Officially a Darma Bum!!
Sunday, September 17, 2006
So this is my first post to the entire vacation blog. Mostly everything that Shannon spoke about, I agree with. If you check out my answers to her questions in the last post you will see how I felt about some of our experiences. Overall, a two week driving vacation is very long. It is something I have always wanted to do, but the hectic pace required for this trip seemed less like a vacation and more like a sporting event. I have always been intrigued by Jack Kerouac's description of cross-country travel in On The Road. That was a different time, and the pace was much more leisurely. I would do this trip again if I had no time contraints so that I could spend more time in places that interested me like Ouray, CO.
We experienced some great hospitality all over the country. I am glad, because I have been getting increasingly crappy service in my day to day activities. It's good to know that great service and hospitality aren't dead.
Tomorrow is back to work for me as well. I am actually excited to get back in the swing of things. Also, its Penn State vs. OSU this week, and I am in the middle of enemy ground. I can't wait to talk football all week. At the end of this post you will see Shannon's answers to my interview questions. It was a great way to pass time on our very long drive home yesterday.
D: What was your favorite or “best” of each of the following?
S:
State: Colorado
City: Telluride
Hike: to Delicate Arch
Food: everything in Telluride – loved the rice milk with my chai & it was the best breakfast
Lodging: Cali Cochitta in Moab, UT (loved the ambiance)
National Park: Rocky Mountain NP
Non-National Park site: St. Mary’s Glacier
Drive: Independence Pass (Aspen to Leadville, CO)
Purchase: Pueblo pottery & Rebuild NOLA tee
D: What was your least favorite or “worst” of the following?
S:
State: Arizona
City: Amarillo
Hike: to Landscape Arch
Food: Ramada breakfast
Lodging: the Stanley (though it WAS lovely), and Amarillo is a close 2nd!
Drive: tie between AZ and TX (Dallas area to Amarillo specifically)
D: If you could change one thing about the trip, what would it be?
S: More time overall – though more likely I’d narrow the focus and spend more time in fewer places
D: What wildlife were you most hoping to see? Did you see it? If not, what was the coolest wildlife you did see?
S: I wanted to see alligators, but I didn’t. I loved the rutting elk though!
D: Which place would you most like to return for a future vacation?
S: tie: Colorado for Rocky Mt. NP and San Juan Skyway area OR Utah for its numerous National Parks
D: What was the most surprising part of the trip?
S: the art fair we stumbled on in Santa Fe
D: What was the biggest letdown?
S: another tie: I thought Austin and Aspen would be different
D: What was the oddest thing you saw?
S: Coke-heads/hookers dressed for sunny LA or Vegas, but in a tiny CO mining town’s convenience store restroom
D: What city could you most see yourself living in?
S: None; they are all too dry or too cold, but if I had to choose then I’d summer in Telluride.
D: Overall what was the best part of the vacation?
S: Seeing new places, but also sharing places I’d been before with Donnell.
D: What was the worst part?
S: Two things that were always in the background of our trip, that I often had to work to ignore were 1) neck & shoulder pain - even after a massage and 2) the historical, political, and socio-economical issues surrounding the many inhabitants of the areas we visited (human & animal)
posted by Shannon @ 17.9.06,
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Fun Facts . . .
12,000 feet in elevation gain (New Orleans – Rocky Mountain NP)
6,200 miles (or more)
17 parks and other “monuments”
15 days
14 states
9 National Parks
8 cash crops
6 or more National Forests
4 nights spent in lodging on the National Registry of Historic Places
3 times across the continental divide
1 GRAND cross-country adventure!
Images have been sent – if you didn’t get them it’s because I didn’t know you wanted them or that you were following our adventure. Send me an email and/or comment and I’ll gladly send the link to pics. :)
Also, check out the link to MySpace in the next couple days. I'll be uploading the short videos I took from our trip.
posted by Shannon @ 17.9.06,
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Day 15 & 16 . . . Home, Sweet Home
Our trip is over. While I would love to continue a vacation, I’m glad to be home to puppies, kitties and soft couches. I don’t want to go to work tomorrow, and only partially because I prefer vacation (duh). Mostly, I just don’t want to get back into a car. Yesterday was a very long day of driving from KS to OH with a stop at the St. Louis Gateway Arch. Today we had to drive again, to Akron, to meet my parents and pick-up Cleo. She’s had her own vacation, at a spa. Not the massage and pedicure type of spa, but more the tuck and lipo type spa. She’s a whole new dog with a smaller waste, cleaner teeth, and friskier demeanor. Meanwhile, the boys are still at camp. Hopefully Jeremy comes back a bit leaner too, but I doubt it. He’s holding on to his curves. Since Donnell didn’t write anything in the blog the entire trip, I “interviewed” him as we drove through MO yesterday. It’s below – enjoy!
S: What was your favorite or “best” of each of the following?
