People who know my musical tastes will find this a typical playlist. Those who don't, let me explain that we are an eclectic family when it comes to music. My kids have been trading music with us since they were teenagers. While most people our age listen to nostalgia, we have been listening to groups with names like Weezer and Beirut. They send us the latest from Modest Mouse, and we send them the soundtrack from La Vie en Rose or an album of Native American music. Everyone agrees it's all good.
So when my daughter said she was making us a CD of tracks she thought were appropriate to a road trip, we knew it would be fun, and it was.
I'm working on finding a widget that will allow me to add these songs. In the meantime, here's the list of songs on the Travel CD my daughter prepared for us (I've added links for the people some of you in my age group may not know):
DJ JD's TRAVEL MIX
1 America - Simon & Garfunkel
2 Florida - Modest Mouse
3 Walter Reed - Michael Penn
4 Going to Georgia - The Mountain Goats
5 Walking in Memphis - Marc Cohn
6 Homecoming - Kanye West
7 The Wings - Gustavo Santaolalla
8 Cold White Christmas - Casiotone for the Painfully Alone (I wish this group had a site - I couldn't find one)
9 Silver City - Ghostland
10 New Orleans Waltz - Grayson Capps
11 Youngstown - Springsteen
12 NY I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down - LCD Soundsystem
13 AEnema - Tool
14 Atlantic City - Springsteen
15 Brooklyn's Finest - Jay-Z
16 Ghost Dance - Robbie Robertson & Red Road Ensemble
17 San Francisco Days - Chris Isaak
18 Walcott - Vampire Weekend
19 American Girl - Tom Petty
20 Heartland - U2
p.s. If there are people who don't know the ones I have not linked, I am without words to explain. lol.
July 28, 2008
July 24, 2008
Wrapping Up the Loose Ends
We've been home almost a week now, and I still don't feel like I'm completely "here." There are still things lying around to be put away, and I'm still working my way through all those pictures. I subjected you, dear readers, to every one of them. I'm in the process of editing and filing, and then I'm going to put together an album of the "best" (or my favorites, really), which I will post here.
I also have not forgotten that way back at the beginning I promised to post the playlist of songs my daughter sent as our Travel Music.
Now that I'm home real life keeps interfering. Drat you, real life! You are boring but you keep dragging me back in!!
I also have not forgotten that way back at the beginning I promised to post the playlist of songs my daughter sent as our Travel Music.
Now that I'm home real life keeps interfering. Drat you, real life! You are boring but you keep dragging me back in!!
July 22, 2008
What are you wearing right now?
We're home. Finally. It wasn't easy. Let me backtrack:
It became painfully clear when we started plotting our way home that it was not going to be as simple as the way out. I was successful in making a reservation in Las Cruces, where we wanted to spend the night and take another look around La Mesilla. However, as I moved to the next spot (Kerrville, TX) I hit a brick wall. No rooms. Another town: no rooms. We cancelled Las Cruces and went back to the proverbial drawing board. We regrouped, and I headed back to the phone, cancelled Las Cruces, and tried again. No rooms. At this point I experienced a total meltdown. There is no other word to describe it. I broke down in tears. I wanted to go home. It was as simple as that. Like with Dorothy, Oz had been fascinating, but there's no place like home.
After some replotting, we decided to retrace our steps and the groundwork was laid for the trip back. We weren't happy. We didn't want the drive back to involve the long days the drive out had occasioned. Oh well.
Leaving the casita was bittersweet. It was a great place to stay. Glen became a fan of lavender linen spray and the memory foam pillows we got because of my allergy to down. The view was wonderful. Our hosts were lovely. I, however, could not wait to get a little bit closer to sea level. My blood pressure had been high all week, leaving me flushed and breathless by evening.
We stopped in Las Cruces long enough to cruise La Mesilla one last time, wondering where it was Brokeback Mountain had filmed. We agreed it was probably used for the Mexican scene. We were out of New Mexico by afternoon.
******
Back to Ft. Stockton, which is probably the most annoying town I've ever spent the night. No. Actually, I take that back. Peducah holds that title. Ft. Stockton is close behind. This is a nothing town in the middle of nowhere. It has oil. Therefore, it has oil workers. Our friends at Halliburton, etc., being anxious to house these workers somewhere when they aren't working at the refineries, are apparently willing to pay top dollar for hotel rooms. Ergo we also pay top dollar. The rooms are twice what they are worth, and they are barely habitable. We could not get a room at the acceptable places, so we ended up at this crappy hotel which shall remain unnamed here. I don't think the room had been vacuumed in months. The faucet handles were sticky to the touch. It was gross. We went to this restaurant to eat dinner and watched the flies graze the salad bar. In the morning, we decided against the free breakfast. The biscuits were soggy. The donuts were hard and soggy (not easy to accomplish), the o.j. was Tang........it all went in the trash. We left and stopped at McDonalds. At least their coffee is decent. I won't even tell you how much we paid for this room. It annoys me to think about it.
Next time we plot out our way home before leaving and reserve rooms where we want to stay, and not where we are forced to stay.
******
The next night was better. The Best Western in Lake Charles is great. Love the people. Love the clean room. We knew breakfast in the morning would be hot, fresh, and there would be variety. We didn't even mind the boys' baseball team staying there. I could have done without the trash they left on the grass. The graffiti they etched outside the breakfast room door was not cool. The breakfast attendant was not pleased when the parents failed to supervise their kids. She was visibly annoyed. It was still a good choice.
Dinner was a great choice. Steamboat Bill's! Come as you are and eat the best fried catfish in the world. Light and crisp. Even the rolls were fresh and hot. It was not fancy. We were the only tourists in the place. But it was fabulous! Think typical Maine lobster shack. Coney Island clam bar. Maryland crab shack. We would stay in this town just for the restaurant. Yum!
*******
Driving through Louisiana on a Sunday morning, listening to Cajun music on the local college radio station..........what could be a better start to a day! WHAM. The bridge over the Mississippi in Baton Rouge was backed up so badly it took almost two hours to get from one end of Baton Rouge to the other. On Sunday morning! At 10 a.m.!! We couldn't believe it, but it sure dashed any hope we had of making it home on Sunday night. We were on the hunt for a hotel room in the Florida Panhandle.
******
We're finally home. Is that how I started this post? I'm sitting here typing this as it thunders outside. It's hot. It's humid. There's laundry to be folded and still a suitcase to unpack. I have to clue what we're eating tonight. But we're home. The cat is home. HOME.
It became painfully clear when we started plotting our way home that it was not going to be as simple as the way out. I was successful in making a reservation in Las Cruces, where we wanted to spend the night and take another look around La Mesilla. However, as I moved to the next spot (Kerrville, TX) I hit a brick wall. No rooms. Another town: no rooms. We cancelled Las Cruces and went back to the proverbial drawing board. We regrouped, and I headed back to the phone, cancelled Las Cruces, and tried again. No rooms. At this point I experienced a total meltdown. There is no other word to describe it. I broke down in tears. I wanted to go home. It was as simple as that. Like with Dorothy, Oz had been fascinating, but there's no place like home.
After some replotting, we decided to retrace our steps and the groundwork was laid for the trip back. We weren't happy. We didn't want the drive back to involve the long days the drive out had occasioned. Oh well.
Leaving the casita was bittersweet. It was a great place to stay. Glen became a fan of lavender linen spray and the memory foam pillows we got because of my allergy to down. The view was wonderful. Our hosts were lovely. I, however, could not wait to get a little bit closer to sea level. My blood pressure had been high all week, leaving me flushed and breathless by evening.
