Day Five

I got up at six and went for a run by the river.
































Then Dan and I packed our bags and had coffee at a riverside coffee house we enjoyed last year when we were in Pagosa Springs. We finalized our plans for the day over coffee, then went back to the hotel, checked out, and got on the road.















It was a lovely clear morning, and we watched the landscape change as we headed south, back into New Mexico.

























































Our first stop was Azteca, where we toured some ruins.















They were originally thought to be Aztec ruins, hence the name, but are now considered to be more closely related to the dwellers of Chaco Canyon.
































In fact, for anyone interested in Chaco Canyon but without a lot of time, Azteca is a great option. It’s easy to get to, architecturally similar to Chaco, and you can wrap up your visit in an hour.

Chaco, on the other hand, is well over an hour from any decent-size town, and once you’re off the highway, you have another eight miles of paved road and thirteen of rough unpaved road that will ruin your suspension if you take it too fast. You need time and commitment to do Chaco.





























It’s worth it, though. Completely and totally.















Chaco has numerous pueblos and they're all simply amazing.



























































































Some of the best views are from the cliff tops.









































































After hiking for a few hours, we had a picnic lunch and watched our new bunny friend.

































We had thought about camping, but Dan wasn't feeling up to par, so we decided to head into town.





























It took us three hours over more dirt roads that cows wandered across as casually as if they lived there. Oh, wait—they do. I got a little nervous as night came and we were still on dirt roads with no signage, no lights, no signs of other humans anywhere, but finally we made it onto paved roads again and then to Grants.

The Holiday Inn Express in Grants is quite nice—much better than I would’ve expected for a town this size. Tomorrow we’re considering ice caves, an old volcano, and a wolf sanctuary. We may also go to Pie Town. Tomorrow night or Friday at the latest, we’ll be checking in with my Dad near Belen for a couple days. It’ll be nice to see him. I hope I haven’t completely ruined his birthday present in the back of the Jeep.

Day Four

I got up at six and went for a run around the area. The part along the river was best, with the steam rising up from the hot springs along the trail. After I finished my run, I got some coffee, then went back to our room. We had to head out by 8:00 and to Dan’s surprise, I was ready with time to spare.

Well, duh. We were going horseback riding, not to the opera.

We had only a twenty mile drive ahead of it, but much of it was on dirt roads, so it took about half an hour. We weren’t complaining because it was a beautiful sunny morning, and we were driving through country so stunning it was enough to piss a person off.





























No way. This is impossible. Quit looking like a postcard, dammit!















We found our outfitter and got to meet the horses. I was on a black horse who actually behaved himself for me. I don't know why horses think I'm a pushover, but I get really tired of having to fight an animal. Blackie was a gem, though, and only misbehaved twice, both times my fault because I got complacent late in the ride and thought he wouldn't get up to anything. He reminded me very quickly. I can hardly blame him for the dandelion incident, though. They looked so good, I would've swiped a few myself, if I thought no one was paying attention.





























Our trail ride was along wooded mountain trails leading to an ice cave. Since the trails were muddy from all the recent rain, we had to go slow. This suited me fine, though. In previous years we’ve gone riding in Cerrillos near Santa Fe, and I find cantering a horse through the rocky arroyos a bad way to check out the local scenery.

Here in the mountains of Colorado, there was plenty to see.





























We rode for two hours, checked out the outpost and its shop cat…
































...then decided to go see a waterfall. Because of the dark clouds that had moved in, we decided to drive as close as we could and hike the rest of the way up. We saw some deer along the way.





























In spite of our best efforts, we got caught out in the rain. It didn’t matter though. I think we got wetter standing in the spray from the waterfall.
































Upon our return, Dan made a lunch of some of last night’s pasta and I went for a massage and a soak in the mineral waters. It was very relaxing. Then, since Dan was napping, I did a little writing and had a snack.