D:
State: Utah
City:Ouray
Hike:to Delicate Arch
Food:Zodiac (French café in Santa Fe)
Lodging:the Historic Galvez, in Galveston – because it was the most beautiful
National Park:Rocky Mountain NP
Non-National Park site:Ouray Box Canyon Falls
Drive: UT Route 12 scenic byway
Purchase:pint glass at Moab Brewery
S: What was your least favorite or “worst” of the following?
D:
State: Kansas
City: Amarillo
Hike: to Landscape Arch
Food: Ramada’s breakfast
Lodging: Amarillo B&B
Drive: Kansas
S: If you could change one thing about the trip, what would it be?
D: spend more time in fewer places
S: What wildlife were you most hoping to see? Did you see it? If not, what was the coolest wildlife you did see?
D: Collared Lizard; didn’t see any, but did see elk
S: Which place would you most like to return for a future vacation?
D: too many to list; would MOST like to return to Rocky Mt. NP
S: What was the most surprising part of the trip?
D: the casino in Mississippi
S: What was the biggest letdown?
D: Amarillo
S: What was the oddest thing you saw?
D: tie: dog chillin’ on the roof of a car in rural KY and the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in rural LA
S: What city could you most see yourself living in?
D: Durango or Santa Fe
S: Overall what was the best part of the vacation?
D: Seeing new places for the first time
S: What was the worst part?
D: Amarillo
posted by Shannon @ 17.9.06,
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Day 14: Kansas makes you appreciate Ohio
Friday, September 15, 2006
Today: Out of CO and across KS
We're in central KS tonight. Our hotel is packed! There are soccer players (middle school aged), girls in sequined dance outfits (also middle school aged), 34th division of something (military), and some UFC people (ultimate fighting championship). Crazy.
We got up early for one last hike in Rocky Mt NP. We drove out to Bear Lake and luckily dressed in layers. Though the Weather Channel claimed it was in the mid-50s, it wasn't. It was
about 10 degrees colder with 50mph winds (according to the visitor's center). It felt like November - oh, and it was raining. Luckily we had our first short hike done, and we were returning from the second before the rain started. We saw more elk and some turkeys but that was it.After our hikes, we stopped at Kind Coffee (friends don't let friends drink corporate coffee) for breakfast. The dark roast coffee was "see through" and my chai was really just soymilk with cinnamon. I was so sad - my Telluride chai was so good at the Coffee Cowboy. But in Estes Park, I wished I'd walked a block further to the "corporate coffee" shop.
We spent the majority of the day driving through KS. We stopped for dinner and that was about it. We survived on comedy. I had saved 2 David Cross cds for KS, and we also re-listened to a couple Dane Cook cds. I have one of each left for IL and IN tomorrow. I appreciate them both, because they (especially Dane) are like babysitters. I can just put in the cd and Donnell is awake and happy - like Dora or Blue.
Back to OH tomorrow.
Look for a final post on Sunday - rumor has it Donnell will chime in.
Highlights: beautiful aspens; more rutting elk; comedy; $2.19 gas prices in KS; an even cheaper rate than we thought upon check-in at the lovely Ramada
posted by Shannon @ 15.9.06,
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Day 13: Mountain Lion jazz hands
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Aspen; Leadville; St. Mary's; Granby; Estes Park
We started this morning in Hotel Aspen. We didn’t really like it any more in the morning than the previous evening. We got out of town, but had to go back for a random light that showed up on the dashboard. We took a scenic road out; in a couple weeks it will be closed until June, and we could see why. Some parts of the road were barely wider than 1 lane with places to pull-off for oncoming traffic. It was beautiful though!
We got a little lost taking Colorado 24 instead of US24 (they are .2 miles apart). We still got to our first stop; just a break to stretch our legs – in Leadville, CO. So let me set the scene . . .
Leadville is an old mining town. It’s rather small and has a historic district. I guess maybe it was a little like Plain City in size and appearance. We stopped at a convenience store to get gum and use the restroom. There was only one unisex restroom, and there was an overdressed woman waiting for it. While we were at least 12 hrs from Vegas, she would have looked much more appropriate there. Anyway, we got our gum and headed back over to the restroom. A different woman was now waiting, along with the woman who was previously in there. She seemed to be waiting for her friend and left the line area once she saw there were a few of us creating a line. Donnell wanted to leave, but I said it was like waiting at Olive Garden or something. By the time we drove someplace else we could’ve just waited. A moment or two later the woman we first saw waiting exited the restroom and with her a man. Where did he come from? He had obviously been in there with the first woman as well. And the second woman was intent on wiping her nose off as she left (I was just glad to see her had go to her nose). As the girls got their coffee (Coke isn’t enough? I know we’re jumping to conclusions but c’mon, and besides the other conclusions aren’t much better!) the man paid for it all and left. Hmmm.
After Leadville, we went directly to St. Mary’s and hiked to the glacier. It’s ¾ of a mile uphill – ah, yeah! Whoa! Tammie can attest to the “whoa.” It was gorgeous though and worth it. The drive up was nice too, though the turns were like those in St. John – crazy. There were a lot of homes for sale too.