We stopped in Las Cruces long enough to cruise La Mesilla one last time, wondering where it was Brokeback Mountain had filmed. We agreed it was probably used for the Mexican scene. We were out of New Mexico by afternoon.
******
Back to Ft. Stockton, which is probably the most annoying town I've ever spent the night. No. Actually, I take that back. Peducah holds that title. Ft. Stockton is close behind. This is a nothing town in the middle of nowhere. It has oil. Therefore, it has oil workers. Our friends at Halliburton, etc., being anxious to house these workers somewhere when they aren't working at the refineries, are apparently willing to pay top dollar for hotel rooms. Ergo we also pay top dollar. The rooms are twice what they are worth, and they are barely habitable. We could not get a room at the acceptable places, so we ended up at this crappy hotel which shall remain unnamed here. I don't think the room had been vacuumed in months. The faucet handles were sticky to the touch. It was gross. We went to this restaurant to eat dinner and watched the flies graze the salad bar. In the morning, we decided against the free breakfast. The biscuits were soggy. The donuts were hard and soggy (not easy to accomplish), the o.j. was Tang........it all went in the trash. We left and stopped at McDonalds. At least their coffee is decent. I won't even tell you how much we paid for this room. It annoys me to think about it.
Next time we plot out our way home before leaving and reserve rooms where we want to stay, and not where we are forced to stay.
******
The next night was better. The Best Western in Lake Charles is great. Love the people. Love the clean room. We knew breakfast in the morning would be hot, fresh, and there would be variety. We didn't even mind the boys' baseball team staying there. I could have done without the trash they left on the grass. The graffiti they etched outside the breakfast room door was not cool. The breakfast attendant was not pleased when the parents failed to supervise their kids. She was visibly annoyed. It was still a good choice.
Dinner was a great choice. Steamboat Bill's! Come as you are and eat the best fried catfish in the world. Light and crisp. Even the rolls were fresh and hot. It was not fancy. We were the only tourists in the place. But it was fabulous! Think typical Maine lobster shack. Coney Island clam bar. Maryland crab shack. We would stay in this town just for the restaurant. Yum!
*******
Driving through Louisiana on a Sunday morning, listening to Cajun music on the local college radio station..........what could be a better start to a day! WHAM. The bridge over the Mississippi in Baton Rouge was backed up so badly it took almost two hours to get from one end of Baton Rouge to the other. On Sunday morning! At 10 a.m.!! We couldn't believe it, but it sure dashed any hope we had of making it home on Sunday night. We were on the hunt for a hotel room in the Florida Panhandle.
******
We're finally home. Is that how I started this post? I'm sitting here typing this as it thunders outside. It's hot. It's humid. There's laundry to be folded and still a suitcase to unpack. I have to clue what we're eating tonight. But we're home. The cat is home. HOME.
July 15, 2008
Our week thus far......
Ghost Ranch...what can I say. I thought waiting a few days would give me insight into how I could possibly find the words to describe the beauty of this landscape, but it hasn't happened yet. I haven't even looked at the pictures. I will try to do that before leaving Abiquiu at the end of the week.
We hiked (yup, got back up on that horse) up most of the way to Chimney Rock. It was not a bad climb, but it did get pretty hot, and we eventually felt that we'd done enough. I guess we did about 3 miles round trip.
There are many multi-million dollar dwellings around here, but we have also seen more graffiti than we have since last seeing Brooklyn.
Yesterday we drove to Santa Clara and San Ildefonso Pueblos and shopped around for pottery. We didn't really see anything we were willing to dish out hundreds for, but we did have a fabulous lunch at El Parasol in Espanola. This was a New Mexican restaurant in a very charming old building surrounding a huge cottonwood tree. Hence, "El Parasol??"
Today we drove to Taos. I think we might have been more impressed if we were art lovers and/or experts. As it was, it was really a bit on the tourist-y side for us.
We drove a few miles from the main plaza and had lunch at Orlando's. It was great and a GREAT deal of food. We brought leftovers home with us.
After lunch we drove up to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. Having been to the Grand Canyon a couple of times, you'd think this would not have fazed me, but standing in the middle and feeling the vibration from traffic while looking down into the Rio Grande was a little dizzying.
Then we stopped at Rancho de Taos, which is the old part of Taos. The church of San Francisco de Asisi was gorgeous (some of you will recognize the church when I post the photos - O'Keeffe liked to paint it), and we found a beautiful carved wooden cross in the church gift shop for my sis and bro in law's 50th next month.
The casita is great. It is very quiet and the owners/hosts pretty much leave us to ourselves. I do think we will be just as glad to leave on Friday, however, and head home.
Home is sounding pretty good to me right now.
We hiked (yup, got back up on that horse) up most of the way to Chimney Rock. It was not a bad climb, but it did get pretty hot, and we eventually felt that we'd done enough. I guess we did about 3 miles round trip.
There are many multi-million dollar dwellings around here, but we have also seen more graffiti than we have since last seeing Brooklyn.
Yesterday we drove to Santa Clara and San Ildefonso Pueblos and shopped around for pottery. We didn't really see anything we were willing to dish out hundreds for, but we did have a fabulous lunch at El Parasol in Espanola. This was a New Mexican restaurant in a very charming old building surrounding a huge cottonwood tree. Hence, "El Parasol??"
Today we drove to Taos. I think we might have been more impressed if we were art lovers and/or experts. As it was, it was really a bit on the tourist-y side for us.
We drove a few miles from the main plaza and had lunch at Orlando's. It was great and a GREAT deal of food. We brought leftovers home with us.
After lunch we drove up to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. Having been to the Grand Canyon a couple of times, you'd think this would not have fazed me, but standing in the middle and feeling the vibration from traffic while looking down into the Rio Grande was a little dizzying.
Then we stopped at Rancho de Taos, which is the old part of Taos. The church of San Francisco de Asisi was gorgeous (some of you will recognize the church when I post the photos - O'Keeffe liked to paint it), and we found a beautiful carved wooden cross in the church gift shop for my sis and bro in law's 50th next month.
The casita is great. It is very quiet and the owners/hosts pretty much leave us to ourselves. I do think we will be just as glad to leave on Friday, however, and head home.
Home is sounding pretty good to me right now.
July 12, 2008
Arriving in Abiquiu
I'm lazy. I'm just going to post the email I sent the kids this morning:
We arrived in Abiquiu after an adventurous day at Bandelier Nat'l. Mon. (more about that another time). We were exhausted. Our hosts, Jeff and Marilyn, crossed us on the road as they headed out to dinner. They seem like wonderful people (mother and son), and the thoughtfulness with which they've appointed this "casita" nearly overwhelmed us. It is great! They thought of everything, and the fridge, cabinets and closets are stocked with an endless supply of.......well, pretty much everything.
The view from the back porch is of the Pedernal and Black Mesa. The front yard has a table with umbrella (where they set the morning paper for us) right next to a pinon tree decorated with very busy hummingbird feeders and other bird feeders. They have Arabian horses which we have not seen or met as yet and two Jack Russels which I spied racing around the house last night. I've been promised we will get a chance for an up close and personal meet and greet. Yay!
Right now I'm half sitting, half lying on the sofa while the laundry gets done. I don't know where dad is. I think he's wandering around the property. Neither one of us are in a hurry today. Our bodies are still kind of adjusting to the altitude, which has hit us this time for some reason. After lunch I guess we will drive into town and check out the shops and look at the 2 or 3 restaurants and bars. There are 2 other towns within 1/2 hour from here. We'll explore those too.
I suspect we will tour Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O'Keeffe had a studio and painted some of her more famous landscapes. There are also several places where we can hike.
For a little extra spice, we learned from our host that Shirly MacLaine lives just the other side of the hill, and Marsha Mason lives about 1/2 mile away.
