Phoenix Vacation
Day 4 - March 4, 2017

A pretty uneventful day. Patti and her husband had to get up early and go to work. I did not. I was up and down all morning reading, going back to sleep, reading some more, back to sleep. You know, the typical vacation day.

Patti got home around 1pm, and we headed out and ran some errands, then went to Rudy's BBQ and had a delicious lunch of brisket, turkey and pork ribs, along with potato salad and iced tea. Very satisfying, and to me it was a taste of home.

After lunch we headed to the local Safeway and picked up supplies for dinner tonight...spaghetti! I always enjoy making my mom's spaghetti sauce recipe as it's always a crowd pleaser. We got home and lounged around a bit and talked, and then I went and took a nap. More sleep? You bet!

After the nap, Patti and I began making dinner. We both chopped veggies and I began the sauce as Patti got the garlic bread ready. The pasta was boiled, the sauce was ladled, and the three of us had a great dinner together.

After dinner we started talking about various kinds of music we enjoy and played it via Bluetooth to a Bose receiver nearby. We played everything from Mozart and Vivaldi, to Mark O'Conner on the electric violin, to dance music, and more.

As they were getting ready for bed and an early morning tomorrow, I borrowed Patti's vehicle again and went back to the casino. I walked in with $200 and walked out with $350. As rare as it is for me to win anything, I got out quick while I was ahead.  I was maybe there for an hour.

So, as you can see, it was an easy day. Tomorrow we are going to lunch with Patti's mom who lives nearby, then going to an afternoon concert featuring the famous Concordia College Choir from Moorhead, Minnesota. Patti went to college there, and they are are on tour performing in various cities in the U.S. Afterwards we have been invited to join the choir for an invitation-only dinner.

That's what we have planned for our Sunday, and I'm looking forward to it all. I fly home to Houston Monday morning.

I'll update again tomorrow evening, so until then, have a great rest of the weekend!

Phoenix Vacation
Day 5 - March 5, 2017

My day didn't really get started until after noon. Patti and her husband got up early for church this morning, then arrived back home around 1pm. We soon departed to have lunch with Patti's mom Betty, who moved to Phoenix from Houston two years ago. Betty lives in a 60+ retirement neighborhood providing homes for seniors, and they are separated by the amount of care, if any, they may need. Betty is 90 and still going strong, so she is completely independent, still drives, and has a gusto for living that's amazing to witness. She has a beautiful home with all the amenities, 24-hour security, and much more, and she loves it. Well, they have dining rooms for the residents and their invited guests to enjoy, so we went to have lunch! Now, I know what you're thinking....lunch at a senior facility? I'm here to tell you that I was totally blown away by the facility, the food, and the service. We had a full buffet including various salads, fish and chicken entrees and numerous sides, freshly prepared omelets, and plenty of desserts to choose from! It was all delicious, and I was so pleased to see Betty enjoying where she lives, and being happy to be only ten minutes away from her daughter.

After lunch we headed about 30 minutes outside of Phoenix to Sun City, Arizona, and arrived at the American Lutheran Church for the 3:00pm performance of the Concordia College Choir. This amazing choir is based in Moorhead, Minnesota, and tours a particular region of the United States each year. I saw them in Houston five years ago, and now I get to see them again today! Patti was in this choir after high school and graduated in 1983, and if you ever have the opportunity to attend a concert by them, do so. You will be amazed. In fact, I want to alert all my interested friends in Houston that they will be performing there next year, and you are all invited to go with me!

After the performance, we were invited to attend a light dinner in the fellowship hall of the church. It was great fun visiting with the talented young men and women in the choir as we all sat and broke bread together. There were numerous times during the lunch that they would stand and sing for various reasons like thanking the kitchen staff for the lunch, as well as a blessing of the meal before we ate. Here they were all around us, singing in beautiful harmony, and in full voice, and it nearly makes you weep on how beautiful it is. Chills, and nearly tears, from me and others.

As we wrapped up our wonderful experience at the church today, we headed back to Phoenix with a beautiful desert sunset lighting our path. The air had a slight chill, and wisps of clouds blazed in orange and red, constantly changing in intensity as the sun set behind the mountains, and we couldn't keep our eyes off of it. A glorious day of music capped off by a glorious sunset. It doesn't get any better than that.

We got Betty home and said our goodbyes, then we proceeded back to our home for a relaxing evening of reflection on our past few days together, and wishing it wouldn't have to end, but all good things do. I head back to Houston tomorrow to be reunited with my own family and home. I'll be happy to see them all, and as I get back to a normal life, I will continue to miss my friends here in Phoenix because I've already started.

Thank you to everyone for sharing my story as a participant or a reader. Sometimes it's difficult to put into words the everyday extraordinary experiences that fulfill your life, but I've done my best, and I only hope I have convinced you what a luck man I am.

Phoenix Vacation
Day 3 - March 3, 2017

I got to sleep in a bit this morning as Patti had some meetings to attend, and I just relaxed around the house reading news and catching up on emails. Patti arrived a little after noon and we headed into central Phoenix for lunch. We decided to go to a local favorite named Durant's. It was recommended by a couple of friends in Houston, and Patti certainly knew of it, so off we went. The restaurant is very unassuming on the outside...almost dumpy. But inside? It was like walking back in time to the fifties with its very low lighting with a red hue, and the red felt wallpaper. The place was built in 1950, and it hasn't been touched since! The lights were so low it was hard to read the menu, but I did notice on the menu the request to not use cell phones in the restaurant, and only in the bar. Yeah, right. Everyone in there was all over their phones, and so were we. We both ordered the sliced sirloin steak lunch with garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. It came with a salad and bread, but not just any bread. The bread was round and almost totally covered in a  mixture of olive oil, leeks and garlic, which also pooled in the bowl it arrived in. I'd never seen anything like that before, and it was surprisingly good. Lunch was soon served and it came with au jus and a creamy horseradish sauce. I kept glancing around the room looking for Sinatra to come waltzing by. That's how vintage, and somewhat mafioso, it was. A unique, yet delicious, experience.

We headed back to the house since Patti had some private music lessons to teach for a couple of hours (she is a professional opera singer and teaches voice and piano in her home), and since I had nothing to do and they needed the privacy, I borrowed her car and went to the casino less than ten minutes from the house. I played for about an hour and a half, bounced from machine to machine, and ended up losing about $40. Back to the house I went.