Next was Granby for lunch and off to Rocky Mountain National Park. We LOVE the park. We're considering going back tomorrow morning too. The first wildlife we saw were of course deer, but then we saw 4 moose! We also saw a ton of elk. Apparently 'tis the season for males to challenge one another. We saw that up close (within 25 ft).
Now we are at the historic Stanley Inn. It is the inn that inspired Steven King to write The Shining. It's old, and still has the old feeling about it. It's not been updated that much, but not in a bad way. It has all modern necessities. The elevator is old though, and it took us awhile to find it behind the cage. I'm a bit nervous here - I won't say why until tomorrow. Google it if you're curious.
Highlights: Independence Pass drive out of Aspen; Coke-heads/Hookers? in Leadville; St. Mary's Glacier; Rocky Mountain NP; elk
posted by Shannon @ 14.9.06,
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Day 12: delicate balance
The temperature forecast for the Moab, UT area today was 91. This is why I wanted to be at Arches NP just after dawn to hike to Delicate Arch. However, I was easily convinced to sleep in and stay at our inn for breakfast. The trade-off for extra sleep and food was a hotter hike. I’m glad we ate though because anything we would have snacked on from our stash would not have been enough. We were starving by the time we left Arches.
5 named arches and a handful of unnamed arches
4+ miles of hiking
3 hrs for the entire adventure – not bad
By the time we left the Devils Garden area it was 92 degrees (12:30pm). It had only been 80 when we finished hiking the Delicate Arch trail an hour or so earlier.
We both loved the Delicate Arch hike, and I’m including an iconic picture of the arch though I got some different angles also. I did not get under the arch as there was a line and we had more to do and see. We did not like the hike we did in Devils Garden.
I was so impressed to see that at least half the people hiking to Delicate Arch this morning would be considered senior citizens. We passed a pair of women who had to be in their 70s, and at least a couple other groups the same age. Way to go! I felt pretty lame having to take a couple breaks at only 30 after seeing them. So it seems that I’ve made a goal to hike to Delicate Arch again (or an equivalent) in at least 40 years (though I may hike it sooner also). So mark your calendars if you’d like to join me. ;)
After our hikes, and lunch in Moab we drove along the Colorado River. We’ve now driven along, or over three major US rivers . . . Mississippi, Rio Grande, and the Colorado. We decided we wanted to get to Aspen sooner than later so we caved and took I-70 part of the way. It was not a pretty drive to say the least. We passed one section of UT128 (just as we were to get onto I70) that looked like the perfect setting for any given horror film. Donnell insisted one was probably taking place right then.
We eventually got off the interstate though we did not take the scenic byway. We were certain any choice would still be scenic. We were wrong. We did discover that if you are interested in an old car or RV that Delta, CO probably has it for you. We drove through a couple coal-mining towns on CO82 (that was very interesting). After those towns, there were two beautiful national forests before we hit Carbondale and then Aspen.
Tonight we’re in Aspen. We had dinner at a great vegetarian restaurant inside a bookstore. From our time in town, Aspen seems very pretentious. We don’t like it, though it is very pretty. We’ll take Telluride any day! Many people here seem to have a cigarette and an attitude versus the masses toting their dogs in Telluride. Donnell concurs.
Highlights: Delicate Arch; Planet Juice; Colorado River byway; CO82 byway; Explore Bookstore; Cali Cochitta’s coffee choice (caffe ibis)
posted by Shannon @ 14.9.06,
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Day 11: sheep with martinis
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Today: Escalante, Fruita, Hanksville, Moab (UT)
Today went by FAST! We were too lax with our time this morning and paid for that this evening. I would have liked one extra hour tonight for a drive through Arches NP. Hopefully there is time tomorrow to tour the park & hike to Delicate Arch. Stay tuned.
We started the day at our inn with a leisurely breakfast. Our innkeeper's name was Joette, which is an uncommon name, but also odd because Donnell's mom's name is so similar (Joetta). And she looked like an actress whose name we can't think of.
From here we traveled east on Route 12. It's a scenic byway and for the most part it was indeed scenic. We started in desert with high cliffs in white which turned into cliffs in red (all of which were dotted with green shrubs). Soon the sides of the road disappeared and we were on the portion of the road called the hog's back. Our favorite part of the drive was yet to come - the eastern portion of the Dixie National Forest.
We stopped at Capitol Reef NP. We drove to the end and then drove further on a dirt road. We were interested in the Gorge Trail. It was a nearly 2-mile hike down a dry wash (at least it was dry today) with cliffs on either side. Maybe 3/4 of the way down was the Pioneer Register in which Mormon pioneers in the 19th century carved their names on their way through the area. The wash was used by pioneers and as an early 20th century road. The end of the hike was at the "tanks." It was a very sunny, hot walk but worthwhile!
After CRNP, we stopped at Canyonlands NP on the way to our B&B in Moab. We didn't do any hiking in Canyonlands. We drove out to the end of the park and walked along a ridge trail that overlooks the canyon. We left as the sun was setting and were able to watch it as we drove out. We stopped at a couple overlooks to take pictures.
