Day 12: Shootin' and Drinkin' in Dallas

Today was the day. The day we were going to shoot a gun for the very first time. We walked into the gun range and was greeted with 'Let me guess, you're tourists and you've never fired a gun before?'. Um... Were we that obvious?

We stumped up the cash ($150 if you're wondering) to shoot a fully automatic machine gun - an Uzi - and handguns - a Smith and Wesson for Darren and a Glock for Lucy.

So, the first gun we shot was an Uzi - not bad for a first gun experience ever! It was a little unnerving going into the range. There were people firing on the other half of the range separated by a wall, but the shots are so loud they really make you jump. The instructor was very patient and reassuring though. We were then taught to load the handguns. Seriously, we didn't think we actually would have to load them before we shot them! We have 50 rounds of ammo each, which meant loading each gun 5 times. This involved pushing the bullets into the magazine and then flipping the little top slider thing. This time, there were other people in the same range as us, separated by clear plastic dividers. It was at this time we both realized, we weren't afraid of guns. We were afraid of other people with guns. Loaded guns. A metre away.

Lucy had a little freak out and had to be reassured again by the instructor, but came back and we managed to shoot our guns at the paper man target. Darren's gun kept locking - which is a little concerning, so he got another gun. We were both shocked at the power of the gun - it really is an explosion in your hand.

Our adrenalin filled shooting experience even came complete with souvenirs - the paper man target riddled with bullet holes and 2 bullet shell casings.

We drove around Dallas for a bit before trying to find a money exchange place (which we did finally!) and then grabbing sushi for lunch. Mmmm, sweet sushi, how we missed you!

We then met up with an old school friend of Lucy's for a drink. A drink turned into a very fun evening of more drinks, dinner and more drinks. We had a great time with Gus and his friend Molly - I think we scared some Texans out of a posh cocktail bar with our very loud antics.

Gus was amazing and managed to get us a room in the Sheraton for free that night - so we had a great view of Dallas in a free suite on the 20th floor! Lovely!