We then got cleaned up and headed back to Downtown Phoenix to attend the world premier of a brand new opera titled "Riders of the Purple Sage". If you recognize the title, the opera is based on the novel of the same name written by Zane Grey, and published in 1912. The composer is Craig Bohmler, who is originally from Houston, and has been a very close friend of Patti for over 30 years. The Librettist is Steven Mark Kohn, and he had to create the words for the opera singers from the book. Not an easy thing to do. It's a western themed show set in the late 1800's about the struggles and tensions of western settlers in Utah and the arrival of the Mormons and their hardline view of religion and non-violence. It is timely with what is currently going on in this country and our current struggles of hard line politics and religion, gun control vs gun rights, women's rights, etc. Remember I said it was written in 1912? It's still the same today, and this opera beautifully presents those conflicts, along with touching moments of young love, early death, and finding loved ones thought to have been killed or kidnapped. Yes, it's high drama, and the singing, stage sets and orchestration were magnificent.

I forgot to mention that an hour before the performance, the composer and librettist had a talk with the early arriving audience members about how it took them four years to make it all come together, and the struggles they faced along the way. After the show, a few invited guests, including us, were invited to a close-by cafe for an after party. Everyone was raving about the show, laughing, eating and drinking. We didn't leave until almost 1am!

We got home and Patti went straight to bed, quite exhausted, but mostly because she has to be up at 6:30am to go teach students at a remote location close by. I don't know how she keeps going and going, but she does. She is amazingly talented and a great teacher of voice and piano, and passionate about music.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we will have a late lunch and not much else until evening. We will either go see another concert, or just stay home and I will cook dinner. Plans will be discussed, and plans will be changed throughout the day, but it will be fun either way.

It's now just after 2am, and I'm fading fast. See ya tomorrow!

Phoenix Vacation
Day 2 - March 2, 2017

Even though I was in a strange house, and sleeping in a strange bed, I slept like a rock! Travel can be exhausting, but also exhilarating.

Surprisingly, I was up at 8am, but it was the right time to get an early start heading north to Sedona, Arizona. We first went to Jack in the Box and got Breakfast Jacks, then to Costco to fill up the car, eventually heading north on Interstate 17. We encountered mostly flat prairie for the first hour passing exits for places named Bumble Bee and Crown King, and of course the occasional highway patrol officer. Even though the speed limit on the interstate is 75mph, and we were all doing about that speed, when drivers see a cop, they instinctively push the brakes to slow down. Really? I also noticed a tremendous amount of Saguaro (su-war-o) cactus everywhere. These are the tall standing cactus with multiple arms you would traditionally see in an old western movie, or a travel brochure to "visit the Wild West". The cactus can reach 45 feet tall, and that takes 200 years. They are protected by law, and it is illegal to damage them. A ten year old cactus may only be one and a half inches tall. An adult cactus is very heavy because they store water, and can weigh up to 8 tons. They won't bloom until they are 35 years old, and aren't considered an adult until they are 125 years old. This style of cactus' biggest threat is poachers.

Soon, we started climbing up the mountains. Phoenix is about 1100 feet in elevation. Sedona is a little over 6000 feet. That's a lot of climbing! As we climbed, the cactus began to disappear because of the thinner air, and the temperatures dropped quickly. We crested a range near Camp Verde and suddenly saw two of the San Francisco mountains beautifully reaching into the clear blue sky 80 miles ahead of us with their two snow-capped peaks glistening at 12,600 feet. Spectacular, but there was no shortage of spectacular views as we approached Sedona.

Twisting and turning on mountain roads, we finally encountered what makes Sedona very special, and that's the beautiful mountains and cliff faces glowing in the midday sun with various hues of red and orange. Some are jagged, some are smooth, all are beautiful. We stopped at just about every pull-off point and snapped a large amount of pictures on our phones and 35mm cameras. We attempted a couple of hiking trails, but couldn't go too far because of Patti's recent knee surgery.

Up on the side of a mountain in Sedona is Chapel of the Rock, a church actually built into the rock itself. We walked up the short pathway to the chapel, snapped more pictures of the mountain that towers very close and high above the church, then went inside. Candles were being lit, people were kneeling in prayer, and it was perfectly lovely.

The Breakfast Jacks didn't last long and we were then on the hunt for lunch. I asked Siri for the best Mexican food restaurant in town, and it recommended Javelina's Cantina. It, too, was built against the rocks, but now it seemed apparent that most places in Sedona were. When traveling, I have little hope of finding good Mexican food outside of Texas, and that's certainly what I expected here, but I was surprised that it was actually excellent! I had the Green Chile Pork Carnitas with rice and guacamole, and iced tea. The tea was a little on the weak side, but the food was so good, I didn't mind too much.

After lunch we drove slowly through town looking at all the little shops selling souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, and lawn ornaments. A beautiful city, but we quickly learned that it's very expensive to live there. Prices above a million dollars are not unusual.

We were getting into mid-afternoon and decided to take the shorter way home as the sun was quickly heading west. Once again, we had to go over mountains, and decided to go via the mining town of Jerome, Arizona. Lots of haunted buildings and copper mines, and the ubiquitous "red light district" and saloons most early mining and railroad towns were famous for.

Up we went to a little over 7000 feet at the crest, and there was snow everywhere, and a lot of it! As I walked through the snow, Patti took pictures of me in awe of it all and holding the touristy snowball, and we laughed at all the little snowmen passers-by had created on the side of the road. The temperature at the top was 42 degrees, and I was in a short-sleeved t-shirt. Although the sun was bright and warm, I didn't stay outside very long.

Down the other side of the mountains we went, and within just a few minutes the snow was gone and the temperature started to rise quickly. By the time we got down into the Prescott Valley, the digital thermometer in the car said it was 71 degrees.

The sun was beginning to set as we hurried back to Phoenix. What a day! Perfect weather, beautiful scenery, amazing structures, and beautiful mountain views. It was the day I hoped it would be, and I was not disappointed. We got home and enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches and lovely conversation, and got sleepy.

With the blog entry written, I wish you a very good night.

Phoenix Vacation
Day 1 - March 1, 2017

6am. WAY too early for the alarm to go off for someone that routinely gets up at the crack of noon everyday. I work the late shift and usually go to bed about 1am. Ugh.

I left work early yesterday so I could get home and get some packing done preparing for my journey to Phoenix. I haven't been to Phoenix in a long time, and I'm really looking forward to this trip. My dear friend Patti and her husband Trevor are allowing me to stay at their home, which is very appreciated. In allowing me to stay with them, Patti's son volunteered to relinquish his bedroom for a few days, and he'll stay with his dad. He will be thanked!

Patti contacted me a couple of months ago saying that her good friend Craig had written a new opera called "Riders of the Purple Sage" based on the famous novel of the same name, and they are debuting it this Friday with the Phoenix Opera. What a wonderful treat!

