Tue 25 Sep to Thu 27 Sep Santa Fe

TUESDAY SEP 25 ALB to SANTA FE (via the Turquoise Trail)

We tried breakfast at a place called RANGE Cafe….turned out to be an excellent choice. Earl had the “Kitchen Sink” omelet (3 eggs folded over a heap of ham, tomatoes, onions, avocado, and cheese), country fries, and warm homemade raisin bran muffin (not at all like the typical sawdust-tasting variety) while Opal had “Home on the Range”… hot oatmeal with walnuts and fresh strawberries topped with cinnamon ice cream! It was a feeble attempt to eat healthy…. but we knew everything tasted too yummy to be good for us.

Our route took us on the hundreds of years old Turquoise Trail . . .thru desert high country scenery with whimsical (read hippie, weird, etc) sights and little villages along the way; and Cerrillos, a neat old mining “sort of ghost town” where the old Western “Young Guns”
was filmed. We spent quite a bit of time in a mining general store full of rocks and crystals (we both remarked that Glenn would be filling his bags there), bottles, horse shoes, arrowheads, and all manner of Indian and cowboy/mining ‘stuff’. Opal had to shishi but when she overheard the outhouse was around the corner at the end and then towards the back, she suddenly lost the urge. I waited til I found a modern facility (outhouse) myself. After driving around a bit it turns out there were quite a few people still living in the “ghost” town, or is it that they were ghosts?) Then we happened upon a “What Not Antique Shop”….I told Opal she should go in there while I ambled around taking photos outside. Before long she bolted out and jumped in the car…saying the “shop” was full of junks, dusty and stinky with a creepy guy (or an ugly lady) sitting in the back!

After arriving at our motel in Old Town Santa Fe, we were off on a walk to the state capitol just a few blocks away. It is truly a beautiful building with marble interior walls and an impressive rotunda. There were four floors with the halls full of paintings and sculptures as well as artwork by school children. Opal was particularly taken by a sculpture of a bison
made from recycled materials like plastic spoons, magnetic tape and newspaper. The governors office (didn’t see Bill as he was on the Presidential campaign trail) had its own art gallery and was totally beautiful with wood, carpeting and the ever present marble. The first lady also had her own large office area. Both the Senate and the House had their own art galleries. We peeked into the committee hearing rooms which were actually very nice. The whole effect was in stark contrast to ours.

We then walked up to the Plaza for a quick look and then on to an Italian place (Il Piatto Cucina Italiana) Opal picked for dinner – turned out to be an excellent choice. We shared a bowl of squash and pistachio bisque…it was beyond good! I had Pork Chop Milanese with rosemary and garlic whipped potatoes, grilled eggplant and yellow pepper coulis; Opal had spaghetti aglio olio with fresh mushrooms, and garlic and Parmigianino toasted foccaccia on the side. The pasta was perfecto with just the right amount of fire from the garlic and chili, and the foccaccia was more than a step above the garlic bread that we are normally accustomed to having. We made the mistake of looking at the dessert menu and ended up having cannoli…two dark chocolate coated rolls filled with sweet cheese. Not as good as the soup and entrees tho, but maybe it was because we were so full!

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 SANTA FEW

We slept in and awoke to a beautiful day that we planned to spend looking around in the shops at Old Town. But first had rolls and coffee at the café next door, and on the way to Old Town, we stopped at the Chapel of Loretto to see the “Miracle Stairs” that it is famous for. Opal was fascinated by the beautiful staircase and the story of its construction. The stairway is a winding spiral of 33 steps that makes two complete 360 degree turns without a central support pole. It was put together only with wooden pegs.

As the story goes, the chapel was built without stairs connecting the upper choir loft to the chapel floor and the nuns were not keen on climbing up and down a ladder. All the local carpenters who were called in to look at the situation took measurements and agreed that there was not enough space to build a staircase without taking up significant seating space in the chapel. One day, a gray haired carpenter came by on his donkey and asked if he might try building the stairway that the sisters needed. Using only a hammer, a saw and a T-square, he built the staircase in a period of about 6 months. After it was finished, he disappeared without being paid. No one knows where he got the wood as it is not of a variety that grows nearby. Architects say the staircase should have crashed as soon as someone stepped on it, yet it was used daily for a hundred years with little sign of wear. It’s truly a beautiful and remarkable piece of construction. Some have speculated that it was Joseph who came by to help the sisters of Loretto with their dilemma.

