Road Trip: October 6,7,8 2011

Dear husband,

This morning we open our eyes in yet another place we didn't plan to be.  Then again, we didn't plan to be a certain anywhere for this whole trip.  How did we find this place? We are in the grandest room we've stayed in all week and I think this was the first time we turned on a TV the entire trip.

I love that.

We spent the day mozying around Boulder...realizing we had no desire to live there.
Just not what we thought.
But we did stop in lululemon.  Duh.
We drove into Denver, past the Red Rocks, but we didn't get to go see it.  I couldn't believe that there was a highway right next to it.
And that highway had about an hour + of traffic to get to the amphitheater.

From Denver, we went south to Colorado Springs.  This is more our style- a town small enough to feel small, but big enough to feel big.  People were walking!  Can you believe it?!  They were WALKING from here to there!  And riding their bikes!

We left CO Springs to head toward home,  At this point, we were on a time schedule which would get completely thrown off later.  We drove through horrendous weather and finally rolled into Raton.

The Melody Inn Motel would be our home for the night. I didn't get a picture of the room, but think 1950 motel deluxe.  The best of the best in those days.  I can see families of 4 rolling up in their Bel Airs, parking right in front of their motel room door, dad gets out, looks around, puts his cigarette out, the kids run into the room to find state of the art wooden walls, vintage furniture, and oh...oh yes.

A steam shower.  The bathroom's shower could seal and switch to the "steam" feature.  There was a vintage vinyl graphic on the door of the shower that said something like STEAM - O - RAMA!!!

You were stoked.

The Melody Lane Motel turned out to be one of the cleanest motels I have ever been to, and was as close to a time machine as you can get.

The next morning we went for some coffee as Tim at Melody Lane has not mastered that part yet.  We checked out of our room (and while doing so I peaked in the door behind Tim at the desk and saw a very old lady sitting in a rocking chair in what appeared to be a bedroom.  Weird.) and found this beauty.

In a town like Raton, NM, you don't expect to find an espresso bar.  We threw the screen door open to find one barista and 2 blue-collar gentlemen at the bar.  One older man sat at a lone table in the back corner reading, and Enchanted Grounds made one of the best Americanos I've tasted.  We sort of got some of those "You're not from Raton" looks and made our way out.  We had a long drive ahead anyway.

And the rest of the trip was a blur.
Rolled into Amarillo to see Nanny

Dog bites Nanny, I take her to the ER, you go see Ian
Mexican food before we leave town
Late night drive to Dallas
in the rain
like...
torrential downpour.
Stop at 1am in Dallas to crash on Rhonda's floor
Wake up
drive home
in the rain
like...
torrential downpour.

And it seemed like I blinked and our trip was over.  I told you the entire time that it was the best trip of my life, but truly, it was the. best. trip. of. my. life.

I can't wait to do it again.
Maybe we'll drive the other way.
Or Maybe not.

Road Trip: October 5, 2011

Dear Husband,

This morning we woke up in a cabin-like room filled with western memorabilia.  At this point, we actually have no clue what this place looks like outside, or really where we are other than what the map told us.  We stumbled downstairs for breakfast and found 2 large wooden tables in the middle of a massive kitchen.  The kitchen connected to a cozy living room with the most beautiful leather furniture and glass doors that looked out over the mountains with nothing in-between.  I was still sort of rubbing my eyes and trying not to gawk at the view with my jaw open when my breakfast was put in front of me and sweet Gina asked how I would like my coffee.

Breakfast: eggs, tomato, and a yogurt parfait.  THE best parfait I've ever had.  A goat-milk yogurt parfait.  And it all comes from her backyard.

We chatted with a couple at the breakfast table who were from, what do you know, Austin, TX, and just in town to finalize buying their 2nd house there.  They used to live in Houston but decided they didn't want to raise their kids in a mosquito swamp.

After breakfast, everyone left except us and Gina asked if we wanted to help her feed to goats.
Duhsuperduh.