I said goodbye to Lawrence, Desiree and Toby, and hurried to Hobby Airport for my 9am flight. It's foggy this morning, but I'm thankful the forecasted storms are nowhere to be seen. I got to the airport in plenty of time, and security was quick and easy. I grabbed a banana nut muffin and orange juice at the coffee shop and proceeded to Gate 50 for my Southwest Airlines flight to Phoenix, with a brief stop in El Paso along the way. Once aboard the plane, I noticed something unusual. The plane was only about one-third full! This is a first. Every Southwest flight I've ever been on has always been packed. Not this one, and it's nice to have an entire row to myself! I guess El Paso and Phoenix are not popular destinations on a Wednesday. I also guess it would be inappropriate to stretch out across three seats for a needed nap. No pillow. No blankey. I'll just recline my seat and annoy the guy behind me.

It was a very smooth flight into El Paso and only bumpy as we descended near the mountains. Desert winds and mountains always make it rough. A brief change of passengers, except for the four of us continuing on to Phoenix, and we'll soon be on our way. Hey look....even fewer people on this flight! Maybe 30 people? Nice, but I'm still not going to lay out across the seats.

We arrived in Phoenix 45 minutes early, and all 30 of us were very glad to be here, mostly because the plane was incredibly cold. It was like a meat locker in there! The warm Arizona sun felt good as we stepped outside, even though it was 68 degrees. Low humidity was a refreshing change, and it only felt chilly in shaded areas. By the time I got off the plane and got to baggage claim, the bags arrived less than five minutes later. 30 people at a large baggage claim carousel meant no pushing or shoving, just a quick grab and we were all outta there in record time.

A few minutes later Patti picked my up in her Hyundai and we ended up circling the airport a couple of times trying to decide which way to go for lunch. It was humorous. We ended up going into Scottsdale and having lunch at a great pizza joint. We sat inside as the patio was in the shade, thereby chilly. After lunch we walked around and did some shopping, eventually driving north making a big loop around the area. About one hundred miles later, we arrived at her house. If you've never been to Arizona, the yards don't have grass. They have wildflowers, rock and sand. Lawnmowers are not prevalent in the desert.

At 6pm, Patti had to leave and attend church services since it's Ash Wednesday. I stayed at the house and relaxed, updated this entry, and napped. It's been a long day. She and her husband Trevor will both be home around 8:30pm, and dinner plans will be considered at that time.

So, it's been a great day, I'm happy to be here, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow as we drive about two hours north to Sedona, Arizona, where I hear it's beautiful, and cold, since it's about 5000 feet higher in elevation than Phoenix. I promised Patti I wouldn't google pictures of Sedona...she wants it to be a surprise. I have a feeling I'll be taking a lot of pictures tomorrow. Goodnight!

July 23, 2016
Alaska Trip - Day 1

7:30am (Central) - I was right. Not much sleep, and that alarm going off at 4am was almost painful. I got about 4 hours of sleep, and I'm definitely dragging this morning. Otherwise, I was right on time arriving at Hobby Airport at 6am. Met my party, got the bags checked, ate a little something, and got through security quickly. Now we're just sitting at the gate waiting to board. We'll be on the plane for about 6 hours because we are stopping in Albuquerque on the way. Arrival in Seattle at 12:05pm local time. I usually can't sleep on planes, but as tired as I am, there's a good chance I will. That is, of course, if this flight isn't the Screaming Baby Express. I have my Bose noise-reduction headphones at the ready!

9:15am (Mountain) - Right on time into Albuquerque, and a very smooth flight. And thankfully, no screamers. People off, people on, and soon on our way to Seattle. It's sunny and 71 here. Nice. I'll be enjoying my banana nut muffin in lieu of peanuts during this segment. Yummy!

11:45am (Pacific) - Another very smooth segment, but we had a little screamer as we descended into Seattle. Luckily, he's in the very back, I'm in the very front. Perfect. We landed 20 minutes early, and typical for Seattle, it's very cloudy. Southwest has a great free TV service onboard, so I was able to catch up with the news. The signal was great and only stuttered a couple of times. Ain't technology great?

10:00pm - Finally settling down for the night. We had a lovely day here in Seattle looking around, but we didn't make it to the Pike's Market yet. We'll do that in the morning since it's very close to the cruise ship terminal. I took what was going to be a short nap that ended up being two hours! I was beat. We later had a delicious dinner at a local Italian restaurant, and enjoyed good conversation and making new friends. Gotta get up early, so off I go. We all look forward to getting aboard the ship tomorrow. So much to see, experience, and most importantly, EAT!

Friday, July 22, 2016

I'm feeling anxious. Not because anything is wrong, but because a lifelong goal of mine is coming to fruition starting tomorrow. I'm heading to Alaska, on a cruise, departing out of Seattle.

Since I was very young, I've had this strong draw to go to Alaska. I've never been able to explain why, it's just always been there. I've told family and friends all my life that if I ever make it there, I may not come back. Of course, I will come back since I have a job, home, and the usual adult responsibilities, but one day I may not.

Was I a gold miner in a previous life that struck it rich up there, or maybe a naturalist admiring the breathtaking beauty of that state? Whatever reason...I'm finally going.

Since Lawrence doesn't fly, he won't be joining me on this adventure, but I assured him that after we retire in a few years, we will go to Seattle via car or train and take our own cruise. I will be traveling with a group of friends that go on a bunch of cruises every year, so I will follow their lead on what to do and experience. I've been on cruises before, but always out of Galveston, and always to the Caribbean where it's always hot. Now I'm going north where it's almost always chilly. I've been watching the weather up there and it gets pretty cool during the night, even though we will have about 20 hours of daylight the whole time. That's gonna be weird.

My suite mate is a lady friend of mine that has never been on a cruise, and never been on a train, so I arranged this week and a half adventure to include the cruise, which has a train trip as a shore excursion, then when we arrive back in Seattle we will jump on Amtrak and ride along the Pacific Coast from Seattle down to Portland. We will fly home from there after a night's stay. We are both excited about the trip, but for different reasons, but I guess that's what adventures are all about. Although we will both see and experience the same things, we will react and feel different emotions as they happen.

I'm doing some laundry and getting ready to pack. I'm getting the cameras ready, and the electronics all charged up. I'm giving a lot of attention to the dog as I know she will miss me a lot while I'm gone, and I will miss her more.

My mother knew I always wanted to go to Alaska, and she always wanted me to go to Italy. It was her favorite destination, and I promised her I would someday. Maybe next year? I'll work on those plans when I get back.

I don't know if I will do a daily update or not. I'll have to see if the inspiration hits me, and if I have the time. I may write a daily report, but being that I will be on the ocean, I may not be able to post it every day. I'll also post a picture or two.