We arrived in Abiquiu after an adventurous day at Bandelier Nat'l. Mon. (more about that another time). We were exhausted. Our hosts, Jeff and Marilyn, crossed us on the road as they headed out to dinner. They seem like wonderful people (mother and son), and the thoughtfulness with which they've appointed this "casita" nearly overwhelmed us. It is great! They thought of everything, and the fridge, cabinets and closets are stocked with an endless supply of.......well, pretty much everything.
The view from the back porch is of the Pedernal and Black Mesa. The front yard has a table with umbrella (where they set the morning paper for us) right next to a pinon tree decorated with very busy hummingbird feeders and other bird feeders. They have Arabian horses which we have not seen or met as yet and two Jack Russels which I spied racing around the house last night. I've been promised we will get a chance for an up close and personal meet and greet. Yay!
Right now I'm half sitting, half lying on the sofa while the laundry gets done. I don't know where dad is. I think he's wandering around the property. Neither one of us are in a hurry today. Our bodies are still kind of adjusting to the altitude, which has hit us this time for some reason. After lunch I guess we will drive into town and check out the shops and look at the 2 or 3 restaurants and bars. There are 2 other towns within 1/2 hour from here. We'll explore those too.
I suspect we will tour Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O'Keeffe had a studio and painted some of her more famous landscapes. There are also several places where we can hike.
For a little extra spice, we learned from our host that Shirly MacLaine lives just the other side of the hill, and Marsha Mason lives about 1/2 mile away.
How Not to Take a Hike
There could be some training involved for this event. It's up to you. Personally, I took drugs to regulate menopausal symptoms that caused me to inexplicably gain weight, making everything a bit more difficult. You can also toss and turn on a bad mattress the night before. I feel this enhanced my bad hiking experience. It's up to you. Get creative!
On the day of the hike:
On the day of the hike:
- Dress inappropriately. Wear heavy jeans. Navy blue is a good choice for that monochromatic look. Add jewelry. Rings and bracelets will especially make the total experience more fashionably ridiculous.
- Eat a very light breakfast.
- Don't actually plan to hike. Do it on the spur of the moment! This will assure that you really have done no planning whatsoever.
- Do it in July or August in the Northern Hemisphere (reverse for Southern). It's really so much hotter then.
- Be sure to arrive late in the morning when the day is heating up nicely. We found noonish works well.
- Do not - repeat - do NOT eat lunch before you leave for the hike. Plan on eating afterwards. Leave all food in the car.
- Forget to take water. Water just slows you down - right? Who needs water in the high desert in the summer? Sissies.
- Miscalculate just how far you will be hiking.
- Make sure the hike involves precipitous increases in elevation due to very long, steep ladders up cliff sides.
- Hurry up those ladders! Don't want those behind you to be waiting while you take your time. Plus, you don't want to be thinking about the height involved.
I did all this yesterday at Bandelier National Monument, where we decided to hike up a trail we missed on our last visit. The trail involved climbing 4 Pueblo Indian style ladders. When I finally made it to the top, my heart was racing and I started to get really dizzy. Mentally, I just kept telling myself that it wasn't a heart attack. There was no pain. A stroke....maybe.....but probably not a heart attack. Two wonderful wonderful young women (not American but spoke English very well, and we were really too upset to ask from where) came over and gave us water and snacks and stayed until they were absolutely sure I would be okay. I wish we'd seen them afterwards.
Obviously, I got down safely. Stupidest thing we've done in a long time.
July 9, 2008
Petroglyphs, Mole & Mariachi
So here it is our last night in Albuquerque. Tomorrow morning we will head on up the road to Jemez Springs where we have a rustic little hideaway awaiting us for the night. From there it is on to Abiquiu.
We spent quite a nice day doing all the trails at the Petroglyph National Monument. Some we'd done before, but the whole petroglyph thing is something we enjoy. I took far too many pictures, so feel free to zip on through them. I promise not to be insulted.
Today we drove up to Santa Fe using the Torquoise Trail, which is a scenic byway. Along the way we stopped in Cerillos, which is a remarkably sleepy little town that seems to have lost track of time. The centuries old adobe buildings and the dusty streets made the perfect background for films such as Young Guns and Lonesome Dove. Where else would you find a functioning town with hitching posts outside all the establishments? Again, I got a little trigger happy with the camera. :)
Frankly, Santa Fe is far too bustling a city for me. The traffic heading into town on Cerillos Rd. is awful. Once you get to the center of town, however, things do calm down a little bit, and it really is beautiful to behold. We were hungry, so we headed straight for a restaurant we remembered Rachael Ray recommending a few years back. She pointed us to an incredible restaurant in Tucson, so we decided to try the Rooftop Cantina atop the Coyote Cafe. The quality of the food is the same as the pricey, chi chi restaurant on the ground floor, but it is basically an open air bar, and the prices are far more reasonable. We both enjoyed a Santa Fe pale ale before marveling over the chicken tacos with mole sauce. It was accompanied by arroz verde (green rice - yum!), pico de gallo, and the most wonderful beans. Wow! It was terrific.
Afterwards, we headed to the O'Keeffe museum where I was happily surprised to find the special exhibit for the summer was Ansel Adams. Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe! It is difficult for me to describe the feelings when confronted with the original works of both these artists. I smiled my way through most of the rooms.
We walked down to the plaza and enjoyed eyeballing the Navajo crafts artfully arranged on blankets, and then headed to the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. It was a beautiful church, but I can't help but get a little queasy whenever confronted with colonial Spanish art. It is rather a bloody affair.
The Loretto Chapel, with its spiral staircase that seems literally suspended in mid-air was great. The carpenter remains unknown (or so the tale goes). He arrived one day and offered to build this incredible piece, asking no compensation. He disappeared as he arrived, and the staircase still stands. It is truly a work of art.
We will be returning to Santa Fe again. There is still much to be seen in the city.
When we got back to our hotel, we discovered there had been an invasion of children. It seems Albuquerque is hosting a Junior Mariachi competition. The management was wise enough to put them all on the other side of the hotel, but the pool was overflowing with children. The older kids did serenade the guests with mariachi music at dinner time. Lord help us at breakfast. I can only hope they sleep late. The last group (I think the last one was softball) emptied the milk and filled most of the tables. Oy.
We spent quite a nice day doing all the trails at the Petroglyph National Monument. Some we'd done before, but the whole petroglyph thing is something we enjoy. I took far too many pictures, so feel free to zip on through them. I promise not to be insulted.
Today we drove up to Santa Fe using the Torquoise Trail, which is a scenic byway. Along the way we stopped in Cerillos, which is a remarkably sleepy little town that seems to have lost track of time. The centuries old adobe buildings and the dusty streets made the perfect background for films such as Young Guns and Lonesome Dove. Where else would you find a functioning town with hitching posts outside all the establishments? Again, I got a little trigger happy with the camera. :)
Frankly, Santa Fe is far too bustling a city for me. The traffic heading into town on Cerillos Rd. is awful. Once you get to the center of town, however, things do calm down a little bit, and it really is beautiful to behold. We were hungry, so we headed straight for a restaurant we remembered Rachael Ray recommending a few years back. She pointed us to an incredible restaurant in Tucson, so we decided to try the Rooftop Cantina atop the Coyote Cafe. The quality of the food is the same as the pricey, chi chi restaurant on the ground floor, but it is basically an open air bar, and the prices are far more reasonable. We both enjoyed a Santa Fe pale ale before marveling over the chicken tacos with mole sauce. It was accompanied by arroz verde (green rice - yum!), pico de gallo, and the most wonderful beans. Wow! It was terrific.