We're in Moab tonight. Our B&B is really nice - and the inkeepers have 2 dogs (maltese). Tomorrow is another 'fly by the seat of our pants' day so we'll see how it works out. Yesterday and today worked out well.
Highlights: Capitol Reef NP; Tanks; Pioneer Register; UT12 & Dixie NF; ravens; Canyonlands NP; Moab Brewery's beer sampler
posted by Shannon @ 12.9.06,
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Day 10: Oversized
Today's Adventure: Bluff, Page, Kanab, Escalante (all in UT except Page, AZ)
As of Sunday night, we had not yet secured a tour for Antelope Canyon. We were also unsure if we could get to a tour in time, or if there would be space for us. We had also originally planned to take an unpaved road through Grand Staircase Escalante NP (Cottonwood Wash).
Monday morning started in Bluff. First thing we did was to throw nearly the entire day's plan out the window and start new. It was still a tight day, and we knew we would be making decisions on each stop as we got to it. The first stop was a park with viewing of the goosenecks of the San Juan River. It was very cool. We hiked around in totally in appropriate hiking gear (flip flops) and would have done more if we had the correct shoes.
From here we headed south to Monument Valley. We opted for the self-guided driving tour of which we only did half. We bored of the area very quickly. The monuments are impressive, but we had enough pictures and didn't feel the need to get a billion just from different angles.
Leaving here was the first of nearly half a dozen times we had to contend with cows in the road. We drove through Page and over Glen Canyon Dam - passing Antelope Canyon without further attempting to get a tour. We decided we could easily reach this from Vegas at a later date, and at a better time of day. It's not a very nice area - right next door to the huge Navajo Power Plant. I'm sure inside the canyon is a whole other world though.
From Page we headed to Kanab, UT. For the second time, we saw an "oversized load" caravan. They were transporting yet another huge dump truck (bed? basket?) - whatever they have on the back. It was at least 2 semi-trucks wide as it wobbled and barely balanced on the back of one. We were permitted by the highway patrol to pass them just after Page. However, after grabbing lunch in Kanab we saw the lead car again and bolted out in front of it. We were not getting stuck again. I'm sure it's fine to not only turn right on red in that town, but to do so around a highway patrol truck who is about to block you it seems. I'm not sure why he'd want to do that, as we'd get squashed if we didn't go.
We went to Zion NP once we left Kanab. We didn't have long there so we took the shuttle up to the end of the Narrows and walked around a bit. Donnell forgot his water shoes in the car somehow so only I played in the water. Glad we didn't intend to hike it; the water was extremely cold, and I didn't have any neoprene.
We had intended to go to Bryce for sunset, but we were pretty sure we wouldn't make it. Looking back we could have, but that's okay. We may or may not backtrack to it. We had a difficult time finding our inn - it was dark and not well marked, but we did find it and it's very nice.
Now it's time for breakfast and today's adventures along UT 12. I hope to get another sampling of images up tonight or the next day. I'm not sure who all is still (or was) reading this regularly - let us know via comment (or email) if you want to recieve the images.
We're officially headed home now. We reached the most western point of our trip (Zion) yesterday.Today's Highlights: Goosenecks of the San Juan; Monument Valley; Zion & Virgin River; Red Canyon UT12; Esca-Latte Cafe still open at 9pm;
posted by Shannon @ 12.9.06,
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Day 9: turkey snorts and mountain lion kisses
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Our path: Ouray, Telluride, Mesa Verde, Bluff (UT)
The scenery changed greatly today. First we were in mountians (pic #1) and then desert (#2).
We got up early this morning and were out the door just after dawn. Our first adventure was finishing the western half of the San Juan Skyway. We stopped halfway, in Telluride to ride the gondola and have breakfast. It was chilly (low 50s) but great. I loved Telluride last year, and I still love it this year. I had a chai – with rice milk (a great alternative to soy, and very tasty). I wish Starbucks carried rice milk.
There were dogs everywhere. Everyone had at least one with them (well, all the locals). Lucas (the Eskimo/Chihuahua mix) joined us at the Coffee Cowboy and we were told to be careful because he’d “make tacos out of us.” Not sure what that means but I’m guessing he’s not too friendly. We saw Lucas’s owner twice before leaving town – turns out he runs the gondola info center. Have I mentioned that I love Telluride? I’m thinking summers in Telluride and winters in St. John. It’s Sunday, so the plan will have to wait three more days since Tuesday is the next Mega Millions drawing.
After breakfast (at Mexican restaurant – very good), we headed south to Mesa Verde. We took a tour of the Cliff Palace cliff dwellings. I’d done the tour of the Balcony House last year and it was sold out this year – hence the CP tour. It was good. We had a photographer with us – hmm, well he had a very expensive camera so he MUST be a photographer. He was the tour guide’s pet, and it was very annoying. Though I must admit, I’d love to have that camera. Even more, I’d like to be able to use it to it’s full potential.