I have a feeling I won't get much sleep tonight.

2016 Minnesota Vacation - Day 3

The day started out pretty normal. Woke up early to let the dog out, then went back to bed. It was in the 60's as the sun was rising, which was a nice surprise. We ended up leaving Osceola, Iowa at 10:20am and headed north. Another beautiful day as we went about 45 miles into Des Moines and started looking for fuel and food, but once again we hit some roadwork causing a bit of a backup. It seems we're hitting a lot of that this trip, and then I remember why. In this area of the country they have a limited window of opportunity to do things like road repairs and other outdoor stuff because you can't very well do those repairs with extremely cold weather and large amounts of snow and ice on the roads. In Texas, they do roadwork, and just about everything else, year-round.

We pulled off and filled up the car. What's very strange and hard to get used to in Iowa is their pricing of gasoline. In Texas we have regular, unleaded plus, and premium. The higher the grade, the more it costs, right? Not here. The cheapest fuel is super unleaded with the same amount of ethanol as we get in Texas (10%). Next highest is the regular unleaded, and the most expensive is just gasoline with no ethanol at all. This is big corn country and ethanol is king. Even the pumps are hard to figure out because they have 5 different grades and 3 hoses. I paid $2.25 for premium. Nice!

We found some lunch next door and again proceeded north. Today we traveled 308 miles and got to Lawrence's brother's house a little after 3:30pm. We unloaded the car, did some visiting, and I decided to take a nap. I drove a total of 1,273 miles over three days, and it can be exhausting. I have a friend Greg who drives an 18 wheeler all over the country, and it's not unusual for him to do somewhere in the area of 600 miles every day. Respect.

I got up from my nap and quickly noticed that it was getting dark outside. A storm was brewing and it was heading right for us! There were all sorts of warnings up for our area, and the radar showed a big blob of red and purple close by, and it was moving fast. 70 mph winds and blinding heavy rain put on a heck of a show. We were supposed to be heading out for dinner, but we decided to wait for the storm to pass. It did pass, but then it curled back around for another swing at us. After it had mostly died down, we eventually headed out. There was lots of debris on the roads, and we saw a patch of trees that were snapped in half. I'm talking tornado-snapped in half! I can believe it after those high winds.

We took two cars because we had a lot of people. On the way, the front car went over debris and started to lose air in one tire. We all got to the restaurant just in time and decided to change the tire after dinner. We went outside and it was still raining (and about 67 degrees) and decided we would leave the car overnight and fix it tomorrow, so we all piled into the CRV and headed back to the house. One of the kids rode in the back hatch area. She's small-framed and had no problems.

At this point, everyone was dozing off and ready for bed. I headed downstairs to the basement (where we sleep) and started to write my daily entry. A big bolt of lightning and BOOM - all the power is off. I'm sitting here in the dark, on the couch, with nothing but the glow of my iPad lighting my corner of the room. I'll use that same glow to make my way to bed in a moment.

No definite plans for tomorrow. We'll probably just do some visiting with various people around town and goof off. To me, that's perfect, and what vacations are for.

I may or may not write additional entries throughout our two week stay. It all depends on what we do, and if it's worth telling. I wouldn't want to bore you with what we eat every day and where we went shopping, which may be all we do. I'll definitely write again on the trip home.

Hey! The lights just came back on! Good night......

2016 Minnesota Vacation - Day 2

We slept-in this morning since we were both worn out from yesterday's drive from Houston. I did get up early to let the dog out, and then I had a bite of the free breakfast the hotel offered, but then I went back to bed for a few hours. I felt a lot better today, even though I do still have my head cold.

We departed Ardmore at 11:20am and headed north on I-35 towards Oklahoma City. We stopped for lunch at Arby's and I had a turkey sandwich, Lawrence had a Beef & Cheddar, and the dog got bites of both, of course. Close to Downtown OKC, we once again hit construction with a heavy backup.

The weather was beautiful all day with clear skies and lots of sun, but boy was it hot! We hit 101 today in northern Oklahoma, and it stayed in the 90's all day until we got close to Iowa when it dropped to the upper 80's. You could definitely tell we were headed north.

In Kansas, I was surprised by two things today. First, their gas was only $1.81 per gallon. Second, I saw a new casino in the state. I know Kansas is a very conservative state like Texas, so I didn't think they allowed casino gambling, just like Texas. Interesting.

Not much to tell about Kansas or Missouri. Traffic wasn't bad and the weather was good. Lots of wheat and corn growing, but that's not unusual. We made a number of potty, food and gas stops along the way, and finally reached Osceola, Iowa just after 9pm. Osceola is about 45 miles south of Des Moines. We found a Quality Inn here, and it's a bit dumpy, but they allow dogs, so we're good with that. A lot of places don't allow dogs, which kinda sucks, and limits your choices. None of the door locks work in the rooms and the front desk clerk had to let everyone into their rooms.

Once we got settled in our room, we quickly found out there were no food places open after 9pm, including pizza delivery. The only thing open with food is the truck stop next to our hotel, so I wandered over there to see what they had to offer. Their offering, other than the usual c-store fare, was freshly made pizza! It was surprisingly not too bad. Back in the room with pizza and lemonade, we had our dinner, and found out the dog likes pizza. The again, she's likes everything, as evidenced by her fluffy rotundness. Is that a word? It is now.

We traveled 371 miles yesterday, another 594 today, and a couple of hundred more tomorrow will get us to our destination. We'll be in Minnesota for two weeks before heading back to Houston, and so far we have no definitive plans while there. Just what the doctor ordered.

2016 Minnesota Vacation - Day 1

Surprisingly, we actually got out of Houston a lot earlier than expected this morning at 11am. I was thinking that's perfect so we would miss afternoon rush hour in Dallas. That realization came to a screeching halt early on as we got stuck behind a huge accident on I-45 just south of Conroe. It involved an overturned 18-wheeler, a haz-mat spill, and the freeway shut down. That's an hour and a half I'll never get back.

Once we got through that mess, we stopped at Buc-ees in Madisonville for a break. Potty breaks for everyone, including the dog, sandwiches, drinks, chips, and of course, beef jerky for me, and we're back on the road. All the way to Dallas, and after Dallas to almost the Texas border, there was road construction everywhere, thereby causing more delays. Right on schedule, we hit Dallas rush hour promptly at 5:00pm. It was also 101 outside. It took a little over 71/2 hours to get out of Texas and into Oklahoma, and I was exhausted. I'm also suffering from a major head cold and not in the best mood. We were planning on staying in Oklahoma City tonight, but we stopped in Ardmore for gas and noticed the La Quinta across the street. Close enough! We're all checked in for the night, I'm finishing this entry, and we'll be on the hunt for dinner soon.