Afterwards, we headed to the O'Keeffe museum where I was happily surprised to find the special exhibit for the summer was Ansel Adams. Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe! It is difficult for me to describe the feelings when confronted with the original works of both these artists. I smiled my way through most of the rooms.
We walked down to the plaza and enjoyed eyeballing the Navajo crafts artfully arranged on blankets, and then headed to the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. It was a beautiful church, but I can't help but get a little queasy whenever confronted with colonial Spanish art. It is rather a bloody affair.
The Loretto Chapel, with its spiral staircase that seems literally suspended in mid-air was great. The carpenter remains unknown (or so the tale goes). He arrived one day and offered to build this incredible piece, asking no compensation. He disappeared as he arrived, and the staircase still stands. It is truly a work of art.
We will be returning to Santa Fe again. There is still much to be seen in the city.
When we got back to our hotel, we discovered there had been an invasion of children. It seems Albuquerque is hosting a Junior Mariachi competition. The management was wise enough to put them all on the other side of the hotel, but the pool was overflowing with children. The older kids did serenade the guests with mariachi music at dinner time. Lord help us at breakfast. I can only hope they sleep late. The last group (I think the last one was softball) emptied the milk and filled most of the tables. Oy.
July 6, 2008
Get Your Kicks.........
First of all, if any of you know what I did with the plastic baggie filled with state quarters, please advise. I put them in a safe place. 'Nuff said.
We got to Albuquerque a day early and decided to see if we could check into the Best Western, which was a go. They disappointed us horribly this time around. I suppose it is still a bargain for a place so close to downtown and Old Town, but they no longer offer free breakfast, the beds we got were terrible, and we saw 3 roaches, which to a seasoned Floridian signals a mad infestation. We will not return.
Picked up the kids without incident. They landed within the promised five minutes of each other. It was wonderful to be togeether again, even in the cramped quarters of one double room.
I guess the highlights were the drive we took up north of the city and through Corrales, which they found very cool. We also took the Sandia Tramway. There is a National Forest right on the other side of the mountain from the city, giving city dwellers easy access to hiking, biking and skiing. Pretty great.
One notable meal was lunch at the Chama River Brewing Company. Good beer, good food, good company..........the whole package.
Breakfast at the 66Diner was wonderful, inexpensive, and you can't beat it for nostalgia. The ghosts of the '50s were evident everywhere.
We took them to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, more so that we could shop than for them to see it, but they enjoyed it as well. Between this and the Native Americans whe sell their crafts on the Plaza in Old Town, we are a few hundred poorer than we might have been, but we were happy with our purchases. Jenny got two beautiful rings. Matt liked the wood carvings and also got a raven fetish.
Last night we had a great meal at Kelly's Brewery. Sure, it was just a bar, but it was a good one with good bar food, a sizable microbrewery, and lots going on. We left the kids down there and went home.
The 20-something big city assessment of Albuquerque's night life was that it is "weird" that everything is on Central Avenue in one continuous strip, instead of spread out in neighborhoods like in their respective cities. I guess they are right about this. We are certainly not in a position to judge.
After we dropped them off at the airport (choking up and not dwelling on this part), we took off to the south to have a look at Los Lunas and Belen. Very nice people in both towns but not much else going on, so we headed up to Rio Rancho, just north of the city. The is the city Intel built in a manner of speaking, much the same was Bellvue is the city Microsoft built. It is large and bustling, and we may end up near here if we do move to New Mexico somewhere down the road.
However, we were not that impressed with the hotels in the area and decided to come back to the place we used as home base in the spring. That's where we are now, waiting for a huge load of laundry to dry - this may take some time (those of you who have experienced hotel laundry rooms will understand how slow the driers are - just think all the cliches: waiting for paint to dry, etc.)
Don't know how long we will stay. We aren't due in Abiquiu until Friday afternoon, and we are just bone tired at the moment. This, of course, does not mean we will not head out first thing in the morning for either the Hispanic Cultural Center or Petroglyph National Monument.
I do have some pictures from Albuquerque, which I will try to get formed into an album soon.
We got to Albuquerque a day early and decided to see if we could check into the Best Western, which was a go. They disappointed us horribly this time around. I suppose it is still a bargain for a place so close to downtown and Old Town, but they no longer offer free breakfast, the beds we got were terrible, and we saw 3 roaches, which to a seasoned Floridian signals a mad infestation. We will not return.
Picked up the kids without incident. They landed within the promised five minutes of each other. It was wonderful to be togeether again, even in the cramped quarters of one double room.
I guess the highlights were the drive we took up north of the city and through Corrales, which they found very cool. We also took the Sandia Tramway. There is a National Forest right on the other side of the mountain from the city, giving city dwellers easy access to hiking, biking and skiing. Pretty great.
One notable meal was lunch at the Chama River Brewing Company. Good beer, good food, good company..........the whole package.
Breakfast at the 66Diner was wonderful, inexpensive, and you can't beat it for nostalgia. The ghosts of the '50s were evident everywhere.
We took them to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, more so that we could shop than for them to see it, but they enjoyed it as well. Between this and the Native Americans whe sell their crafts on the Plaza in Old Town, we are a few hundred poorer than we might have been, but we were happy with our purchases. Jenny got two beautiful rings. Matt liked the wood carvings and also got a raven fetish.
Last night we had a great meal at Kelly's Brewery. Sure, it was just a bar, but it was a good one with good bar food, a sizable microbrewery, and lots going on. We left the kids down there and went home.
The 20-something big city assessment of Albuquerque's night life was that it is "weird" that everything is on Central Avenue in one continuous strip, instead of spread out in neighborhoods like in their respective cities. I guess they are right about this. We are certainly not in a position to judge.
After we dropped them off at the airport (choking up and not dwelling on this part), we took off to the south to have a look at Los Lunas and Belen. Very nice people in both towns but not much else going on, so we headed up to Rio Rancho, just north of the city. The is the city Intel built in a manner of speaking, much the same was Bellvue is the city Microsoft built. It is large and bustling, and we may end up near here if we do move to New Mexico somewhere down the road.
However, we were not that impressed with the hotels in the area and decided to come back to the place we used as home base in the spring. That's where we are now, waiting for a huge load of laundry to dry - this may take some time (those of you who have experienced hotel laundry rooms will understand how slow the driers are - just think all the cliches: waiting for paint to dry, etc.)
Don't know how long we will stay. We aren't due in Abiquiu until Friday afternoon, and we are just bone tired at the moment. This, of course, does not mean we will not head out first thing in the morning for either the Hispanic Cultural Center or Petroglyph National Monument.
I do have some pictures from Albuquerque, which I will try to get formed into an album soon.
July 3, 2008
The Hectic Life of the Traveler
I find I have less and less time for anything more than sleeping once we are done with the siteseeing for the day. If this is disjointed, I apologize, but it will be written in bits and pieces.
We are in Albuquerque, arriving a day before the kids, who arrive this evening within 5 minutes of each other on SWA.
The past two days were spent traveling to the 3 different missions which comprise the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. These Franciscan missions were built originally in the 1600 when the priests came to "save" the pueblo indians' souls. Fascinating history coupled with beautiful scenery. I took far too many pictures.
We spent one night in Mountainair, which is a very small mountain town near the missions. We were not going to stop here originally, but we weren't really keen on the extra driving involved if we chose to drive all the way to Albuquerque or one of the towns around it. One of the rangers suggested The Rock Motel, newly refurbished and completely redecorated. It was a real gem. Huge room that was spotlessly clean, pure mountain air, and a nice little local restaurant called Ancient Cities for dinner and breakfast.