Gina moved from Seattle to Colorado because she was craving sunshine.
She just up and bought the bed and breakfast- she has actually never been to one before, and she and her man live on the first of 3 floors.
She taught herself how to make goat cheese, yogurt, the works, and she teaches classes in town.
She has chickens, dogs, and a llama who wants nothing to do with anyone.  He came with the place when she bought it.
She has the far out heart of a hippie, like me.
I want to be her.

When we left the B&B, we made our way up to the Oskar Blues brewery for a little rendezvous with THE CHAD HAGA!

No one warned me about the altitude.
And that was that.

Road Trip: October 4, 2011

Dear Husband,

This morning, we took a walk.

And we heard it coming.  You can hear it start to roll from the station about half a mile from our apartment.

I was a dork and waived at all of the passengers.

And just like that, we marked something off of my list from 2 years ago.

We didn't ride it, but it counts.

On our long walk back, we saw someone's backyard STUFFED full of apple trees.  Their entire property had apples on the ground.

You did what anyone would have.

We ate them straight off of the tree.  Best apples I've ever tasted.

Our apartment- the 2nd door on the lower level

The rest of our day was spent waiting around for Anthony to call with your bike cage, so we went and had a long lunch.

By 4 o'clock, we had not heard from him and needed to get on the road, but he called right then to tell us Mr. King Cage had forgotten and would have it ready soon.  We could pick it up at his house.

You = kid in candy store

Me = chopped liver

This dude is serious about bike cages.

But I guess I would be too if it was how I made my living

and by living I mean make me famous.
Someone in the front window waived us around to the back and we found ourselves making our way through Ron's backyard.  It was full of bikes.  Don't get any ideas.
And we found him in here.

 I totally dig everything about this man.
You told him "I would love to have a picture with you; you're sort of famous"
to which he replied "Yeah somehow that happened"
And yet he still makes everything himself or with the help of 1-2 friends
And people pay him in beer.  Literally, he had cases and cases of Colorado's best brews
And we left with your custom cage that fits your Salsa perfectly.

And we were on the road out of Durango, and we actually had no idea where we were going.
You drove me over Wolf Creek pass, and somewhere in there told me to shut up so you could drive followed with "Don't tell your mom we did this".
We couldn't see 10 feet in front of us, and it was snowing.  Lots of snow.  Lots of fog.
IT WAS SO GREAT!

And we found ourselves stopping in Salida, CO at a bed and breakfast that had one vacancy...we had no idea how awesome it would be in the morning.

Road Trip: October 3, 2011

Dear Husband,

We woke up later than normal this morning.  You made me coffee, and the next thing I knew, we had our faces smashed up against the front door watching the train leave right behind our apartment.  You promised we could watch it leave tomorrow morning, because you know how much I love that.  That’s my dad’s fault.  

Our first stop today was your favorite spot in Durango: Bread.

Bread is a bakery/ coffee shop where you spent your days off when you were a camp counselor here.  Naturally, bikes are scattered everywhere, and there's a niche that they have that I can't quite put my finger on.  It's a small space with a long counter up front leaving the rest of the bakery for everyone to see.  Hundreds of loaves of bread.  It. smelled. so. good.  We got 2 muffins and 2 coffees and sat at a picnic-style table next to the front door.  It was raining and cold, and we loved every second of it because back home in Houston, it was still hitting 100 degrees.


We drove around Durango and you showed me all of the best places in town before we parked on the main street and strolled up and down visiting each shop.  Every store had a store dog that greeted us at the door.

I promised you we could visit all of the bike shops in town today.


We walked in the first shop, and you immediately recognized someone.  About an hour later, Bob Roll had convinced us to sell everything we own, commit to poverty in exchange for happiness, and move our butts to Durango.  I'm still okay with this...what are you waiting for?

We visited a few other shops - one guy sells vintage bikes, one only mountain bikes, and you saved the best for last.  Durango Cyclery is a small house on a hill with lots of character.  I was so intrigued by the bikes with the fat tires...something like this I think.  I'm going to need one of those when we move.  Anthony was the guy inside and I have never seen someone wear a maroon mohawk better than him.  After chatting with him, we found out he was from Houston and couldn't stand the cycling, so he up and moved.