Santa Fe is known as New Mexico’s culinary capital and after tonight’s dinner, we are believers! You might not expect much from a place named Cowgirl Bar and Grill, especially as you walk into the courtyard with its uneven brick floor and big tree in the middle with a rustic Western décor. Yet you open the menu and see gourmet food on the menu along with the ribs, steaks, and hamburgers. The biggest surprise was that it tasted good! Opal ordered the butternut squash casserole…
.layers of sliced butternut squash, caramelized onions, jack cheese, topped with what looked like panko …that came with a “small” salad with cilantro vinaigrette. Wow, that was a winner! I had the double bratwurst platter….one “ Made for Man” brat consisting of buffalo, elk, venison and antelope and the other a traditional Beer brat (pork and beef) wrapped in tortilla,
served with spatzele and sauerkraut. We also had a side of yam French fries (getting addicted to those babies) that they served with a delicious honey-and-walnut mayo. We should have stopped there, but were swayed by profiteroles on the dessert menu. Those are usually small cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with hot chocolate, but what we got were two puffs, each cut in half with a scoop of ice cream and whipped cream in between, smothered with thick hot fudge. We could hardly breathe after eating all that!

THURSDAY, Sept. 27 SANTA FE

Another leisurely start (read: up late) and then breakfast at another one of Santa Fe’s best…Café Pasqual….offering organic and “healthy” choices….a delight for Opal, but the lack of diet Cola took a little wind out of my sails. However, there was no denying that the food was good despite the fact that it was of the healthy genre. I had whole wheat pancakes with 2 scrambled eggs and 3 slices of Apple wood bacon. (BTW, those free range chickens must lay small eggs, judging by the amount that I had on my plate) Opal had a Portobello sandwich with organic field greens on the side.

We spent the day spent looking at the churches
and wandering in and out of neat shops with all their neat art around the Plaza (Old Town) and wearing out our plastic cards on little treasures that we found.

After two nights of gourmet dining, we decided to go light tonight and so we headed to Upper Crust Pizza….allegedly Santa Fe’s best pizza place…and practically next door to our motel. We decided to order the “make your own calzone” (like a pizza turnover)…had chicken with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes, white cheddar and mozzarella cheese….ono!

Then it was time for Opal and Earl to get some sleep

Saturday 22 Sep (Sedona to Alb)

We awoke to overcast skies and the threat of rain. By 9 we were eating breakfast at the best place in town . . . at least according to the local paper. http://www.10best.com/Sedona/Restaurants/Breakfast;Brunch/Coffee_Pot_Restaurant_Sedona_AZ_BID_61423/index.html And it WAS good! We shared a 3-egg chili con carne/onion/avocado/cheese omelet which came with a warm, fluffy biscuit (so ono!) and also had a short stack of buckwheat pancakes. We finished the omelet but not the pancakes. Everything was delicious including the coffee (Colombian) which was superb! As we drove north to pick up I-40 to Albuquerque it started to rain and get more and more cloudy – behind us by about 30 miles there was a fast moving thunderstorm but it lost strength and didn’t catch us. Along the way we stopped at Winslow AZ and took some pictures – of course, standing on the corner!
Later we went thru the Petrified Forest National Park.
The different hues of the mineralized logs that became petrified wood were beautiful. The rest of the way to Albuquerque was uneventful – except for all the trucks flying by at 75+ (the speed limit is 75 on most parts of the freeway) and my trying to keep up with them – it was like a race course! We had dinner at the Route 66 Diner. It was a good introduction to New Mexican cuisine. Opal tried their trademark “Pile Up”….a pile of deep fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, bits of ham, diced green chile (in NM spelled chili and/or chile if the former it refers to chili con carne, the latter to red and/or green chile)(you can order either green or/red or your foods, if both it’s called Christmas) … and cheese, all covered with red and green chile sauce. We asked the waitress if the red sauce was hot…she shook her head “no” …but we should have known better than to trust the standards of a New Mexican because it was hot! In fact, both our choices set our tongues on fire. Earl had a green chile stew burger, which was exactly what it sounds like….an open-faced burger covered with green chile stew…it was also hot ===tho good. To cool off, we had the blueberry pie that they are known for, and a “teeny weeny hot fudge sundae.” The pie was yummy with an almost paper thin crust, and the sundae was exactly as described on the menu…served in one of those plastic cups they give you at Costco when you get free samples. It hit the spot! Note: chili is chili con carne, chile is the green and/or red chile's - if you want both, you merely say christmas