After the tour, we hiked to an overlook to view Balcony House. On the way out, while discussing the potential for marauding mountain lions, we saw turkeys! Wild turkeys! Of course we scared them (unintentionally), and they moved away from us. Other than deer, and potentially wild horses, we saw no other wildlife.
Next we got ice cream for lunch and left for Bluff. We had planned to visit Hovenweep NP, but we were concerned we’d run out of time. Also, the roads from CO into the park are unpaved and there has been a lot of rain and flooding out here from Hurricane John leftovers. We were concerned the road would not be in very good shape.
With the change in plans, we were now going right past the Four Corners and decided to stop. We ended up paying $1 a minute to be there. It was totally lame, and we only stayed for about 5 minutes; it cost $6 to get in! From here we set off for our hotel. It’s not the worst landscape I’ve ever seen (that’s anything south outside of Vegas – towards Grand Canyon OR Laughlin – yuck). It wasn’t my favorite landscape either. Navajo lands ended just as we neared the San Juan River (nice planning). Bluff is located on the river, and it’s an old Mormon town. Most of the residences date back to the original1800s settlement. We plan to drive through and check them out after breakfast tomorrow.
Today’s highlights: San Juan Skyway with snow-capped mountains; chai with rice milk; Telluride; Mesa Verde cliff dwellings; wild turkeys; discovering the bird that’s been eluding my pictures is a magpie; Navajo frybread
posted by Shannon @ 10.9.06,
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Day 8: High, Low, AND Vertigo
Saturday, September 09, 2006
The past two day’s entries have been a lot about smell. Bad smells. Today was more about equilibrium and adjustments.
¡Casa Benavides es muy bien y bonita!
We both loved our Taos B&B and would definitely stay there again. They had pottery everywhere, and I’m on a mission to find the artist and acquire some. It was not a local artist so I’ll have to work at it. We did find some locally made pottery elsewhere though, being sold by the artist and purchased a piece. Buying directly from the artist appears to be significantly more affordable than purchasing in a gallery.
Well rested, we left Taos and the high desert behind for mountains – though not before crossing the Rio Grand Gorge via the Rio Grand Gorge Bridge (vertigo #1). I love the desert sage in and around Taos. It smells sooooo good and it’s everywhere. There are also a ton of yellow flowers in bloom (small ones, not the type I included in my last entry). Well, I came to find out that these evil little yellow flowers wreck havoc with allergies. Ah-ha! Those were why I had to steal a box of Kleenex from our hotel – and why my eyes have been burning since just outside Amarillo where the little darlings began popping up.
We took a scenic byway out of Taos, the Chama Valley Road which runs through the Carson National Forest. This road is just north of Georgia O’Keefe’s home, Ghost Ranch. I’ve yet to be able to tour the home but would like to on a future visit. We also were unable to visit Taos pueblo so I’ve still not seen it either.
After our scenic drive, we stopped for lunch and window shopping in Durango. It’s a college town (Fort Collins College) and it’s really cute. I liked it last year when visiting with Tammie also. Tammie and I got caught in a rainstorm while eating alfresco. Donnell and I ate lunch at the same restaurant though we choose to be indoors just in case. We had sunny skies while in Durango, but rain on the way in and out. It even hailed on the way in – temps dropped from the 60s to 50s and then into the 40s from the hail. By the time we settled in Durango temps were back up into the mid-60s.
This afternoon we drove half of the San Juan Skyway, a scenic byway. The portion we drove today is called the Million Dollar Highway. It has million dollar views – they are breathtaking. The road twists and turns via switchbacks as it goes up and down the mountains first to Silverton and then to Ouray (our stop for tonight). There is no guardrail anywhere and in some places one side of the road is a cliff up and the other is a cliff down. Donnell actually passed someone – I was not amused but it WAS technically a passing zone, as he pointed out to me.
Our first stop in town was the Box Canyon Falls (vertigo #2). Now we’re in our room and damn it if the OSU game isn’t on. Since the PSU game is done (and yes, the lost horribly), he is watching the OSU game. I’m nearly certain he’s routing for the longhorns. We looked at shirts for him in TX but he never bought one. If you watched the game – why is Matthew McConaughey bouncing around so crazily on the sideline? And even more odd, why is this the second time I’ve mentioned him in my vacation blog? I can’t say I’m a huge fan (not that I’m anti him – just not a huge fan).
Dinner has arrived, and it’s time to come up with some type of game plan for tomorrow. It’ll be a long day with more drastic scenery changes – and the other half of the San Juan skyway.
Today’s highlights: Casa Benavides, Rio Grand Gorge & bridge; finally a pottery purchase; Chama Valley scenic drive; hail storm; Durango; stocking up at Dancing Willow Herbs; Million Dollar highway; Box Canyon Falls; beer at Billy Goat’s Tavern; dreams of owning a Jeep Rental Company in Ouray . . . PRICELESS
posted by Shannon @ 9.9.06,
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Day 7: Is that our shoes?
