Weekend in Taos

 We had planned to spend some time in Taos with Stephen's parents during the Veterans Day long weekend, but sadly, they were unable to travel to NM.  We decided to make the best of the situation and stay at the LaFonda on the plaza for two nights, and to get tickets to the Taos Jazz Festival for Saturday.  

We walked around Taos, did some shopping, had fabulous meals, and visited the quirky but interesting Governor Bent Museum.

On Saturday, we went to the jazz festival and saw saxophonist/vocalist Grace Kelly.  What a performer!  She played, danced, sang, and had an amazing backup band as well.  Very entertaining!

Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the night with chills and a fever that ultimately proved to be covid, so we packed up early Sunday morning and went home, hopefully without spreading it to anyone else.  Except for Stephen, who tested positive a couple of days later, and was sicker (and for longer) than I.  That prompted my parents to cancel their planned Thanksgiving trip to NM, so instead of hosting all the parents in November, we hosted none of the parents, much to our dismay.  It's hard to believe that covid is still disrupting our lives after three and a half years. 

Anniversary Trip

For our 32nd anniversary we decided to rent an RV and explore a couple of small towns in Southern Colorado that we had passed through on our way to other destinations.  Stephen spent a good deal of time researching a campsite, as we didn't want to stay in one of those RV parks that look like a giant parking lot with no trees and campers lined up next to each other.  He found the perfect spot outside Colorado City, CO.  We had a private site in the woods, lovely views, and walking paths leading to cliffs, caves, a creek, and the local library, where I stopped each morning during my walk to connect to their open wi-fi.

On Saturday we went to Pueblo where we enjoyed the Riverwalk, had lunch at a fabulous restaurant, and went to the local History Museum.

On Sunday we decided to drive up into the mountains.  We were looking for a couple of ghost towns (we had explored several ghost towns in NM during the pandemic and became quite interested in them!) but the ghost town turned out to be just a sign.  However, there was spectacular scenery to enjoy the entire time, and we stumbled across the weirdest, most amazing place - Bishop's Castle, built entirely by one very eccentric man over 60 years.  

The ghost town of Rosita was quite anticlimactic after that, but here's the evidence that we found it: 

For more exciting ghost town photos, look at the blog posts from 20/21.

On Monday morning we packed up the RV and headed back to NM with a long stop in Trinity, CO.  We had lunch at the excellent vegan restaurant, Sita's Kitchen (highly recommended, even by the omnivore!), walked around the charming historic district, visited some antique stores and galleries, and perused a quaint used book store.

On our way home, we passed through a hail storm that had piled ice on the road and caused at least a dozen cars and a tractor trailer to crash.  Stephen navigated us safely through the danger zone and we were able to drop off the trailer and get home in time for a late supper and a relaxing evening.

Sedona, Oak Creek, Jerome, AZ with the O's

Our Excellent Adventure brought the four of us to Arizona for the Easter weekend. We ended up having a great trip, with flexibility, resourcefulness and good humor carrying us through some glitches in the plan.  The O's traveled from NY to NM by train for the second time.  They enjoyed the trip, although Amtrak delivered them to us 6 hours later than expected.  Several delays occurred, one of which allowed them to walk around the station in Dodge City, KS.

 

 

We had a leisurely breakfast the day after their late arrival, and took our time packing before leaving Albuquerque in the truck to head to Sedona.  Stephen had booked an air BnB house through a travel app, so I packed all the food we needed for breakfasts and a picnic lunch, and Mom and I brought our ukuleles and music.

We had a picturesque drive with a few stops, including this one for fuel:

Arriving at the air BnB house in good time to unpack before dinner, we were surprised to find that the code we were given for the front door didn't work.  We looked for the promised lock box, which was empty of the expected key.  I even walked around the house and tried the back door.  While we were trying to get in, an SUV pulled up and two young women asked if we needed help.  We explained that we were staying at this house but couldn't get in.  They said that THEY were staying at the house and had it booked for 2 more days!  And we discovered that another, older woman (perhaps their mom?) who spoke mostly Japanese, had been inside the house the whole time we were attempting to "break in!"  She must have been terrified.  At that point, Stephen and the women tried to contact the host, and a lot of confusion ensued.  Eventually, we got a refund, Stephen was able to secure 2 perfectly adequate motel rooms in nearby Oak Creek, and the incident was reported to the homeowner.  We never did find out what happened to cause the mixup, but the ladies at the house were more than gracious, we got a refund, and Stephen found us a place to stay.  However, our plans for making breakfasts and playing ukuleles had to be put aside.  Also, we spent so much time dealing with the house situation that we were hungry, no longer in Sedona, and the restaurants we had been considering were booked until at least 8 PM.  But while the men were checking into the motel (a much longer process than you would think, thanks to a problem with their credit card reader), Mom saw a sign across the street, "Now Open," which turned out to be a brand new, all-vegan, Asian-fusion restaurant!  We had a blast ordering a variety of things and sharing everything - something I don't usually get to experience.  

Breakfast was the next challenge, because of course we had expected to make our own breakfasts at the house.  Stephen found a perfect restaurant for Saturday, but we asked about Sunday (being Easter) and they were closed.  I ended up finding the one place in Oak Creek that was open on Easter Sunday.  It only offered coffee and pastries and it was SUPER crowded, but we stood in line while Dad held a table for us, they had a vegan option, and it gave me an excuse to have cake for breakfast.  So it all worked out. 

 

We started with a hike to experience the red rocks of Sedona on Saturday morning.  The weather was beautiful and the trail was not crowded.

 

 

After the hike we went to Jerome, a historic copper mining town perched precariously on the side of Cleopatra Hill near Flagstaff.  The mine closed in 1953 and Jerome became a ghost town, only to be revived as an artists' community with a population of 450 and a thriving tourist economy.  It was difficult to get a photo that captured the way the town clings to the steep mountainside.  We had a delicious lunch at the Clinkscale Hotel, then explored the museum at the local Historical Society.

Having explored Jerome, we headed down the mountain a short distance to visit the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town.  What a fascinating place!  With over 180 vintage trucks, cars, and other pieces of mechanical equipment, it was Stephen's happy place.  He could have stayed for days.  

That night, we met friends of Dad and Mom for dinner, and had a Hoosic Valley reunion of sorts.

On Sunday morning Mom and I walked the neighborhood near our motel before we all went to breakfast.

We drove home by a different scenic route, taking the blue highways, so to speak.  Since it was Easter Sunday, our plan for lunch was to find a spot for a picnic.  Instead of tailgating, we found tree stumps or spread our jackets on the ground.  Mom and Stephen and I walked a trail after lunch.  There was no one around and it was a beautiful warm day.

Our trip to Sedona included very little of Sedona, as it turned out, except for the famous red rocks.  But that's OK.  We discovered that Sedona is very commercial and crowded, and a little woo-woo for us.  If we had wanted to, we could have had our auras photographed, or had our chakras read!  And crystals... so many crystals.  It is a fascinating place.

We had one full day at home after our trip.  Mom and I played ukuleles and we went for a walk in the open space.

On Tuesday I had to go back to school, and Stephen took the O's to the train station for their 2 day ride back to Schenectady.  Fortunately, the trains ran on time for the return trip.  What a lot we packed into a short visit!