It became obvious to me somewhere around here that I am allergic to something - probably the cottonwood pollen which is flying around everywhere. Luckily, I took Glen's Nasonex with us as well as a supply of Benadryl. I think I finally have it under control.
We arrived at the Best Western Rio Grande Inn in Albuquerque yesterday and were able to check into our room a day early with very little problem. Unfortunately, we found out they do not offer free breakfast anymore. Fortunately, we both got Starbuck's gift cards from people at the end of the school year, and there is a Starbuck's directly across the street.
This morning we visited the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History which was far far more spectacular than we could have hoped. We spent the whole morning there.
This afternoon we putzed around town, did some grocery shopping, researched what is and is not opened tomorrow and Saturday, and made sure both kids' flights are on time. They are. Their gates are adjacent, and their flights are due to land minutes apart. We should all have a great reunion and still have time to have dinner at Monica's El Portal, which is a small but wonderful Mexican restaurant about 1/2 mile from the hotel. We discovered it last time we were here, and the great food and freindly atmosphere captivated us completely.
Tomorrow we will do whatever the kids want. The Tramway? A museum? Lounge by the pool? Lunch at the 66 Diner? Up to them. There is a big celebration at the Balloon Fiesta Park starting at 4 p.m. with fireworks after dark. I'm thinking that may be our ultimate destination. Yes, I will have the camera, and it will give me an opportunity to practice using yet another setting on my new Canon. Yay!
We are in Albuquerque, arriving a day before the kids, who arrive this evening within 5 minutes of each other on SWA.
The past two days were spent traveling to the 3 different missions which comprise the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. These Franciscan missions were built originally in the 1600 when the priests came to "save" the pueblo indians' souls. Fascinating history coupled with beautiful scenery. I took far too many pictures.
We spent one night in Mountainair, which is a very small mountain town near the missions. We were not going to stop here originally, but we weren't really keen on the extra driving involved if we chose to drive all the way to Albuquerque or one of the towns around it. One of the rangers suggested The Rock Motel, newly refurbished and completely redecorated. It was a real gem. Huge room that was spotlessly clean, pure mountain air, and a nice little local restaurant called Ancient Cities for dinner and breakfast.
It became obvious to me somewhere around here that I am allergic to something - probably the cottonwood pollen which is flying around everywhere. Luckily, I took Glen's Nasonex with us as well as a supply of Benadryl. I think I finally have it under control.
We arrived at the Best Western Rio Grande Inn in Albuquerque yesterday and were able to check into our room a day early with very little problem. Unfortunately, we found out they do not offer free breakfast anymore. Fortunately, we both got Starbuck's gift cards from people at the end of the school year, and there is a Starbuck's directly across the street.
This morning we visited the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History which was far far more spectacular than we could have hoped. We spent the whole morning there.
This afternoon we putzed around town, did some grocery shopping, researched what is and is not opened tomorrow and Saturday, and made sure both kids' flights are on time. They are. Their gates are adjacent, and their flights are due to land minutes apart. We should all have a great reunion and still have time to have dinner at Monica's El Portal, which is a small but wonderful Mexican restaurant about 1/2 mile from the hotel. We discovered it last time we were here, and the great food and freindly atmosphere captivated us completely.
Tomorrow we will do whatever the kids want. The Tramway? A museum? Lounge by the pool? Lunch at the 66 Diner? Up to them. There is a big celebration at the Balloon Fiesta Park starting at 4 p.m. with fireworks after dark. I'm thinking that may be our ultimate destination. Yes, I will have the camera, and it will give me an opportunity to practice using yet another setting on my new Canon. Yay!
June 30, 2008
Greetings from Socorro
I know I've been negiligent here, but we've been bushed. It is a good tired though.
Yesterday, as my pictures above will attest, was a great day. The Gila National Forest is incredibly beautiful. The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument was a very special place. The walk up and back was about one mile. While we were up there, we were fortunate enough to catch a tour with a volunteer for the park service who really knew her stuff. Thank you, Gene!
We tried going back into Pinos Altos to take some pictures of the historical buildings before heading up to the forest, but THREE pitbulls were loose on the main street. Yikes! I couldn't get back in the car fast enough. Alpha Dog chased the car a good 1/4 mile, biting at the tires the whole time.
I also took some video which I will try to upload here at some point in time. The visitor's center has quite a hummingbired population, and they are unafraid of humans. I could have spent a lifetime watching those little beauties.
The bulk of our tourist bucks were spent on books. They had a great selection, and we kept our purchase to a conservative $60. I'm kind of sorry I didn't push for one more book, though. It was a collection of essays on Native American spiritual thought on a variety of subjects.
We left Silver City this morning and drove to Truth or Consequences, which was a neat little town. I liked it very much.
From there we drove to the Camino Real cultural center, which was a very interesting hour learning about the history of the road. The architecture of the place was very interesting as well.
Tonight we are in Socorro, which is another nice little town. We just had dinner at the Socorro Springs Brewing Company. We both had local brews and sandwiches, and everything was great.
Tomorrow we head to Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. It will be another full day.
Someone is getting annoyed with me spending so much time here. I've still got stuff to do to prepare for the morning.
Yesterday, as my pictures above will attest, was a great day. The Gila National Forest is incredibly beautiful. The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument was a very special place. The walk up and back was about one mile. While we were up there, we were fortunate enough to catch a tour with a volunteer for the park service who really knew her stuff. Thank you, Gene!
We tried going back into Pinos Altos to take some pictures of the historical buildings before heading up to the forest, but THREE pitbulls were loose on the main street. Yikes! I couldn't get back in the car fast enough. Alpha Dog chased the car a good 1/4 mile, biting at the tires the whole time.
I also took some video which I will try to upload here at some point in time. The visitor's center has quite a hummingbired population, and they are unafraid of humans. I could have spent a lifetime watching those little beauties.
The bulk of our tourist bucks were spent on books. They had a great selection, and we kept our purchase to a conservative $60. I'm kind of sorry I didn't push for one more book, though. It was a collection of essays on Native American spiritual thought on a variety of subjects.
We left Silver City this morning and drove to Truth or Consequences, which was a neat little town. I liked it very much.
From there we drove to the Camino Real cultural center, which was a very interesting hour learning about the history of the road. The architecture of the place was very interesting as well.
Tonight we are in Socorro, which is another nice little town. We just had dinner at the Socorro Springs Brewing Company. We both had local brews and sandwiches, and everything was great.
Tomorrow we head to Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. It will be another full day.
Someone is getting annoyed with me spending so much time here. I've still got stuff to do to prepare for the morning.
June 28, 2008
Leaving Las Cruces
We drove off this morning, but we could make a return visit on our way home. We really liked the hotel. Cool place.
Driving towards the City of Rocks State Park, we listened (as we have been) to the book on CD for Dress Your Family in Cordoroy and Denim. David Sedaris (the author) is also the narrator, which is as it should be, since all the stories are related to his life, his family, his experiences, and listening to his "voice" with his "voice" is a great experience. Of course, we sometimes fear we will get into an awful accident, since some of his stories are so funny, the tears nearly blind us. Other times the stories are so poignant, we achieve the same result. From this particular collection, our favorites are Us & Them and Six to Eight Black Men.
And so we laughed ourselves all the way to the park, which was amazing. Here we saw massive monoliths of volcanic rock sitting in an otherwise large flat prairie. The rocks themselves have been utilized for some 44 or more picnic shelters, all nestled among the huge boulders, and complete with picnic tables, etc. It was a great decision to stop at this place. They also have an absolutely astounding number of jackrabbits. So, for an animal lover like me, it was nirvana.