Day 7: Amarillo, Santa Fe, Taos
Today we got up at dawn, bypassed breakfast at our B&B and headed out of Amarillo. We had planned to visit the Palo Duro Canyon, which is apparently the 2nd largest canyon in the US. However, it was in the opposite direction that we needed to go and it was raining so we just headed out of Amarillo, and out of TX. We stopped at Cadillac Ranch, which seemed like a roadside must. It didn’t appear muddy, but it was and our shoes are still drying out.
Amarillo offered one last blow before we were completely clear. We smelled it before we saw it – I though it was our shoes. But then it got worse and I knew they didn’t smell THAT bad. Ever been to a park that has bathrooms, but they are just basically a hole in the ground with a toilet seat (and they reek)? That was the smell. The source . . . “Quality Beef,” a feedlot. Nice. It’s where cows go to bulk up after a year or so of grazing. They live there in slop and eat slop (plus antibiotics to keep them from getting TOO sick). From there, it’s truck to slaughter to plate. Yum!
It was hideous.
With Texas behind us (all 4 days worth), the scenery changed, and we even met a woman from OH at the NM information center. There have been yellow flowers everywhere. They’re beautiful. We saw plenty of cows (headed to Quality Beef, I’m sure), some deer, and even a roadrunner! Yeah! I was hoping to see one.
We arrived in Santa Fe just before noon. We had two surprises – rain and a festival. Parking was even scarcer than it’s rumored to normally be. That worked out because it forced us to park farther away and see more of the town. We had lunch, checked out all the booths at the festival (art booths) and many of the shops. Oh, and the rain stopped shortly after we arrived – bonus!
We took the scenic route to Taos (officially called The High Road). We got here pretty early and had time to check-in, and then walk around town. We window-shopped (art galleries) and went into a couple stores before dinner. Dinner was great. I had checked it out online before we came. The almond encrusted brie with fruit and blackberry coulis sold me. It was yummy.
It was very overcast and cool today (60s). This is the opposite of my 1st trip to Santa Fe and Taos when temps were in the 90s before noon. I liked it better this time, but I know that’s because it was cooler and raining. I like trees – with big leaves that provide lots of shade! The trees here just aren’t tall enough and there isn’t any grass. Donnell likes it though. He liked San Antonio, Austin, Santa Fe, and Taos. His favorite is Taos, followed by Santa Fe.
Tomorrow we move into mountains. Then we change landscapes a lot: desert, mountains again, plains, and home! Nine more days!
Today’s highlights: leaving Amarillo; Cadillac Ranch; escapee cow; art festival in Santa Fe; High Road to Taos; Taos; great food
posted by Shannon @ 9.9.06,
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Day 6: Is that mothballs I smell?
Thursday, September 07, 2006
I don’t even know how to begin describing today. Oy.
It started out well (except for the pain in the neck). We startled Mr. Lou as he had expected his guests to leave before he woke. He adjusted and quickly convinced Donnell to play fetch, but was not amused when Donnell took over his chair. After lounging all morning, we booked massages. I had more mobility after the massage, but generally still a good deal of neck pain. Amanda blames the bed. The therapist seemed to blame the fact I’d been in a car for the better part of five days. I’m hoping AJ is right because the bed will change each night.
We left the DFW area after our massages, and set out on our 5hr drive to Amarillo. We’d been promised the drive would be filled with vast views of . . . (wait for it) . . . absolutely nothing. And that was accurate. We stopped at a DQ about halfway to Amarillo, but they didn’t have chocolate ice cream. What? This happened last year when Tammie & I drove from Taos to Colorado. Do any DQs out here have chocolate? We saw another closed and boarded up. We’re certain they’d rather close their doors than carry anything but vanilla.
We arrived in Amarillo before sunset. Matilda worked well today and led us right to the door of our bed & breakfast. However, we were hoping she was off and had led us astray. It’s not THAT bad, but let’s just say that that Donnell thinks the best line of today was my questioning the apparently obvious sight a block from where we are staying – “Is that a bag lady?” It’s very weird here as it’s an older residential neighborhood but apparently there are “issues.” A block farther away we saw two police cars assisting a man in empting his 40 in an open lot. I’m unsure why their guns were drawn.
Anyhoo, the hosts here at the inn are a very nice, older couple. Their home is large and nearly 100 years old. However, there is an odd odor and I’m not sure if it’s mildew or mothballs. Also, our feng shui consultant would have a field day here! I’m tempted to leave a note suggesting the book “Clearing Clutter with Feng Shui” or any clutter clearing book for that matter. This place is crazy; I think the nicest touch in this Victorian home is the glass smoke machine, orb floaty bowl thing in the living room. Oh, and there are FOUR large mirrors in our small room alone. It’s actually great because it creates sort of a funhouse effect with the flowered wallpaper.