Sunday 23 Sep

Off to Old Town and Church’s Café (rated#1) for delicious traditional Mexican food (read == cooked with lots of lard)…..afterwards it is easy to see that Opal is saying “nuff, already, put me in a wheel barrow”. Both the guacamole and salsa were freshly made….the best we’ve ever had. We shared a combo plate of chile relleno (green chile stuffed with meat and cheese), chicken enchilada, and a pulled pork tamale……the “plate” came with beans and squash cooked with corn. On the side, they served “sopaipillas” – Mexican deep fried bread which is eaten with honey. They were warm, puffy and chewy triangles of dough….too good to be healthy for you, but you just gotta try some. Afterwards we walked around the old town as a lightening/thunderstorm lurked overhead, every so often dumping some rain on us. All of the shops and restaurants are one of a kind, no chains and all of them are in old pueblo buildings that once comprised the area around the fort in old Albuquerque….very quaint and lots and lots of original stuff – art, handicrafts, etc, etc. After the first 2 hours we were able to walk upright and not roll around. Before long I started to eyeball the sugar free fudge at one of the shops. THE CANDY LADY not only had a great selection of candy but also had a XXX room only for customers 18 and over with lots of odd shaped pieces of candy that resembled the props for anatomy studies in reproduction.  Our last stop at Old Town was the Rattlesnake Museum –

lots and lots of snakes and spiders, many of them the same as I tried to get Opal to look for when we were driving in the desert at Sedona. The tarantulas were especially neat. We then left for any area where there were supposed to be hundreds and hundreds of prairie dogs – we saw two – seems we got there as they were taking their afternoon siestas. I then tried to convince Opal that it would be fun to visit a regional park where you can walk around the paths and as the sun sets one can hears the howls of the coyotes….but not to worry, they won’t bother you, just keep walking and don’t make eye contact – turns out we had no worries – Opal had us going to the Coronado Mall instead. After two native meals, Opal decided we needed a taste change, so the dutiful and serving spouse, good ol’ Earl, found the Orchid Thai restaurant and we enjoyed some red chicken curry, pad Thai with tofu, and silver noodle (long rice) salad. We didn’t eat everything…had to save room for fresh mango on sweetened sticky rice – absolutely wonderful even if we could barely eat half. Good thing we have a refrigerator in our room.

Monday 24 Sep

We finally got to try the Frontier Cafe (think of the very best local food place in Hawaii) - a legend in Alb. Opal had the breakfast burrito with shredded pork carne avocada (sp?). Earl had a very delicious Huevos Ranchero. The highlight tho, was what made them famous, their huge cinnamon roll, fresh and hot out of the oven - truly superb!!!!

After you park in their multi floor visitor parking, you find a building entrance for visitors, staffed by someone who greets you and responds to questions, etc. There are maps, brochures, info about their week long home coming, etc, etc. We were struck by how friendly they were. The appearance of the campus is "clean, green, with beautiful buildings, all in the pueblo sandstone motif, with lots of large leafy trees". The lawns and walkways were trimmed and immaculate. Such a contrast to UHM and our other campuses.

When we were parking a lady started honking at us as I backed about 1 foot and then forward to make the 'fit'. So I gave her my best evil eye and as she came around in front she asked Opal, why the staring, and i said, why the honking? She said "I almost ran into you" and I said, that would be terrible driving; so she says I should have signaled I represent Oregon so I should be careful....we have OR plates. I said I didn't represent OR. So she said, "I represent higher education, I'm a driver ed teacher; so, I can't resist having fun, so i says, more likely you represent the brooms! I guess she caught on because as she zoomed off she flipped us the bird. It made my day!