From there we continued to Silver City, where we contemplated staying in an old hotel on the town's main street, The Palace, but just the thought of hauling all our "stuff" up this winding staircase in the un-airconditioned environment put us off. So here we are at the Holiday Inn. Sorry folks, but this is as close to roughin it as I get. "Roughing it" being the fact that one of us (moi) has to drive us to dinner downtown and back. It's only a few miles, but it still needs to be done sans alcohol content in the blood. Ah well. Small price to pay for pristine white sheets, a spotless and large bathroom and a hot breakfast in the morning.
Since the room was not quite ready, we drove to the University of Western New Mexico (I think that's what it is called and forgive me if I'm wrong) and saw an incredible collection of pottery (Mimbres and Mogollan for those who know or care) that literally fell into their hands when a family found them packed away in boxes in a relative's garage after the man had died. The entire collection was purchased for $3,000. Unbelievable! Some of the best pieces we've seen.
We did take a little side trip up to Pinos Altos, which is a very old little mining town just up the road. It was interesting, but seemed a little too self-conscious. It could just have been we were not up for it. We may head back in the morning before driving to the Gila Cliff Dwellings about 2 hours north of here.
Time to head out to dinner downtown. I have changed the slideshow at the top. For those who don't know: you can click directly on the square picture, and it will take you to a larger slideshow. If that is still not large enough, there is a link to the right that allows you to "View as Slideshow" in full screen mode. Once again, the pictures are unedited and none have been eliminated, and not all are captioned. I just wanted to get them up and out to you all.
Driving towards the City of Rocks State Park, we listened (as we have been) to the book on CD for Dress Your Family in Cordoroy and Denim. David Sedaris (the author) is also the narrator, which is as it should be, since all the stories are related to his life, his family, his experiences, and listening to his "voice" with his "voice" is a great experience. Of course, we sometimes fear we will get into an awful accident, since some of his stories are so funny, the tears nearly blind us. Other times the stories are so poignant, we achieve the same result. From this particular collection, our favorites are Us & Them and Six to Eight Black Men.
And so we laughed ourselves all the way to the park, which was amazing. Here we saw massive monoliths of volcanic rock sitting in an otherwise large flat prairie. The rocks themselves have been utilized for some 44 or more picnic shelters, all nestled among the huge boulders, and complete with picnic tables, etc. It was a great decision to stop at this place. They also have an absolutely astounding number of jackrabbits. So, for an animal lover like me, it was nirvana.
From there we continued to Silver City, where we contemplated staying in an old hotel on the town's main street, The Palace, but just the thought of hauling all our "stuff" up this winding staircase in the un-airconditioned environment put us off. So here we are at the Holiday Inn. Sorry folks, but this is as close to roughin it as I get. "Roughing it" being the fact that one of us (moi) has to drive us to dinner downtown and back. It's only a few miles, but it still needs to be done sans alcohol content in the blood. Ah well. Small price to pay for pristine white sheets, a spotless and large bathroom and a hot breakfast in the morning.
Since the room was not quite ready, we drove to the University of Western New Mexico (I think that's what it is called and forgive me if I'm wrong) and saw an incredible collection of pottery (Mimbres and Mogollan for those who know or care) that literally fell into their hands when a family found them packed away in boxes in a relative's garage after the man had died. The entire collection was purchased for $3,000. Unbelievable! Some of the best pieces we've seen.
We did take a little side trip up to Pinos Altos, which is a very old little mining town just up the road. It was interesting, but seemed a little too self-conscious. It could just have been we were not up for it. We may head back in the morning before driving to the Gila Cliff Dwellings about 2 hours north of here.
Time to head out to dinner downtown. I have changed the slideshow at the top. For those who don't know: you can click directly on the square picture, and it will take you to a larger slideshow. If that is still not large enough, there is a link to the right that allows you to "View as Slideshow" in full screen mode. Once again, the pictures are unedited and none have been eliminated, and not all are captioned. I just wanted to get them up and out to you all.
June 27, 2008
Las Cruces
I can't say we're big fans of Las Cruces. The setting is wonderful with the backdrop of the Organ Mtns. in the background, but the city itself seems to struggle to be "a city." There is no real "downtown," but it doesn't really fit the "urban sprawl" description either.
We are staying at the Best Western Mission Inn, which is a pretty neat little place. It is not brand new and spiffy, but it is adobe and each room is uniquely decorated in the mission style with pretty tile accents and actual murals on the wall behind the bed. Even the front office sports a sweet little collection of pieces.
Yesterday we visited Mesilla, which as the capitol of NM back when it was first acquired from Mexico. It was pretty, but we were disappointed that the shops were a little too tourist-y. Great photo ops abounded, and I was happy regardless, and we found a lovely bench on the Plaza to sit and eat our lunch.
Today we drove to White Sands National Monument, which is adjacent to the White Sands Missile Range. As its name suggests, this is a place where sand dunes shift and move with wind and time. The dunes are composed of gypsum, and although a great stretch of it is pure white and seemingly without vegetation, a closer examination and walking through different parts of the area reveals an amazing array of wildflowers and plant life. The animal life, however, is largely nocturnal, so we did not see any of those creatures (not necessarily a bad thing since rattlesnakes love it here), but we did spot a fine looking desert lizard in a beautiful baby blue. He scurried away too quickly to photograph.
It was fortunate that the day was fairly overcast, which is not really normal, because the sun would have been blinding reflected off the sand. I used the "beach" setting on my great new camera, and it seems to have done the job.
I have uploaded a new album of photos to share, and they should be up there for you to enjoy. We actually got a man to take our pic together. I asked him to shave off a few pounds, but you can't count on people these days, can you? My favorite photo is the macro I shot of a dune up close and personal - you can see the ripples from the wind. We are off to Silver City for a couple of days. Silver City is supposedly the center of the "cowboy culture." Hmmm...
We are staying at the Best Western Mission Inn, which is a pretty neat little place. It is not brand new and spiffy, but it is adobe and each room is uniquely decorated in the mission style with pretty tile accents and actual murals on the wall behind the bed. Even the front office sports a sweet little collection of pieces.
Yesterday we visited Mesilla, which as the capitol of NM back when it was first acquired from Mexico. It was pretty, but we were disappointed that the shops were a little too tourist-y. Great photo ops abounded, and I was happy regardless, and we found a lovely bench on the Plaza to sit and eat our lunch.
Today we drove to White Sands National Monument, which is adjacent to the White Sands Missile Range. As its name suggests, this is a place where sand dunes shift and move with wind and time. The dunes are composed of gypsum, and although a great stretch of it is pure white and seemingly without vegetation, a closer examination and walking through different parts of the area reveals an amazing array of wildflowers and plant life. The animal life, however, is largely nocturnal, so we did not see any of those creatures (not necessarily a bad thing since rattlesnakes love it here), but we did spot a fine looking desert lizard in a beautiful baby blue. He scurried away too quickly to photograph.
It was fortunate that the day was fairly overcast, which is not really normal, because the sun would have been blinding reflected off the sand. I used the "beach" setting on my great new camera, and it seems to have done the job.
I have uploaded a new album of photos to share, and they should be up there for you to enjoy. We actually got a man to take our pic together. I asked him to shave off a few pounds, but you can't count on people these days, can you? My favorite photo is the macro I shot of a dune up close and personal - you can see the ripples from the wind. We are off to Silver City for a couple of days. Silver City is supposedly the center of the "cowboy culture." Hmmm...
June 25, 2008
The Drive Out
With some minor and other not so minor glitches, we have now made our way to Fort Stockton, Texas.
We are kind of hyper and exhausted at the same time, and half my brain is still somewhere on I-10, mindlessly driving through West Texas.
I did take a few pictures. Those of you who know me well will not be surprised to see that a couple are of animals we "met" along the way. Some others will recognize the Sky Watch photo op.