Oh, you'll be proud of us. We actually passed the Winstar Casino when we crossed the border. It was difficult, but we just kept staring forward and keep my foot on the gas! Our gambling budget is very limited this trip, so any gambling will be with Lawrence's parents in Minnesota. If we have any money left on the way home, we may stop in at Winstar.

Tomorrow we traverse Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and into Iowa where we will stay the night in Des Moines. We should arrive in New Ulm, Minnesota sometime mid-afternoon Friday. It will be good to see everyone up there, and we have a lot of catching up to do!

West Texas Vacation – Day 4

February 15, 2016

It only took us four hours to get home from Temple, and that includes a stop at a Mexican restaurant, and a Buc-ees. I was originally going to cut over to Highway 6 and down through Bryan-College Station, but instead took Highway 36 out of Temple and went south through Caldwell, where we ate lunch, on to Brenham, and finally into Houston. The routing down 36 was intentional for a very important reason...It follows the BNSF Railroad all the way, and I saw a lot of trains moving. Anyone that knows me also knows that is important to me!

Our lunch in Caldwell at the Mexican restaurant was good, but the service was awful. Very slow, and just like last night at the steakhouse in Temple, they got the order wrong. How difficult can it be?

Throughout the trip we were looking for good places to stop and take pictures, and hit some stores as well, but there just wasn't anything to stop for. So we drove a total of 1213 miles in four days door-to-door, didn't get to visit the mountains because of lodging problems, a Supreme Court justice died 30 minutes away from us, and it was just a weird trip overall. Lawrence never complained about basically doing nothing for four days but sit in the backseat of the car keeping the dog company and being bored. I apologized a couple of times and he said it wasn't a problem. We'll do something nice soon.

The most important thing is we are all safe at home now. We have some laundry to do, pay a few bills, and relax a bit. I think I'll make spaghetti tonight!

Thanks for reading, and hopefully enjoying, my travel writings. I do it for me and my bad memory, but I hope you get a little something out of it as well.

What's next in the travel department? Well, looks like June and our annual trip to Minnesota, Lawrence's birthplace, and then in July I may be going on an alaskan cruise! We're still working on the details. I was also possibly going to Switzerland in August on a two-week tour of mountain railroads throughout the area, but I can't do both, so it looks like Alaska wins. I've always wanted to go there, and now may be my chance.

West Texas Vacation - Day 3

February 14, 2016

We drove a total of 358 miles today, and here are the details:

We got out of Ft. Stockton about 10:45am and headed east on I-10, soon taking the exit for Highway 385, which headed northeast. Once you get off of I-10 onto a small Texas highway, you quickly end up in the middle of nowhere. There are no houses, cattle, trees or grass...It was just us and dust.

We didn't have breakfast when we left thinking we would grab something up the road a bit. Turns out there was almost nothing up the road as we passed through a number of very small towns with a population of 13, and nothing was open. There were no diners, and no people or cars moving around. It almost seemed like each bungalow was a ghost town. It wasn't until we hit the small town of Big Lake and found an open Dairy Queen. I'm usually not a big fan of DQ food (desserts are another story), but by the time we got there, I was famished and that burger and fries were great!

I would like to note here that up to this point, we were traversing what is known as the Permian Basin of Texas, and it's very flat with no scenery, unless you consider a large amount of oil and natural gas wells scenery. They were everywhere, along with various oil and gas plants, trucking companies, holding tanks, pipe yards, and everything else it takes to run oil and gas fields. Another interesting fact is the amount of huge wind-turbine electricity generating towers. They are all over the high ridges, and lots and lots of large-capacity power lines running everywhere. If you need oil, natural gas or electricity, you'll find it here, but not much else.

Soon after we left Big Lake, the scenery started to change. I started noticing small cedar trees with no foliage on them, then bigger cedar trees with foliage, and then grass. After about an hour, we started to see land being tilled for planting of crops soon, and they were everywhere, especially as we approached San Angelo. Pulling into San Angelo brought us back to the reality that there are actually other human beings out there, and we hit traffic, saw open businesses, and the usual medium sized town tumult. Driving for a couple of hundred miles through the desert can cause you lo lose perspective.

Continuing eastbound out of San Angelo, we pulled into San Saba, where once again we stopped at the DQ, this time for a Blizzard. In the center of town we found an open mercantile shop and stopped in to look around. In the window of the business was a poster promoting a Downton Abbey tea party for their group to watch the show together. I made it a point to bring up to the very nice ladies inside the shop that I participate in the taping of the program after Downton Abbey called Manor of Speaking, of which they were also very familiar with. I teased them a little about what will happen in tonight's episode, but was careful not to give any major plot points away. The only thing I told them was that Mr. Carson gets what he deserves.

There weren't any other real stops after San Saba as we continued towards Lampasas, through Killeen, and eventually stopping in Temple at the La Quinta where we are all tucked in for the night. Across I-35 is a Texas Roadhouse, and the front desk clerk gave me a 10% off coupon for dinner. We're heading that way soon.

Tomorrow we will head east a little bit until we join Highway 36 southbound through College Station and on into Houston on Highway 290. We won't be in any hurry as it's only about 3 hours from here.

So, until tomorrow.....

West Texas Vacation - Day 2

February 13, 2016

Another day of travel ends weirdly. Of course.

Starting off this morning in Del Rio, we were awakened with chirping birds, cool temperatures, and a bright sunny day. We got all cleaned up, loaded the car and went next door to the pancake house for a late breakfast. Our waitress was from Thailand and felt it necessary to crack political jokes when we sat down. That was weird...but breakfast was good.

We headed west on Highway 90 and our first stop was at Seminole Canyon State Park. There wasn't much to see during our short hike with the dog. The indian petroglyphs along the canyon walls were too far away, so we turned around and headed back to the car, and promptly departed.

Our next stop was the awesome and beautiful Pecos River Bridge. We got a lot of great pictures and again proceeded west. We passed through Marathon, but not before stopping and taking pictures of the famous Gage Hotel. Beautiful place, and a wonderful restaurant.

Our next stop was Alpine, which was supposed to be our overnight spot, but as usual, that all changed. We wanted to stay there two nights and spend the next two days touring Big Bend National Park, seeing the Marfa lights, visit Ft. Davis, and go up to the McDonald Observatory, but all of the hotels in Alpine were either sold out or didn't allow dogs. We also checked other towns around the area, and they were all sold out as well. I'm guessing the night before Valentine's Day can be expected to fill up all the rooms. Also, while in Alpine, we learned that Justice Scalia died in Marfa, less then 30 minutes from where we were standing. It was really weird.