We spent the rest of the day at a mall out in Rio Rancho.....I bought 3 shirts and 3 pants, all Polo or similar at 75% off.......

Tomorrow we're off to Santa Fe on the Turquoise Road.....a route in use for over 600+ years by the Indians for trading.

FRI SEP 21 Flagstaff to Sedona

We got a good start and after a short drive thru the gorgeous Black Oak Creek Canyon we arrived in Sedona
http://www.sedonawebcam.com/
about 11am. Our room wasn't ready at The Matterhorn .....so we took a free shuttle around the area and then back to the "uptown" area where our motel is located. We had lunch at a place called ORCHARDS; we shared a pretty good Monte Cristo with sweet potato french fries....they were great. We wandered around the shops; back to the motel to move our stuff into the room, with the splendid views of the red rock grandeur of Sedona after a bit of organizing we got into the car to drive around the area and to some of the vortexes. http://www.sedona-spiritual-vacations.com/
I don't know if I'm healed or smarter or whatever, but if at all possible, Opal's tongue seems to have gotten sharper.

We went up on a mesa where the airport is located to see the view of Sedona....on the way passing a vortex....the view, by the way, was spectacular! After several hours of back roads and seemingly endless red rock vistas, we arrived at a chapel built into the rocks, . . . on the way back back to town I wanted us to get out and see if we could spot some snakes or tarantula's . . . her response makes me wonder why we got married. So I decided a more sublime, indirect approach to an adventure would work better . . . so i explained how we can get some black light flashlights and go out at night and the scorpions will glow as they scamper across the desert floor. Modesty and morality dictate that I not repeat her response.

So, I suggested dinner - after checking several places we ended up at a place called HOG WILD BBQ.....we shared ribs,
potato salad, baked beans and some applesauce. The ribs rival any we have had anywhere.

Back to the shops, the indian stuff, mystical stuff, rugs, etc, etc, and rocks ......every time I see rocks I'm tempted to buy some for Glenn so he can add to his collection. Sedona is also known for its crystals and bronze castings of people, horses and whimsical creations.

Under the links on the left side of the blog, you can see additional pictures at the 2007 SW Webshots site...just click the link.

Wed/Thu 19/20 SEP Williams to Flagstaff via GC

Note: Click LINKS to the left ... 2007 SW Blog ... for more pictures

Wed to the Grand Canyon

We had no connectivity from the Grand Canyon so tonight is a double dose of Opal and Earl, sorry about that. We again got a late start out of Williams, primarily due to a bed that Opal could not get comfy and insisted on sharing this information at various intervals during the night with Earl. We finally got to the Grand Canyon (about on time because Earl passed on breakfast) and found a place to park (not an easy task, much like Ala Moana Mall during Christmas rush). We then took the shuttle to see all the best view points on the west rim road all the way out to Hermits Point. The weather continues beautiful and much cooler at the canyon.

Back to El Tovar to register for our room in the Kachina Lodge. Unload the car (long walk from parking spot but you DO NOT take chance and move car) and sit back to relax - noticing it is about 3pm, Opal notes that this is also nap time,,,,Earl, being the loving and understanding spouse agrees.

The scenic grandeur of the canyon is beyond the normal expletives and the size, the scale, is hard to fathom as you keep staring, and oohing and ahhing. We saw a condor, many ravens
and hawks, squirrels, etc, but no larger mammals.

The day ended with dinner at the El Tovar. I enjoyed the chef's special, roasted pork loin
with cornbread dressing, sweet potato coulis, and green beans ( I left them for Opal). I also had some pretty good french onion soup. Opal had black bean soup that looked more like a bowl of chocolate frosting .... but it was quite good and had a distinct 'bite'. . . . . she also had a penne pasta (vegetarian). Afterwards, we hit the wall and didn't even want to hear the word dessert.