The upside is that unlike our New Orleans room, it’s large enough to turn around, and the bathroom door shuts. The other positive is that while I had a panic attack in New Orleans, here I’m just laughing. We’re both finding this more amusing than anything. But in all seriousness,
Donnell will not be permitted to choose our lodging again.
Today’s Highlights: Louie attempting to hump Donnell; massages; peeing cows; AJ’s delicious banana bread (with chocolate chips!); a bathroom door that closes; and Donnell insists he enjoyed the drive here
posted by Shannon @ 7.9.06,
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Day 5: Remember the Alamo!
Today was another light day.
Previous cities are starting to feel like we visited them weeks ago instead of hours or days ago. We left San Antonio about 12hrs ago but if feels like a different day. The Riverwalk was even nicer without rain and we had it mostly to ourselves this morning. We walked a good bit of it again, and then headed to the Alamo. It was a very interesting tour, and the buildings and grounds are really nice. The most interesting part to me was seeing the model layout of the 1836 structure over today’s San Antonio. I really like gardens, and this tour has been lacking in those. However, the Alamo’s grounds were okay.
After the Alamo we headed to an old Spanish Mission – Mission of San Jose. I’ve only visited one other mission – the Mission Carmel in Carmel, CA. This one was much bigger and laid out like a fort almost. The church itself was roughly the same size though this one had barracks almost in buildings along the fort-like structure that enclosed the church and grounds. It was very interesting.
From San Antonio we made our way to Austin. Matilda (our GPS) failed us in Austin. She is clueless with the capital. We got lost a few times which enabled us to see more of Austin than we had planned. We saw quite a few residential areas – gated. I’ve been told we were in the areas that Sandra Bullock & Matthew McConaughey home. We saw both Town Lake and Lake Austin (I’m not sure how to tell the difference other than what part of Austin lies near it – seems like the same river the entire way through town). We also climbed Mount Bonnell to get a 180 degree view of the city and some suburbs.
After Austin we made our way to Dallas – well in between Dallas and Fort Worth to Highland Village. We’re staying with our friend Amanda and her husband Conner (can’t forget Louie too). We had a lovely dinner – everyone except AJ. From start to finish, every course she had was a problem.
We’re spending half the day here tomorrow then off to Amarillo.
Today’s highlights: the Alamo, San Antonio’s Mission San Jose, Austin’s downtown and Town Lake, Austin’s West Lake suburb area (by accident), Mount Bonnell with views of Lake Austin, Highland Village north of DFW
posted by Shannon @ 7.9.06,
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Day 4: Ready, Set, Go . . . we made it to San Antonio!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
I've come to love armadillos, but that is a post in and of itself. Unfortunately, we've seen far too many of these little guys on the roadside. :(
We've had a very leisurely day. We walked on the Galveston beach this morning. It's no St. John, but it was still a beach and I didn't want to leave. We drove through a residential area to the historic district. The older beach homes were really nice, but there was so much industry (or something) on the bayside that overall, I didn't much like the area.
It was a short drive (about 3hrs) from Galveston to San Antonio. I was actually surprised that SE Texas was so pretty. We took some rural roads and interstate. I thought it would be much less green. I actually liked it alot. We had planned to tour a couple of old Spanish missions and the Alamo this evening, however both closed during the 5 o'clock hour. We arrived too late.
After settling into the hotel, we toured the riverwalk area. It's beautiful - even with the light rain.
Today's been lowkey and relaxing. The first couple days we drove much farther and squeezed alot more into each day. The next couple days will be slower and more laid back. Tomorrow we'll get to the Alamo when it opens, then off to a Spanish Mission and onward to Austin.
Thanks for all the comments - we're reading them! :)
posted by Shannon @ 5.9.06,
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Day 3: Shrimp and Petroleum
Monday, September 04, 2006
It's the end of day 3 - literally. I'm in a lovely hotel in Galveston. They heard this is my birthday vaca so they upgraded us to a suite with a Gulf view. Yeah! I love upgrades.The drives seemed shorter and less monotonous today. We were so sick of cotton yesterday that the interstate was a welcome relief to our "scenic" country roads. Today was sugarcane. It was equally annoying, but we just stayed on the interstate and zipped right past it all.
We spent our morning inNew Orleans. It was so very different than the night before. We had the FQ nearly to ourselves. We ate beignets at Cafe DuMonde, then walked north just outside the FQ to tour the St. Louis Cemetary One. On the way, we crossed over Bourbon Street but smelled it long before and after we'd passed it. Lovely. On our return from the cemetary Bourbon was being cleaned and the sidewalks were still soapy in places (and the trash was gone). We spent the rest of the morning walking the streets of the FQ looking at the various art galleries.
After New Orleans the plan was to drive through "the bayou" (still not sure where that is) on our way to Galveston. We ended up at Oak Allely Plantation. I had wanted to see that, but I wasn't into a tour. However, we ended up taking the tour because it was the only way to get on the grounds. I had hoped it would have gardens like Monticello, but it had very few. Of course what it lacked in flowers it made up for in Live Oak trees. The grounds were beautiful. The house was a house - just old and big (with 16" thick walls - solid brick).
