Did Columbian Mammoths drink Dr. Pepper? Day 3

Down here
the layers of earth
are comforting
like blankets.

The soil I think of
as time. Below the caliche
I sift through sediment
from thousands of years.

Though the sharp desert light above
is another world, its pulse
courses through me.

When the mastodons
and ground sloths roamed,
its pulse coursed through me.

When the Hohokam
in the canyon
ground my pods
in the stone
its pulse coursed through me.

When the new gatherers
of the desert
learn again how to live here,
its pulse will course through me.

And I say, I will be ready
if the drought comes.

And I say, go deep
into the Earth.

And I say, go deep
into yourself, go deep
and be ready.”
~ Eric Magrane The Sonoran Desert: A Literary Field Guide

We see part of our responsibility on these adventures is not just to make sure our companions are fed, but that our companions get to experience food they might not have eaten before. So we headed to the nearest taqueria for breakfast tacos before hitting the road for Waco. 

Why Waco? Well, why not Waco? 

You can buy a ranger figure in the Mammoth Monument gift shop. I'd never seen one of these before.

Our first stop was the Waco Mammoth National Monument* before we headed on to the Dr. Pepper Museum.** We knew the mammoths would be fascinating, as mammoths are (actually - DH and I have visited the site before and are always willing to go back). The Dr. Pepper Museum was a revelation - totally different experience from our previous visits. There are two buildings with much to see. We were surprised, but happy to look around. MS is a Dr. Pepper fan, so that stop was planned for him. He doesn't drink a lot of soda, but when he does it's Dr. Pepper. JS is more a lemonade guy. We each got a "free" soda with our admission fee.

This machine was amazing. Of course it was modified and just for display. But the rows of 7 Up bottles moving along made me happy.

An old piece of advertising - even I don't remember sodas for a nickle...a dime maybe...definitely 15 cents.

Lunch was at Sonic - another first for the young fellows along on this adventure. Hey, we only go to the best places! Stick with us.

[There are more photos somewhere. I'll add them as I find them. It's enough for now to document the trip and note the success of what is like the first of many with these two new Texans. Travel with young folks is fun. They are insightful. Stand by.]

NOTES:

* https://www.nps.gov/waco/index.htm
** https://drpeppermuseum.com/