We ended up having to backtrack a bit and head north to Ft. Stockton and the La Quinta there. So much for hiking, photographing and enjoying my West Texas mountains. We'll get them next time.

Although we're somewhat disillusioned about not doing what we planned, I think being forced to take a different route may be to our advantage. We'll head out tomorrow towards San Angelo, over to Brady, Killeen, and on to Temple, where we might stay tomorrow night. A new route will hopefully force upon us new opportunities for photographs, antique shopping, and whatever else we can discover.

It looks like we'll get home a day early on Monday, and that's OK.

On a positive note, the La Quinta we're in tonight has dry carpet!

West Texas Vacation - Day 1
February 12, 2016

We weren't in any big hurry to leave, and I had a couple of errands to run like filling the car, going to the ATM, etc., but we did finally depart around 1PM and headed west on I-10. It was a beautiful, sunny, clear-sky day and about 80 degrees. Ah, winter in Texas.

I was driving, Lawrence was in the backseat with Desiree to keep her company, but she prefers to stay in her kennel the whole time. There's a story behind her staying in that kennel, and I'll talk about that later.

We got out of Houston before afternoon rush hour, but ended up hitting San Antonio right at 5pm and its version of rush hour. Although slow, it's not nearly as bad as Houston!

On the way we made our first stop at the rest area just west of Columbus and the Highway 71 exit that takes you to Austin. People and puppy potty breaks were in order, so we got out of the car, did the rest area waltz, and took care of business. In and out in 5 minutes.

As we approached Luling, everyone knows about the giant Buc-ees there, and it's almost an arrest-able offense to pass one, but surprisingly, we did. No beef jerky or Beaver Nuggets this time! We had lunch in Houston before we left, and we already stopped for potty breaks, so on to San Antonio we continued.

After working our way through rush hour, we diverted onto Highway 90 towards Hondo, Uvalde, and eventually Del Rio where we will stay the night. At this point we're in the 6pm hour and the sun is setting fast. It sounds cliche, but we were actually driving into the sunset, and it was beautiful. The further west you go, the more spectacular the sunsets become.

I started to get excited because not far past San Antonio you start seeing small rises on the horizon, and I don't mean just hills. They are what I affectionately call "The Foothills" of the West Texas mountains we will encounter tomorrow. They're not very tall, but they are taller than just the normal Hill Country hills, and everyone knows I love mountains, so to me they may well have been the Alps.

We stopped in Uvalde and Lawrence got a hot fudge sundae at Dairy Queen. Although difficult, I resisted. I also called ahead to the La Quinta in Del Rio and booked a room. It was surprisingly inexpensive, and of course, I was pleased to no end. I will come to regret and understand why it was so inexpensive later.

The speed limit on Highway 90 is 70, but in the dark I was doing 60, tops. I used to love driving at night, but age and wisdom have taught me to be fearful of two things whilst driving at night: Drunks and big critters. I'm not in such a big hurry to get my car screwed up by either.

We finally arrive in Del Rio about 7:30pm and locate the La Quinta. The front desk clerk was very nice and accommodating, give us our keys, and we proceeded to unload the car of all the suitcases, camera gear, dog stuff, etc. This is where the regret and understanding begins. I walk to the bathroom and immediately slip on the slick tile floor and almost busted my ass. The bottom of my shoes were soaked because all the carpet around the bathroom area, as well as along the back wall of our room, is absolutely soaked. It's water, but from where? It was also wet around the commode. I went to the front desk and they offered to put us in another room, but we had crap all over the room and didn't feel like packing it all up again, so we went back and put towels all over the place and will have to watch where we step for the rest of our stay. The clerk stated she would give me points towards my frequent stay account and apologized profusely. La Quinta is one of my favorite places to stay, but not this one. What a dump. I assure you I will be notifying their HQ about this place.

At this point, we head out looking for dinner, and Rudy's BBQ sounded great, and it was close by. They gave us a sample of their different meats, and the brisket and turkey were both amazing. I went with the turkey, and Lawrence had a pulled pork sandwich. The food was very good, and their prices are reasonable. I saved some turkey for the dog...It's her favorite. I try not to spoil her, but it's too late.

Oh, remember me talking about why she stays in her kennel? She used to love to stick her head out the window and sniff the air. A few months ago we were driving around and I accidentally rolled the rear window up and trapped her head in the window. She was traumatized, no doubt, and has refused to get anywhere near one of the windows since. Poor baby. We now call the car the "Puppy Eating Honda". She doesn't think it's funny.

Today we drove 357 miles, and it only took a little over 3/4 of a tank to get to Del Rio from Houston. That's about $16 in gas expense. I love my Honda.

As for tomorrow, we have no certain destination or schedule. I also have no idea where we will stay tomorrow night. Big Bend National Park? Marathon? Alpine? Marfa? We're on vacation, so wherever the road leads us, that will be our destination. It'll be a surprise.

Colorado/New Mexico Vacation - 2015

Day 9 - Saturday, October 3rd

This was departure day for everyone to head home, and most of the gang met early for breakfast. I declined and slept-in for a bit. I'm not really a morning and/or breakfast person anyway. I had plans for lunch in another city along the way and wanted to save room.

I got all cleaned up, packed, and loaded the car, then began saying goodbye to everyone. We had a great time together, made some new friends, and we all look forward to our next Chama adventure. I'm not actually sure I'll go next year though. This is the first time I've done this annual trek two years in a row, so I might skip a year so as to keep it fresh.

Driving north out of Chama I passed that day's double-header steam train. That means there are two engines on the front, which they do on weekends when there are larger crowds and more passenger cars. The small steam engines can only pull so much up a mountain, so longer trains means more steam engines. They have actually run triple-headers before, and that would be so cool so see!

Over the mountain passes I go, the highest being 10,300 feet, and make my way into Antonito, CO. I stopped and took some pictures, then proceeded north to Alamosa, CO, which is where I had my planned lunch. Three years ago I was there and discovered this excellent Italian restaurant called the Rialto, which was actually the name of the old movie theatre it is housed in. Although the piped-in old Italian music was cheesy and unnecessary, the food was excellent. I enjoyed a pasta dish with shrimp, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms, all in a delightful cream sauce. Yummy!