Sounds like someone I know.


He showed us around, told us his story, told me how he makes his mohawk stick up so high, and that's when you brought your bike inside.  We do not travel without bicycles.  It's a rule.  I think it's in our prenup.

You needed a custom bottle cage made, and Anthony knew just the place.  He called the King of bottle cages and said he would have one ready for you tomorrow.  


You were in love.  With Anthony.  And King Cages.  And Durango.  Basically everything but me at that point.  

We literally spent ALL. DAY. looking at bike shops...with a few book shops...and a reading by this author.  

You tried to buy this for me.

 

You have figured out that if you feed me what I like, I will do what you like x 100.  This proved true, somehow, when we met up with Chad a few days later, and did not work out in my favor.

We walked in the rain to the only theater in town and saw The Help- not as good as the book, the use, and on the way home we popped into some Irish bar for a beer.

Or 3.

And then there was this.

Road Trip: October 2, 2011 Part 3

Dear Husband,

I am starting to forget what day it is.  This is a good thing.  In Durango, you arranged for us to rent a basement apartment from a local couple off of Craigslist.  Maybe it’s my free spirit, maybe it’s because I know you pick the best places, but I’m never ever skeptical about these things.   Our digs for the next few days are just off of the main street.  We couldn't find it for the life of us!  When Ron came out waiving, we drove through a long gravel driveway to the back of the house. 

Ron, the man who owns the place, is a cowboy kind of guy.  His truck outside reads the name of his local business- something about asphalt repair.  I guess that answers our question about what do people do for a living here.  He wears worn boots and jeans that show the outline of his wallet in his pocket.  We walked down a staircase on the back of the house, and I could hear water rushing really close to us, but it was too dark to see anything.  Ron brought us down to the apartment and he and his 2 fat-as-all-get-out Boston Terriers showed us around.  We smiled as he demonstrated how to work the TVs with lengthy explanation.  The apartment is a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.  There are small iron heaters with wooden logs in each room.  So cozy.  So perfect.  You pick the best places.   

Ron left us saying we could stay an extra night, or 6 months if we want.  If he only knew how much we wanted to accept that offer!

After we unpacked, we walked about a mile to Steamworks Brewing Co. for dinner and drinks.  We had some of the best beer ever- you a kloch, and I had a Lizard Head Red.  They had a huge chalkboard with every beer listed, its alcohol content (PS I would need this at another brewery we visit), and about 10 other stats on each beer that made no sense to  me.  Let's be honest, I picked my beer like I pick my horses- the one with the best name.

We split pizza and salad and somehow we left the apartment without a camera.  We chatted with our waitress about life in our dream town- she and her husband have been in Durango for 10 years.  She doesn't look a day over 25.

On our walk home, we ran across a drunk man stumbling down the sidewalk.  We laughed.  Why did we laugh?!  We couldn't figure out how to get around him- he took up the whole sidelwalk, and you had the bright idea to sprint past him and run all the way home.  I followed laughing the whole way.   

 

You have bewitched my heart, Mr. Carroll.  This is the best trip of my life.

Road Trip: October 2, 2011 Part 2

Dear Husband,

You don't let me drive up here.  Every time I ask, you always say “It’s tough driving up here”.  I haven’t seen any wolverines jump across the road or any falling boulders.  No avalanches either, but I just smile because I know you actually just want me to read to you.   

When I was working at the church book store last month, a Goggle-esque woman strolled in to return 3 books to the library.  When I asked how she liked them, she told me she has been reading to her husband for 50 years whenever they drive somewhere.  He hates reading, like someone I know, and she found that he loves for her to read to him.  They finished those 3 books in 2 weeks.

I love that she was gracious enough to let us steal her tradition.

