ROAD TRIP DAY 9: Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch

Day 9: Las Cruces, NM to Tonopah, AZ
1/4/11

We were probably 30 miles from the Mexican border and it was still very cold (down to freezing at night) which continued to disgust the grownups and be of no concern to the kids.  They loved every opportunity to bundle up in their quilted jackets, gloves, hats, etc :)

The Las Cruces RV park was nice enough - their shower setup was somewhat agreeable so I put the kids through the showers (you don't find too many bathtubs :) and they were cleanish again before we hit the road.  We looked at the remaining route and decided that depending on traffic and any stops we wanted to make, we could stop for the night at Tucson and then stop again in the Palm Springs area the following night, or stop at Phoenix and then drive all the way to LA (300-some miles, a normal day's drive).  While I was online I checked the weather and road conditions in AZ and we were very gratified to see that our chosen route was free of the ice and other nasty weather related warnings that were plaguing route 40 through Flagstaff!

Our drive through NM and into AZ was very uneventful, and although beautiful, the mountains and scenery looked very much the same.  It was sunny though and not too windy and there wasn't much traffic, so the driving was pleasant and our spirits were high.  Oma discovered a random ostrich petting zoo between Tucson and Phoenix that was right off the highway.  We stopped in late afternoon, which was perfect timing since that's when the kids start to get antsy and it was still sunny and not too cold.  For $5 each we got a big cup of feed pellets and a little cup of nectar.  The pellets fed the ostriches, deer, goats, and donkeys and the nectar was for the lorikeets.  The ostriches were scary and aggressive but very photogenic.  The deer were beautiful and gentle and the donkeys were also good for the kids because they were soft even though they were a little more eager.  The lorikeets would sit on you if you held still and the kids were alternately thrilled and weirded out by each of the animals.  What a neat cheap thrill!  They also have monster truck tours which were not operating that day, but the kids loved playing under it on the parking lot.