Thu to Flagstaff.
Opal again had a hard time sleeping on the bed and it was pretty much the same for me. . . . but not at the same times so between us, we kept waking each other up with tossing and turning. Opal said it was a combination of eating too much too late and a too soft bed. I made the mistake of telling her she could pick times and meals. So, for breakfast Opal had a vegetarian scramble and she ordered raisin bran for Earl. Earl immediately rescinded the rule about who picks the food, etc!

On the way out of the park to the Eastern entrance we saw the rest of the scenic viewpoints - we totally agreed that Lipan Point is the best.....you can see more of the canyon AND the river - you can actually see and a little bit hear the rapids 2-3000 feet down.

We then drove onto the Navajo reservation and shared a full order Navajo taco
at a trading post in Cameron AZ, Best non meat taco I've ever had, period. It is typical of the pueblo style cooking that makes use of lard (the indian flat bread is deep fried, but oooooo so onooooo). Between the two of us, we could not finish it.
Earl insisted we share the full taco and Opal insisted on the half order. Naturally the man won out and we had the full order and naturally it was not the right decision!

Then south to Flagstaff, arriving about 530 or so.....we should get a good nights sleep. It seems a bit chillier and we are about 7000' high (about the same as the GC).

Flagstaff is home to Northern Arizona University (about 19,000) which we hope to see tomorrow before we strike out for Sedona.

With that I am closing and heading off to bed.

TUE 18 SEP Las Vegas to Williams AZ

Opal tired herself out playing the 5 cent slots so she had to sleep in, til about 10. So we started from LV about 2 hours late and immediately hit a huge freeway jam, 30 min for about 3 miles. Needless to say, Earl was calm cool and lovingly patient all the time....especially when Opal was unable to use the map to figure out a 'go around' route.

Nevertheless we made it to Hoover Dam and after stopping for some pictures we continued down the road toward Kingman. This is a long, almost arrow straight south shot thru the desert. I tried to convince Opal we could probably find some snakes and/or tarantulas under some of the larger vegetation and/or cactus, but she seemed content to watch the scenery from semi closed eyes, showing no signs of enthusiasm for extra vehicular activity(ies).

In Kingman, she was quick to spot the Mr D'z Route 66 Diner
. We shared a frosted root beer float, some hot wings and a wonderful texmex cheeseburger with green chiles

and sweet potato fries......was very ono!

At Kingman we took Route 66, one of the longest remnants of good ol' 2 lane, genuine Route 66, for about 90 miles when it rejoins I40 at Seligman. Lots of ghost/run down/ gas stations, motels, etc, dot the highway. At one old semi ghost town called Hackberry we found two mules
living in a small corral .... the area was littered with cajillions of old signs, rusted cars, skulls of many animals, a toilet full of cacti, and an old old general store from the years when Route 66 provided the main way from Chicago to LA....and Opal said she thinks it still had remnants of futs from that long ago. I have to agree, was a bit "ripe". The owner was laying on a huge couch, his huge "old Yeller" dog on his legs and didn't move once for the time we and many other customers were there. The page I signed on the Guest Book was all German and French visitors....but I was from Hawaii and I noted that I had been there 50 years ago when 66 was still the only way to go.

After Hackberry we arrived in Seligman (pop 500) and after a short drive thru the town we got on the freeway and before we knew it we were in Williams where we are spending the night. This part of the drive was crowded with trucks and many of them seemed to be made of mirrors as the setting sun was behind us as we headed due east and the reflections were like laser blasts. Earl had to go very fast to get around such offensive behemoths.....even tho Opal was continuously providing alternative suggestions......Earl reminded her what King of the Road means!

17 Sep Las Vegas

We took a chance and went straight to the Orleans and we were able to get early check in - so, after the night on the plane from HNL we sort of crashed from about 9am until 1ish. Tomorrow the adventure starts. Oh yeah, we had a welcoming band
playing when "the retiree's coming marching in"......Opal, the whimsical gambler went directly to the machines (nickel ones), and blew a dollar....I'm going to have to keep her on a short leash!

Pre Southwest trip

Stella is packing and I'm trying to remember the blogging software....We catch the plane Sunday night for Vegas.