We chose Unbroken as our Road Trip book.  It lays out the life of an Olympic runner who was drafted into World War II.  I read it out loud to you, and just when I think you’re not listening, you shout “that’s insane!” and I love it so much.  It speaks to my bookworm heart.   

On the road from Santa Fe across the border of Colorado, we didn’t read as much- the views are too pretty to miss and I start to recognize pieces of this road.   

We drove this route every summer when I was a kid going from NM to Goggle’s house in Pagosa Springs.  I told you I thought we were coming up on a huge cave to the left, and sure enough, it showed up in the next few miles.  I was about 10 the last time I saw that, I think.  I can’t believe I remembered where that was.   

 We drove up as close as we could to the echo ampitheatre, but they make you pay to drive up to it now.  Pretty lame the way they take things and try to figure out how to make money off of it.  Gross.

When we crossed the border of Colorado/New Mexico, we couldn't wait to get out of the car.  So we did.

We rolled into Pagosa Springs around 5:00.  The sun was just tipping over the mountains and we could smell the sulfur springs.  On the main street, we saw the theatre I remember going to as a kid when we spent summer days at Goggle’s.   We passed the library I volunteered at, the golf course, and finally arrived at her house.  It looks the same, though they painted the entire thing a very dark chocolate brown.  

 

The people who bought it use it as a vacation home, so no one was there.  We walked around the back to the green of the 15^th hole where we took pictures of the back deck where I used to wait for my dad as he played through that hole.  I told you stories about the golf course, her back yard, and everything I remembered there.  I cried.  Duh.

From Pagosa, we were on our way to Durango.  Your favorite part.  The whole 50 miles there, we talked about the summer you spent working at Kanakuk in Durango, all of your favorite places, and where we would go when we got there.  It was the most incredible drive I have seen so far.  I have no words for it. 

Road Trip

 

More to come, I promise.

Aashi

I have 8 days to finish up raising money for the Houston Half Marathon/Relay that I will be running for Aashi!!!


Take a look here

and if you want to help me meet my goal of raising money and someday next year visiting her to tell her I ran for her, go here to donate.  There is also a link on the left sidebar.

Happy Friday :)

Road Trip: October 2, 2011 (part 1)

Devin Michael,

This morning, we woke up to a sunrise over the mountains with nothing else in sight.  I am baffled at how gorgeous it is.   

We made some coffee in our room with the coffee pot provided, bundled up (it’s chilly here- a much needed break from Houston’s disgusting heat), and plopped on the porch of our hut to watch the sun come up.  You snapped some pictures of the mountain behind us, and I watched the bright blue birds fly around the vibrant red, yellow, and white flowers scattered around the B&B.   

Amy, the owner of the Inn, walked past our room and waived.  Breakfast would be ready in an hour.  You and me, we had some good talks, including the one this morning.  We talked dreams, goals, plans, took deep breaths and headed to breakfast.  

Amy had the works ready- waffles, bacon, blue corn muffins (oh. my.), endless fruit and coffee.  She shared her secret waffle ingredient with you.  You can’t wait to try it. 

 

We sat outside with a view like no other and the sound of a fountain in the background.  One couple came out to snap some pictures- down from Cincinnati, they had driven 17 days from Albuquerque through all parts of Colorado, and they were on their way back.  They recommended we stop at a small town just off the border of Colorado with natural sulfur springs.  “The most beautiful town we’ve seen…Padagona something”.  We smiled big- they were talking about Pagosa Springs, and little did they know, we already had plans to stop there tonight to revisit some memories.

 

After breakfast, we packed up and checked out.  We don’t have many plans for the trip, but for today, we had a bit of a schedule.  We drove down to the plaza in Santa Fe, browsed the turquoise jewelry, fetish figures, and other artwork, and grabbed lunch at an authentic Italian café of all places.  I’m not sorry- that was the best cured beef Panini I have ever had in mah life.  You snapped pictures of me and we laughed so hard you started crying.  Don’t argue, I saw it.   

  

We grabbed some coffee for the road at a French bakery on the square and we were on the road to Colorado.