant was Brazilian: The Tucanos Brazilian.

Brazilian for Thanksgiving? Hey, why not!

OMG, the restaurant offered a massive buffet with every American Thanksgiving item one can imagine.

They had yer stuffin' and yer yams and yer cranberry
sauces, yes everything you'd need except the Alka Seltzer

My modest holiday plate - um... not including my extra 'treat' plate

 You'll note this is a Brazilian restaurant, right? And all the dishes seemed quite American and therefore on the borderline of American ho-hum-drum, right? Wrong! Every few minutes one waiter or another would approach our table with massive spits, bearing every sort of Brazilian meat imaginable for our feast: there was Picanha & Alcatra (sirloin cuts), Assado, Fraldinha and Contra File (steaks!), Presunto & Lombo (pork cuts) and the unexpected as seen below, BBQ pineapple. At least I think that's the pineapple. If I hadn't been so busy stuffing my face I'd have gotten photos of the mesmerising & juicy meat-laiden skewers.

Abacaxi, i.e., grilled pineapple

All required was to indicate which or both skewers you wished to sample, and the waiter adeptly sliced off a chunk, placing it on your own personal 'treat plate'. My plate soon overflowed and I realized BAD things would happen if I gave into eating. Lucky William still possesses the stomach of a youngster so he did us both proud in the 'waste no food' theme.

Tada!  Another Thanksgiving day with thanks given and bellies overflowing. On leaving our Brazilian feast, we had adventures finding a hotel, but we did find great one. Thus ended the holiday. Go my family & friends, in peace.

The Garden of the Gods

Cathedral Spires, the primary spot for photo opts at the Garden

From the very start of our westward journey, William made calls to his family and college buddies he'd thoughtfully sprinkled throughout the country. A friend of his recommended we not miss his family's favorite local attraction. The friend and the attraction are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. So leaving Rocky Mountain National Park we headed south. After a fun & serpentine drive (thank you Waze!) we arrived at The Garden of the Gods.

Reminiscent of Zion National Park

The on-line stuff about the park states it is closed on Thanksgiving - which coincidentally is today - and the entry fee is $8 for adults. There was no entry fee and the site was open so SCORE!

Red, iron stained rocks are so striking

Although the park and it has connects to the building of the Pacific Railroad. It has merited National Landmark status and I wonder if its petite size is why it is not a national park.

A road loops through the park and today it was quite busy. As you circle among the red spires, ever turn on the road shows off  a new inspiring view.

William getting a different angle on things

A beautiful Golden Eagle floated over one corner of the park, though I've no photo to show for it.

I imagine a lot of bird species nest in those convenient cubby holes

Suspect this formation must be named, 'man with a goatee in a beret'

How did they iron out that white rock outcropping? 

landmark 'Balanced Rock' on the left

Last shots in the Garden of the Gods

The Garden of the Gods certainly was truly a worthy side helping on our Thanksgiving Day drive.