When Dan got up, we went to the Laundromat across the street and washed our clothes. There was a through-hiker there, doing his laundry in his long johns. Pagosa Springs seems to attract a lot of through-hikers and I’d like to know more about why that is. I have a blog-friend currently hiking the Appalachian Trail and the more I read about her experiences, the more curious I am about the hiking culture.

But I digress. Now that we had clean clothes, we could go have dinner. So as not to have to bother with getting dressed up and driving, we went to a Mexican place on the water and I had a veggie burrito. Then it was back in the hot springs for a final dip.

Dan wants to be on the road at 8:00 tomorrow, so I don’t think I’ll have time for another soak. Tomorrow’s destination is Chaco Canyon, but we don’t know what we’ll be doing for accommodations. They’ve had their camping area closed for awhile now, and we aren’t familiar with the area, except we know there’s not much. But if you have a tent, you can sleep anywhere, so we’re not worried. We’ll figure something out. If there's no Day Five post, it's because we're sleeping under the stars somewhere.

I’ll miss Pagosa Springs.

Day Three

I got up at six and went for a run on the plaza and around the narrow streets of Old Town. I finished up just as tourists and vendors were starting to show up, and went back to my room to get ready for breakfast.

Here are some more of the little room details I love about La Fonda.


































While we waited to be seated at the Plaza Café, Dan bought a newspaper. It was pretty brief, with only two news sections—one in English, the other in Spanish. Since I can read comfortably in either language, I took the Spanish section, he took the English and we were both happy. We were even happier when we got a booth and were able to order coffee and eggs scrambled with nopalitos. Very few restaurants back home cook with prickly pear, so it was a nice treat.

We got on the road after lunch, heading north. It was sunny at first.






















































































But as on previous days, we eventually ran into dark clouds, then rain.
































The rain started clearing at about the time we started unloading the Jeep, and by the time we were settled in, the rain had passed and we went for a walk by the river.

















We saw some kayakers navigating the rough waters and taking pictures of each other.















And we made a friend.






























Dan was pretty wiped after yet another day on the road, so while he went to sit in the steam room and take a nap, I went for a short run around town. Then we had massages, which I badly needed, and we went for dinner at a nice little Mediterranean place we found last year.

I spent some time soaking in the mineral waters after dinner, and decided to call it a day. It’ll be an early night. We’re going horseback riding in the morning. Hopefully it won’t rain again.

Day Two

After a workout and breakfast, Dan and I were on the road by 8:00. It took us just over an hour to get out of Texas, into New Mexico. Finally! Of course, crossing the state line didn’t mean the landscape changed much. We were still in the Llano Estacado—plains so devoid of landmarks that you have to make your own. When we got to Tatum, we got out to stretch our legs and use a restroom. I got a couple pictures of local buildings.

































We reached Roswell at noon, but drove on through and made a lunch of crackers and goat cheese in the car.

Although the day had been mostly sunny up to this point, as we kept on toward the north, we encountered storm clouds.














And rain.














We reached Santa Fe at 2:00, in a hail storm, with temps dropping from the high sixties down to fifty before the rain stopped and things began to warm up again. We got checked into La Fonda, which is a hotel we’ve stayed at before and love for its history.


















































We checked out the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, something neither of us had ever done, which was an odd lapse in our New Mexico experience.



































Then we browsed the shops and street vendors. We didn’t have much interest in shopping, since everything is overpriced and we’re both experienced enough to know where to get better deals. But the people-watching is often a good time. I love places where people of all walks of life can hang out and simply enjoy life. We saw the usual foreign tourists, street kids hanging out on the plaza, hippies, and natives selling jewelry outside the old governor’s palace. We met a trans person who we thought made a very ugly woman, but since she likely was an even uglier man, it was all for the best. And we were given this pamphlet by a civic-minded individual standing outside a jewelry store:


















In spite of the impending end of the world, I was not tempted to buy overpriced jewelry or art at the local shops, although I found a dress I may end up getting. Then, since there was a musical event going on at the plaza, we went and hung out there for awhile, where we listened to a mariachi band…















…and watched some young flamenco dancers.