I headed east on Highway 160 from there through the open plains to later arrive in Walsenburg, CO and the entrance to I-25 north towards Denver. I passed through Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and eventually into Denver. It all took about 6 hours with lunch, photo and potty stops. I'm staying at my friend's apartment while they are out of town. I started some laundry and took what was supposed to be a brief nap. I woke up two hours later! I guess I was more tired than I thought. It was dark outside, and I was ready for dinner. Luckily, the place I've been wanting to go to is only about 6 miles from the apartment, and that's Helga's German Restaurant, which is where we tried to go last weekend, but Octoberfest was in full swing and I wasn't going to wait two hours. Surprisingly, being a Saturday evening, I had no wait and sat right down. I ordered the Rouladen, which is a rolled-up beef dish, along with spätzle and red cabbage.

Back to the apartment I go to fold laundry and get ready to fly back to Houston tomorrow from DIA. With that being said, this will be my final entry for this trip as tomorrow is just a travel day. If anything unusual happens that is newsworthy, I might make a brief entry, but don't count on it. I look forward to getting home as I have missed everyone a lot.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments about my daily posts. I enjoy doing this not only because of the necessity of it (my very bad memory), but to hopefully give you something different to read and enjoy as well.

So far, no more trips planned for the rest of the year, but that could change. Lawrence and I and the dog may just take a long weekend and go somewhere. That means more stories to write!

See ya next time.....

Colorado/New Mexico Vacation - 2015

Day 8 - Friday, October 2nd

Today was the denouement of my vacation this week as our group rode the amazing Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad here in Chama, NM. This group has certainly grown over the years from when it started well over 20 years ago. Our passenger count was 34 today. The group chartered our own parlor car on the rear of the train, and includes our own car attendant who serves snacks, sodas, and yes, alcohol. It's all included in the price which is $200 per person. We also receive gifts from the railroad in ways of insulated beverage canisters, embroidered tote bags, and a lapel pin.

The railroad runs their narrow gauge steam trains between Chama, NM and Antonito, CO. Each day a train departs from both ends at 10am and meets in the middle of the line where they serve a delicious hot lunch to all passengers and crew members, again all being included in the price. We left Chama by bus at 8:30am and met the train at the other end about an hour later. It was a smooth train ride and fun was had by all. The scenery was spectacular of course with the aspens changing colors in the cool weather. Speaking of weather, it was inclement as rain was forecast today, and we certainly got it. It actually hailed on us, but we were safe and dry inside.

We arrived back in Chama just after 4pm, and we all went back to the motel and relaxed a bit before heading to dinner at the popular steak house across the street. We walked over at 6:30pm and the staff was totally inundated not only with our group, but two others at the same time. They eventually got our dinner out to us and we all enjoyed it. I had the ribeye steak.

After dinner we all waddled back to the motel where I was approached by the innkeeper, Chester. He wanted to go to the local casino about 30 minutes away and wanted me to go with him. Sure, why not! I actually doubled my money at one point, but of course gave it all back and then some for a total loss of about $75.

Tomorrow I'll have a chance to sleep-in a bit as I am driving to Denver and have all day to get there. It's about a 5-hour drive. I'm staying at Christopher and Rob's place again tomorrow night, although they won't be there. They are on vacation in Louisiana for a few days, but they gave me a key and I'll just make myself at home.

I just hope the rain goes away. I don't like driving unfamiliar mountain roads in the rain!

Colorado/New Mexico Vacation - 2015

Day 7 - Thursday, October 1st

I had a rough night last night. There wasn't a room for me at the inn, so I had to share a room with friends. There were 4 of us in there, and I got the roll-away. As you can imagine, it was lumpy and somewhat uncomfortable. They got up at 6am to go ride the train, and I went back to sleep after they left.

I met one of our group for breakfast at 8am, and we were designated as the ride back to Chama for the group riding the train, which is a one-way trip. We chased the train through the mountains and got a lot of great pictures of not only the train, but the beautiful scenery. The Aspen trees were ablaze with bright reds, oranges and yellows, and the steam train winding through it all was spectacular.

About a third of the way through the trip, the train was having air problems and kept stopping. After about 10 times of this, we decided to go to the end of the line and wait for them. They were supposed to arrive at 3pm. They got there a little after 7pm. We sat there for almost five hours with nowhere to go, and nothing to do. We went to the cafe next door for a sandwich then went to the car and took a nap. I haven't been that bored in a long time. While we were chasing the train, we went over two mountain passes, each one a little over 10,000 feet. In the lower elevations it was in the 80's. On the passes it was in the 50's. I'm not used to temperature changes like that. I was constantly putting my jacket on and back off again throughout the day. As I'm writing this, it's already in the 40's outside.

After we all got back to home base in Chama, and after more of our group drove in from all over the country, we now have well over 30 people gathered. The Thursday night before the big train ride day is always pizza night. A dozen pizzas, salad, lemon bars and other desserts, and plenty of alcohol flowing, it was a party in full swing. Being that we all have to get up early for breakfast and to ride the train, we broke it up kinda early so we will be rested and ready for the trip tomorrow. I stayed up late catching up with my good and long time friend Bob Krieger as we are sharing a room together. So many stories, so little time.

Tomorrow's forecast doesn't look good. Highs in the 60's and a 50% chance of rain will make for a messy train ride, but I'm here with a lot of great friends, so let it rain!

Colorado/New Mexico Vacation - 2015

Day 6 - Wednesday, September 30th

I slept in a little as I only had to drive about 2 hours to Chama today. I got all packed and loaded the car, went and got a late breakfast, filled up the car, and then headed about 4 miles south to a local church that was recommended to visit. It's called San Francisco de Asis and was built in 1772. That's 4 years before we were our own country! Another reminder of how old everything is in this area.

As I was headed out of town I crossed the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, which is about 1000 feet above the river. I took a bunch of pictures and then continued on my way. It was a lovely drive up through the mountains until I reached Chama about 1pm. All my friends I am meeting here were out chasing trains, so I did some laundry, took a nap, then headed to Subway for a late lunch.

The inn we always stay at is owned by a wonderful couple named Starla and Chester. They live here on the premises, and we all met in their attached home about 6:30pm. Starla cooked a delicious dinner of Indonesian egg rolls called Lumpia, Cole slaw, white rice, cantaloupe, and for dessert, lemon bars. Some people reading this will be familiar with the term Lumpia, as this is what they call their same rolled delights in Guam. Starla told me the name originates from the Dutch that occupied Borneo for 500 years. Starla lived and worked in Borneo many years ago.

After dinner we all just sat around and told war stories, caught up on each other's lives, dove into politics a bit, and then called it a night. Tomorrow we don't have any special plans and we'll just see what happens as the day progresses. We might go chase the steam train a bit...always fun.

Colorado/New Mexico Vacation - 2015

Day 5 - Tuesday, September 29th

I am not a morning person, but I had no problem getting up at 7am to start my day as I was meeting a new friend who was going to tell me all about Taos, New Mexico.

