This was what ensued when the Albuquerque barbershop singers dropped by the airstream for an impromptu performance. After a lesson from the pros, I think the guys from the aha moment crew have a new career ahead of them after the tour is finished! Keep visiting the blog for more videos from the road.

As we wind down our New Mexico leg of the trip I thought I’d take some time to share with y’all how FANTASTIC and GREAT this place is.

Day one took us to Las Cruces, where Gary, Dave and I had the pleasure of eating a home cooked meal (bless the kitchenette!) and spent a rather adventurous evening fending off snakes and chasing bunnies.  I must say it made for nice welcome to this fair state. We made a meandering drive from Las Cruces down to Albuquerque where we stopped at many a roadside trading post to fill up on trinkets and photographs. Albuquerque proved to be a fantastic stop, we had some great interviews, a couple animal encounters and a really awesome singing session with the Barbershop Harmony Society of ABQ. I will say this: Albuquerque is WINDY in the spring. Like, really windy. I felt like a solider battling the elements as I chased papers down the parking lot and collected rocks to secure my fort. So thanks to all of you braved the wind to come down and share your stories with us! And next time I’m in the ABQ I’ll be sure to bring a windbreaker and a paperweight…

As fantastic as Albuquerque was I think I found my heart in Santa Fe. The architecture, the colors, the weather (also incredibly windy but lovely none the less) the food, everything about Santa Fe is intoxicating. Last night Dave, Gary and I shuffled into a local hot spot called Cowgirl Bar and Grill for some bison burgers and an ice cream cake shaped like a baked potato (awesome, I know) and followed up the night by doing what we do best: pontificating life in the hotel hot tub. Ah, life is hard.

Today we perused the Plaza area and stopped into shops, ate at lovely little French cafe and reveled in the history and charm of downtown Santa Fe. Dave did some exploring of his own and stumbled upon the Chuck Jones gallery. Chuck Jones was the animation director for Warner Brothers for over thirty years and has an amazingly prolific and impressive collection of work including the creation of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and many of the others in the Looney Tunes crew. Dave, at his behest, resisted buying a rather pricey painting. Yes, the collection was that good. All in all an awesome day and it’s not over yet! As I write this I am awaiting a guided (and costumed) ghost tour through downtown. Until then I’ll be checking flights to see when I can come back to New Mexico. But maybe I’ll wait until the wind dies down…

Sometimes dead, often alive. We’ve had a few encounters so far in New Mexico. On a night walk in Las Cruces, Gary, Kait and I saw one curled up near the curb. It looked dead but who could know. As I approached the potential threat Gary warned me against testing it with my open soled flip flopped foot. Good advice Gary! We were convinced it was alive. We later discovered that it was in fact dead. Snakes…they can be so sly.

Fast forward to Albuquerque, New Mexico, into the Airstream walked Deidre and Laurie from Talking Talons – a youth leadership and wildlife rehabilitation organization. They brought with them a ball python. Sounds scary, but apparently it is not harmful at all. Snakes can get a bad reputation. In the end, they are as misunderstood as the next creature. I, too, am guilty of sliding around on my stomach from time to time. If only the waterslide at the hotel was open during the week. I would have gone head first down that bad boy.

The aha moment tour is back for another year of traveling the country and collecting inspirational stories in 2010. We’ve got a brand new crew, 25 new cities, and we can’t wait to hear your aha moments! Watch this blog for updates from the crew and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @myahamoment and on our my aha moment Facebook fan page. Sign up here to share your aha moment when the tour comes to your area. See you on the road!

may 3-4 fresno, ca
may 7-8 tucson, az
may 11-12 albuquerque, nm
may 17-18 tulsa, ok
may 20-21 austin, tx
may 24-25 baton rouge, la
may 27-28 memphis, tn
june 1-2 huntsville, al
june 7-8 augusta, ga
june 10-11 jacksonville, fl
june 14-15 charleston, sc
june 17-18 asheville, nc
june 21-22 knoxville, tn
june 24-25 richmond, va
june 29-30 providence, ri
july 6-7 albany, ny
july 12-13 dayton, oh
july 15-16 lexington, ky
july 19-20 south bend, in
july 22-23 milwaukee, wi
july 26-27 des moines, ia
july 29-30 kansas city, mo
august 2-3 wichita, ks
august 9-10 grand junction, co
august 16-17 eugene, or