On a whim we took the St. Bolivar ferry into Galveston to avoid Houston. It was new as neither of us have used a car ferry. Not that exciting, I know.
Today's Highlights: French Quarter sans anxiety, beignets, sugar cane, Oak Alley, car ferry
Photo: This is looking across the street from our hotel. The Cornstalk Hotel is named after the fence which is a FQ landmark apparently.
posted by Shannon @ 4.9.06,
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Day 2: "Maybe it was Memphis"
I'll try to include pop culture quotes whenever possible. Stay alert.
Though there was WiFi at our New Orleans hotel, we couldn't get connected to it. But that's the day three post. Right now we've got day 2 to recap. I know I left everyone hanging - which of us is The Killer's BIGGEST fan and who prefers The King? I can only include a few pictures here so, I'm going to have to keep you guessing until all the pics are up on Snapfish.
Day two was a long one. We visited both Sun Studios and Graceland in Memphis before driving through Mississippi to New Orleans. Once in MS, we saw two things - cotton & casinos. Donnell heard the call of Lady Luck and we zipped into a "mecca" as he called it. There were neon lights and high-rises, like a mini Vegas. We only stayed about 1/2 an hour, but that was long enough for Donnell to quadruple his money. However, with my losses at the slot machines, and his love of the game - we left with our money only doubled. We're not complaining though! It was a nice side trip, and though we reaked of smoke, we both enjoyed it. I'll be hearing those damn machines chanting "Wheel . . . OF. . . Fortune" for days.
We arrived in New Orleans later than we would if we had a do-over. It was about 7pm, but the narrow, unfamilar streets were already crowded with cars and people. We did see some Katrina damage in the far NE section of the French Quarter and tons of homes and businesses are for sale. We didn't venture into any of the surrounding parishes, and hence saw no other damage. Our hotel was older and small but had alot of charm, and it was in a great location one block south of Bourbon and maybe 5 blocks from Jackson Square. I thought the FQ was going to be much larger; mainly because I thought the blocks were alot larger.
We happened to be in town for Southern Decadence weekend. It's supposedly pretty raucous (according to our waiter) but we never made it to Bourbon St. to find out. If you don't already know, I have some anxiety issues. I should have known when Donnell was overwhelmed that I might have a problem, but it hit me out of nowhere. So dinner turned into carryout, and our plans for Bourbon Street turned into Xanax.
Next time Donnell will have a few drinks before we even leave the hotel, and we'll get to town earlier with time to relax - and find parking!!! (so much for our winnings - poof)
Today's highlights: Sun Studios, Graceland, Horseshoe Casino, Great River Road SP, rural MS, New Orleans
posted by Shannon @ 4.9.06,
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Day 1: Out of Ohio
Sunday, September 03, 2006
I had been looking forward to our arrival at the hotel so I could relax by re-packing my bags. Yes, seriously. I would have found that quite relaxing, and I’m concerned that it hasn’t been done. The bag is not organized up to par and is messing with my serenity. Maybe it’s creating bad car feng shui.
Well, for those of you tuning in for actual vacation news . . .
We left well after dawn. I suspected that would happen. We made some extra stops and took some scenic drives. Most of the day was spent in KY parks. The picture is one of us at Mammoth Cave. We have breezed through Nashville and landed in Memphis. We weren’t sure we’d make it this far and are happy to be settled in.
I’m supposed to have free WIFI here but the network IP address is bunk. This will be posted tomorrow morning hopefully – on our way to Graceland. We’re stopping briefly at the meditation garden & gravesite before hitting our major stop here – Sun Records. Forget Elvis, this is the record company of The Killer too, Jerry Lee Lewis. I’ll leave you with that, and the nagging question – which of us LOVES ole Jerry Lee?
Today's Highlights: Big Bone Lick SP, rural KY, a dog chillin' on a car roof, Mammoth Cave, and the Grand Ole Opry
posted by Shannon @ 3.9.06,
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Departing at Dawn (as if)
Friday, September 01, 2006
Who even cares that I'm just now packing? Hertz didn't ask us where we were going so we have our unlimited miles and all is good. WooHoo! Tomorrow we head south.
This is the first official vaca post. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post while on the road. Oh, and I'm reading that book too. Donnell has not stopped talking about it since college; its his favorite. I hope it lives up to the hype. I packed a spare in case it doesn't.
Our first few stops include Mammoth Cave, KY state parks, Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans.
We've never driven cross-country, and we've never taken this long of a vacation. I'm personally most looking forward to Telluride. I loved that town last year. I'll try to be the first to get a pic of Suri Cruise. That will seemlessly lead me into my next career -papparazi. Sigh, I'm slowly returning to reality - okay. Donnell says he too is looking forward to the Rockies.
Time to pack! Stay tuned.
Oh, and please, someone tape House & Miami Ink for me!
posted by Shannon @ 1.9.06,
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posted by Shannon @ 1.9.06,
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