It all started when I drove through this town last year driving up from Albuquerque to Chama for our annual train ride. It was amazing and beautiful and different from any place I had seen before. I knew right then I would come back for an extended stay, and today was that day.

Through my sister and a couple of different groups I am a part of on Facebook, I ran across this gentleman named John Hoyt. I found out he was from Houston, now lived in Taos, and we have a lot of mutual interests. We met for breakfast this morning at the same place I ate dinner at last night. I had no idea what he looked like except for a couple of pictures on Facebook, but somehow I knew it was him when he walked in the front door. We shook hands, said hello, and the whirlwind day started from that moment. I was thinking he would give me a few suggestions on places to visit, trails to hike, etc. then be on his way. He didn't give me any suggestions...we jumped into his Honda CR-V and he drove me all over town to see all the beautiful homes owned by famous artists, novelists and movie stars. He showed me art galleries, old hotels and shops, and everything this town had to offer. We then headed up into the mountains to places he likes to hike, river gorges that are vast and amazing, and wide-open expanses where you can see for miles. I was snapping pictures all day!

Taos is very old, and dates back thousands of years to the original Indian settlers nestled at the base of the mountains. There are no cookie-cutter homes in straight-line neighborhoods here. No building is over two stories high, and all buildings, be it a home or business, has to be fashioned in an original Adobe style. The city is very strict as to what materials you can use, and what colors can be painted. The homes here give no indication as to what economic level the residents are at. Rich people can live next to not-so-rich people, and you can't tell the difference driving by. The size may be a bit larger or smaller, but the look is all the same for the most part. Coming from a big city, and seeing big cities all over the world with their big gated communities with every house in a straight line and looking so different, this town has none of that, and that's why I have quickly become attracted to this beautiful place.

We stopped at John's residence for a quick break and I met his lovely wife, and his best friend, Buddy the dog. Buddy is 13 years old and was moving a little slow with arthritis, but he's very sweet and took to me right away. He was laying in the yard and I was scratching his chest and around his ears, and massaging his joints where he had arthritis. His eyes closed with relaxation, then he lifted his head and gave me a big kiss right on my hand. I was hooked, and I am proud to say I'm now a F.O.B. - Friend of Buddy.

After our whirlwind tour of the area, John brought me back to town and I took a nap and got a shower. We did a lot of walking so I was tired, and I wore a big sweatshirt all day since it was about 50 degrees when I left this morning, and it got pretty warm later in the day, so I definitely needed that shower.

John and I coordinated again to meet for dinner at a great local Italian restaurant. The service was good and the food was excellent, and we talked about his living in Houston and elsewhere throughout his life. He's quite the storyteller, and is a wealth of knowledge on the history of Taos. He loves this town, and it shows. He just beams when he speaks of this place.

Afterwards, we walked to the original town square and got some ice cream, then continued to walk around looking into some of the shops and galleries, and ended up at the Adobe Inn, which had a live band playing in the front lobby and bar area, and the locals come and have drinks and listen. There is never a cover charge, so it's very popular. It started to rain slightly during our walk and it turned chilly, but that just added to the incredible ending of an amazing day.

I couldn't thank John enough for everything he did for me, and we had a wonderful day together. I consider him a new and valued friend, and I look forward to coming back next year for another visit.

Colorado/New Mexico Vacation - 2015

Day 4 - Monday, September 28th

Unlike the past few days of sleeping in, that's not the case today. I had a train to catch!

After cleaning up, packing and loading the car, and grabbing a bit of breakfast at the hotel, I was off to ride the Royal Gorge Train, which by namesake rolls through the Royal Gorge Canyon along the Arkansas River out of Canon City, Colorado. It only goes about 12 miles, then reverses and heads back. It takes two hours for the entire journey.

I always ride in the open-air car so I can take good pictures and enjoy the view. Other passengers sit the entire journey in their coach seat, while others pay a lot more and ride in the full length dome dining cars and have a full gourmet meal served to them at their table, all freshly prepared onboard in each car's own kitchen. The frustrating part of that is while in the open-air car, we can smell the delicious food being cooked from the car in front of us!

The weather was beautiful with temps in the low 70's and blue skies, and it's always windy in the gorge. We encountered a number of white water rafters plying their skills along the way, and some decided to "moon" the train. Everyone got a kick out of it.

After we got back to the depot, I immediately headed out of town and began driving to Taos, New Mexico, which is about 300 miles and almost 5 hours away. I was winding through the mountains cutting through tight canyons on winding roads and stopped in Salida, CO to grab a burger at Sonic. The girl at the drive-thru speaker was absolutely clueless of what she was supposed to do. She would take an order at the speaker, the car would move up, they would pay and drive off, and THEN she would take the next car's order. There's room for four cars to stack up, but nooooo....one at a time. She's an idiot.

In this town, I also ran across one of the many marijuana retail stores along my route. Looks like any other business...big sign out front, everyone welcome, come on in, etc. With me working in law enforcement, it's just really strange to see that.

After my mountain driving, I eventually ended up in a huge open plain of very flat land as I headed south. There was a mountain range to my left (the one I just went through), and another to my right. The air was so clear and the ground so flat, I could see mountains 100 miles away in front of me. Really amazing. This is the third time I've driven this route, and I love it every time.

I passed through Alamosa and Antonito, Colorado, and soon crossed the border into New Mexico. 45 minutes later I pull into Taos and look for my hotel, another Super 8. Driving through Taos is interesting. It's very "artsy" and cool and hip. Lots of craft stores, art galleries, pottery stores, and of course the beautiful mountains in which this city lies at the base of. I checked into the hotel and immediately notice the hallways to the rooms are painted red on one side, yellow on the other, with a weird color of orange and brown carpet. I affectionately call the look "Early Mexican Brothel". Thankfully, the rooms are normal with white walls and decent decor.

I had dinner at a restaurant about a mile from the hotel called El Taoseno, as recommended by a friend. Although it sounds like a Mexican restaurant, and they indeed did have Mexican food, they also had chicken fried steak, burgers, chicken sandwiches, etc. I had the hamburger steak with onions and gravy, corn, mashed potatoes, and a side salad. Very delicious, and inexpensive. My kinda place! I'm meeting a new friend I met on Facebook at the same place tomorrow morning for breakfast, then we're going for a hike and doing some looking around. My new friend is from Houston, and he and his wife retired to Taos, and has the same outlook on politics as I do, so the conversation should be fun. We've never met in person, but I look forward to doing so, and meeting his dog Buddy of which he posts daily updates as to Buddy's daily hikes and romps in the river.

If I'm lucky, I'll become a FOB.....Friend of Buddy.