There were moments when I wished we could stop and pull over on the Interstate and take some pictures that I knew would interest one or another of the people I know. For example, I saw the most fascinating water towers, and I thought of Dot immediately.
Matt has informed us that he'll be joining Glen, Jenny and me in Albquerque for the weekend of the Fourth. We were very excited about that.
And hopefully I'll have time to copy here the songs Jenny chose and put on a Travel Musci CD for us to play on the road. It is an impressive collection, and we had a ball listening to it today. Everything from hiphop to the Brokeback soundtrack made the cut.
Tomorrow we will be in Las Cruces, and I hope we will have some time and energy left over for some actual sightseeing.
We are kind of hyper and exhausted at the same time, and half my brain is still somewhere on I-10, mindlessly driving through West Texas.
I did take a few pictures. Those of you who know me well will not be surprised to see that a couple are of animals we "met" along the way. Some others will recognize the Sky Watch photo op.
There were moments when I wished we could stop and pull over on the Interstate and take some pictures that I knew would interest one or another of the people I know. For example, I saw the most fascinating water towers, and I thought of Dot immediately.
Matt has informed us that he'll be joining Glen, Jenny and me in Albquerque for the weekend of the Fourth. We were very excited about that.
And hopefully I'll have time to copy here the songs Jenny chose and put on a Travel Musci CD for us to play on the road. It is an impressive collection, and we had a ball listening to it today. Everything from hiphop to the Brokeback soundtrack made the cut.
Tomorrow we will be in Las Cruces, and I hope we will have some time and energy left over for some actual sightseeing.
June 20, 2008
Gettin' Ready to Roll!
Well, I though I was opening it up to comments, but in my rush to get that change in the works I failed to note they said "all new posts will allow comments." My brother, who is genetically predisposed to being a little smarter than the average bear, found that the first post here (way at the bottom) had a comment option. ;)
By the way, Rich, when I told Glen about the Garmin, he said he might just think about getting one in Albuquerque. They have an REI, and we don't (a major selling point for the city), and they also have a selection of the topographical ones. He is thinking about getting one to use for Geography classes.
Got the car checked out for the trip. All is well. We serendititously (a word?? yes? no?) discovered yesterday that the battery does not hold a charge well when one of us didn't turn the ignition off all the way, and the battery drained but would not recharge properly. It was a fairly new battery, so the store replaced it free.
The suitcases are ready to be packed. I think we managed to sneak them past the cat. I don't think she has yet realized that Summer Camp is in her future. She stayed with our vet whose assistants think she is just adorable, so it is hardly a rough go for her.
Jenny has her tickets locked in for the weekend of the Fourth in Albuquerque, and we are waiting to see if Matt can get the time off that weekend as well.
I'm starting to get psyched!
By the way, Rich, when I told Glen about the Garmin, he said he might just think about getting one in Albuquerque. They have an REI, and we don't (a major selling point for the city), and they also have a selection of the topographical ones. He is thinking about getting one to use for Geography classes.
Got the car checked out for the trip. All is well. We serendititously (a word?? yes? no?) discovered yesterday that the battery does not hold a charge well when one of us didn't turn the ignition off all the way, and the battery drained but would not recharge properly. It was a fairly new battery, so the store replaced it free.
The suitcases are ready to be packed. I think we managed to sneak them past the cat. I don't think she has yet realized that Summer Camp is in her future. She stayed with our vet whose assistants think she is just adorable, so it is hardly a rough go for her.
Jenny has her tickets locked in for the weekend of the Fourth in Albuquerque, and we are waiting to see if Matt can get the time off that weekend as well.
I'm starting to get psyched!
June 19, 2008
Critical Mass
I guess we have reached that point where everything is poised to be done, but we really can't do much more until the last minute.
As of today, I am opening the blog to comments.
As of today, I am opening the blog to comments.
June 13, 2008
Reservations Made Easy (Not)
I have now made reservations for our first 4 nights. The final two were easy. The place I found in Las Cruces was not the newest place on the block, but it did look like the most interesting place, and the reviewers on Trip Advisor were unanimous in their praise of the breakfasts there. Hey, the price was right too. The first two nights gave me a few headaches.
The first night in Lake Charles wasn't too bad. We just wanted something near the interstate and with a microwave. We'll be traveling until evening, and the last thing either one of us wants to do is go out to eat that night. Something simple will be brought from home, hotted up in the micro, and eaten in the room.
The second night is in Fort Stockton, and I thought I'd go nuts with that one. Mainly, the problem was that I had a hard time accepting the prices for hotels there. Fort Stockton is not exactly the Center of the Universe. It is, however, one of the only places to stay in that area of West Texas, and don't they know it. I would have preferred the Hampton Inn, but it was about $40 more than the Best Western, so we'll be staying at the same place we did last year. It wasn't great, but it was clean. I'm rolling my eyes and shaking my head. We do get to see the giant roadrunner statue in town, of course. Wow.
All of this took over an hour, counting time to research, sign into the account necessary to get "Points" for staying, figure out what the "best" price was, etc. Hopefully, it will make the trip out a little less stressful.
My next assignment is finding the best place in Socorro. I'm jumping ahead because we may very well be there on the 4th, and I need to see what the situation is in that area vis a vis availability.
As for the packing, right now I am at the stage where, when a thought hits me, I add something to a list or a throw something over in a corner of the bedroom where I have the two miscellaneous bags we will use.
The first night in Lake Charles wasn't too bad. We just wanted something near the interstate and with a microwave. We'll be traveling until evening, and the last thing either one of us wants to do is go out to eat that night. Something simple will be brought from home, hotted up in the micro, and eaten in the room.
The second night is in Fort Stockton, and I thought I'd go nuts with that one. Mainly, the problem was that I had a hard time accepting the prices for hotels there. Fort Stockton is not exactly the Center of the Universe. It is, however, one of the only places to stay in that area of West Texas, and don't they know it. I would have preferred the Hampton Inn, but it was about $40 more than the Best Western, so we'll be staying at the same place we did last year. It wasn't great, but it was clean. I'm rolling my eyes and shaking my head. We do get to see the giant roadrunner statue in town, of course. Wow.
All of this took over an hour, counting time to research, sign into the account necessary to get "Points" for staying, figure out what the "best" price was, etc. Hopefully, it will make the trip out a little less stressful.
My next assignment is finding the best place in Socorro. I'm jumping ahead because we may very well be there on the 4th, and I need to see what the situation is in that area vis a vis availability.
As for the packing, right now I am at the stage where, when a thought hits me, I add something to a list or a throw something over in a corner of the bedroom where I have the two miscellaneous bags we will use.
June 10, 2008
Progress! An itinerary is mapped out
June 24 - Lake Charles, Louisiana
June 25 - Fort Stockton, Texas
June 26 & 27 - Las Cruces, NM
June 28, 29 & 30 - Silver City, NM
July 1 & 2 - Truth or Consequences, NM
July 3 through 5 - Albuquerque, NM
July 6 through 10 - Rio Rancho/Socorro, NM
July 11 through 17 - Abiquiu, NM
July 18 - start for home (route not yet established)
I've also managed to make a couple of reservations, and arrange to have the mail and paper stopped, all from the convenience of my computer. My next steps will be to call the cable company and discuss the details of their Vacation Plan to make sure that I can get our email on our laptop application as well as my BFF (or, as some call it, the Blackberry).
Lists are in the process of being made, and I even took out the "occasional bag" where we will pack stuff like laundry detergent (and about 10 pounds in quarters to feed the beasts) and the clothes we may or may not need, etc.
This is actually just barely beginning to take on the trappings of reality.