I managed to get a picture of this sweet couple and their dogs enjoying the entertainment.


















Finally we went back to the hotel and had dinner. I hadn’t realized until then that I was hungry! Afterwards, we walked the nighttime streets and walked the labyrinth outside of St Francis’s in the rain.

It is still raining off and on. I'm hoping it will be clear in the morning so I can go for a run. I can use the fitness center downstairs if I must, but I kind of have my heart set on a run around the plaza.

Tomorrow we go to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It's only about 150 miles. After covering nearly 1,000 miles in two days, 150 is child's play. I'm looking forward to a good long soak in the hot springs!

Day One

I got up at 6:30 and went for a short run, then Dan and I finished packing, loaded the Cherokee, and corralled the critters. They were none too happy about being taken to the vet spa, but it gives us peace of mind to know that they’re in good hands.

Our first goal was Buc-ee’s in Luling, Texas.














For those who aren’t from around these parts, Buc-ee’s is a cleverly marketed upscale gas and convenience store. They draw you in with their clever billboards reminiscent of Burma-Shave signs, then deliver everything they promise and more.














Their 32 gas pumps and huge restrooms with attendants on hand would make Buc-ee’s a must, even without their store. But the store is something else again. Fresh pastries, fudge, jerky, honeyed pecans, salsa, sweet potato butter, and peach preserves await. You can get a hot sandwich made to order. You can get travel gadgets for your car, tooled-leather purses, gift items, and of course Buc-cee’s t-shirts and caps. It’s quite a place. Best of all, even though the place was crowded, they had enough cashiers on duty that there was no waiting for checkout. Dan got some teriyaki jerky and a cup of coffee, and I got some pecans.


















Once on the other side of San Antonio we ran into heavy rain.















It lightened up near Kerrville when we stopped at our favorite rest stop.
































We continued on through rain, sometimes heavy, sometimes clearing, as the land grew flatter.















We passed a wind farm. We had seen others in prior years, but this one is new.





























We had wanted to stay in San Angelo, but when I tried to make a reservation last week, I found everything booked. We booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express in Big Spring but forgot to write down directions how to get there. I guess I should say that it wasn’t a complete oversight. I had the silly notion that a town so small would be a hard place to hide a Holiday Inn. I was mistaken. Part of the problem was the directions we got from Dan’s BlackBerry, which gave us a convoluted series of turns that completely failed to lead us to a hotel.

“Trust Google Maps,” Dan assured me.

I trusted. Then we found ourselves in a high school stadium parking lot and I suggested we try something else.

In an effort to prove that men do, in fact, ask directions, Dan asked a passing stranger how to get to the address for our hotel. The man had holes in his jeans, stains on his shirt, and breath I could smell from six feet away, and he gave directions just as confusing as those we got from Google. We followed those directions for a bit, finally ending up in a neighborhood where the houses hadn’t seen paint since the Johnson administration and were only standing upright due to orneriness. We retraced our path back to the main drag, went to a gas station and asked the attendant. He told us to just keep going up the road we had come in on and we couldn’t miss it. And you know what? He was right.

Screw Google Maps.

We got checked in, brought our stuff up to our room, then I went to the little gym on the first floor and did another thirty minute run. It felt good to sweat and get my blood moving after spending all day in the car. Then I had dinner in my room. Anticipating that there would be nothing I’d want to eat in Big Spring, I had brought along a pasta salad from Central Market and some homemade cashew butter granola bars. Very nice and just like home.

Today we drove 520 miles. We go to Santa Fe tomorrow, another 415 or so. We’re going to try to leave around 7 so we’ll get there with enough time to hang out on the plaza for a bit. We have a room booked at La Fonda, our first time to stay there since our honeymoon thirteen years ago.

Check back tomorrow night for more adventures! And if my adventures are too tame for you, Maelstrom is on tour, so check out what they’re up to.