June 25 - Fort Stockton, Texas
June 26 & 27 - Las Cruces, NM
June 28, 29 & 30 - Silver City, NM
July 1 & 2 - Truth or Consequences, NM
July 3 through 5 - Albuquerque, NM
July 6 through 10 - Rio Rancho/Socorro, NM
July 11 through 17 - Abiquiu, NM
July 18 - start for home (route not yet established)
I've also managed to make a couple of reservations, and arrange to have the mail and paper stopped, all from the convenience of my computer. My next steps will be to call the cable company and discuss the details of their Vacation Plan to make sure that I can get our email on our laptop application as well as my BFF (or, as some call it, the Blackberry).
Lists are in the process of being made, and I even took out the "occasional bag" where we will pack stuff like laundry detergent (and about 10 pounds in quarters to feed the beasts) and the clothes we may or may not need, etc.
This is actually just barely beginning to take on the trappings of reality.
May 27, 2008
Thinking ahead
We've reached the point where it is important to begin thinking about what worked last time and what changes we need to make for this year's trip.
One thing on which we agree is that we took too much in anticipation of cold weather which really never materialized, or was so brief we really didn't have to "dress for it." A hoodie and/or light jacket is really sufficient for anything New Mexico is likely to present in the way of weather, regardless of altitude. So the big foldover monster of a suitcase stays home. I think we might opt for a soft tote that will hold whatever we think we might need (but then again might not), and that can be stashed in a back corner somewhere and not be touched until and unless necessary.
We also need to think ahead and make sure we call and make reservations for any special tours we might like to take. The tour of Georgia O'Keeffe's home, for example, is one we need to plan ahead of time. I was told by our hosts in Abiquiu that the tours fill up quickly.
I'm already starting to stockpile things I know we will need. If I see something on sale, and I've already decided it is a necessity, I buy it and put it aside: moisturizer with sunscreen, 12 packs of soda or iced tea, granola bars, etc.
There is also the laptop environment. It is important that I update my bookmarks and password keeper on that computer, install the software for my new Blackberry and the card reader I bought, and generally make sure I'm comfortable with the way things are setup.
It is still a month before we leave, but waiting until the last minute to do everything is terribly stressful (at least for me), and I find it is much easier to take things a little at a time. It keeps me focused and organized, and it leaves me time to discover mistakes in judgment or decisions and rectify them before we leave.
One thing on which we agree is that we took too much in anticipation of cold weather which really never materialized, or was so brief we really didn't have to "dress for it." A hoodie and/or light jacket is really sufficient for anything New Mexico is likely to present in the way of weather, regardless of altitude. So the big foldover monster of a suitcase stays home. I think we might opt for a soft tote that will hold whatever we think we might need (but then again might not), and that can be stashed in a back corner somewhere and not be touched until and unless necessary.
We also need to think ahead and make sure we call and make reservations for any special tours we might like to take. The tour of Georgia O'Keeffe's home, for example, is one we need to plan ahead of time. I was told by our hosts in Abiquiu that the tours fill up quickly.
I'm already starting to stockpile things I know we will need. If I see something on sale, and I've already decided it is a necessity, I buy it and put it aside: moisturizer with sunscreen, 12 packs of soda or iced tea, granola bars, etc.
There is also the laptop environment. It is important that I update my bookmarks and password keeper on that computer, install the software for my new Blackberry and the card reader I bought, and generally make sure I'm comfortable with the way things are setup.
It is still a month before we leave, but waiting until the last minute to do everything is terribly stressful (at least for me), and I find it is much easier to take things a little at a time. It keeps me focused and organized, and it leaves me time to discover mistakes in judgment or decisions and rectify them before we leave.
May 12, 2008
Mid-planning: Are we standing still?
There are times at this point in planning a trip when we feel as if we are just not making any progress. It is an illusion.
We have been gazing all starry-eyed at the Silver City area. There is so much there that appeals to our senses, both individually and as a couple. We will no doubt be spending some time here before moving north. The problem is we need to more or less settle on a plan before we move anywhere beyond.
What seems clear is that this is a part of New Mexico that appears to be very promising. The Gila National Forest is gorgeous if one believes the photos. The possibilities are endless. Can we say "Paradise?" Possibly.
I feel that we will move forward with lightning speed at some point.
We are also considering the purchase of a GPS unit for the car. In the midst of all that my husband also wants to consider the "topo" (topographical) version for other uses. We seem to have found what we like. What remains is the final decision: Do we or do we not invest in this technology?
In the little pockets between all these other things, I've been considering what to pack, what to bring, how to streamline from last year's trip (each year offers up some areas where things could have been done more efficiently), and when exactly to start the Almighty Lists.
We have been gazing all starry-eyed at the Silver City area. There is so much there that appeals to our senses, both individually and as a couple. We will no doubt be spending some time here before moving north. The problem is we need to more or less settle on a plan before we move anywhere beyond.
What seems clear is that this is a part of New Mexico that appears to be very promising. The Gila National Forest is gorgeous if one believes the photos. The possibilities are endless. Can we say "Paradise?" Possibly.
I feel that we will move forward with lightning speed at some point.
We are also considering the purchase of a GPS unit for the car. In the midst of all that my husband also wants to consider the "topo" (topographical) version for other uses. We seem to have found what we like. What remains is the final decision: Do we or do we not invest in this technology?
In the little pockets between all these other things, I've been considering what to pack, what to bring, how to streamline from last year's trip (each year offers up some areas where things could have been done more efficiently), and when exactly to start the Almighty Lists.
May 1, 2008
The Planning Begins
Originally, this was going to be a vacation on our side of the Mississippi. Gas prices are through the roof. Plus, we just didn't know if we were up for another round of long days on the road, sometimes not really knowing where we would spend the night.
We began looking into a couple of places we found beautiful and relaxing in the past and talked about the possibility of going back. Neither of us seemed to be working up a whole lot of enthusiasm, however. Gradually we came to the realization that we both really wanted very badly to return to New Mexico.
Glen's idea was that we perhaps think about spending a few days in one place at a time and visit the area surrounding that location. He also wondered about the possibility of renting a place to stay for a week somewhere along the way. I did the research and found what appears to be a fabulous place in Abiquiu (AH-be-cue), about an hour from Sante Fe and Taos. The pictures look great, the people who own it (and live in the other half of this large ranch house) seem very nice, and the price was right. After checking availability, we decided it would be the perfect way to unwind from the trip and chose July 11 through the 17th for our stay. We will head home from there.
Now we need to backtrack a couple of weeks and decide where and when to stop beforehand and then choose a place to stay in those locations. Hopefully, we'll be able to nail down those plans this weekend.
It's great to have something to which we can look forward with enthusiasm.
We began looking into a couple of places we found beautiful and relaxing in the past and talked about the possibility of going back. Neither of us seemed to be working up a whole lot of enthusiasm, however. Gradually we came to the realization that we both really wanted very badly to return to New Mexico.
Glen's idea was that we perhaps think about spending a few days in one place at a time and visit the area surrounding that location. He also wondered about the possibility of renting a place to stay for a week somewhere along the way. I did the research and found what appears to be a fabulous place in Abiquiu (AH-be-cue), about an hour from Sante Fe and Taos. The pictures look great, the people who own it (and live in the other half of this large ranch house) seem very nice, and the price was right. After checking availability, we decided it would be the perfect way to unwind from the trip and chose July 11 through the 17th for our stay. We will head home from there.
Now we need to backtrack a couple of weeks and decide where and when to stop beforehand and then choose a place to stay in those locations. Hopefully, we'll be able to nail down those plans this weekend.
It's great to have something to which we can look forward with enthusiasm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
