From a mile up

These posts seem to be getting longer and longer, but I'm really trying to keep it short and sweet. I can;t help that there are So Many Activities! In order to shave off some time, our route took us north through Oklahoma and west through Kansas. We got some postcards, as we would probably never come back, but at least it took us along semi major highways instead of back roads through Amarillo. We drove as long as we could. In Austin we stopped by a vitamin shoppe and got schooled on B12, multivitamins and probiotics, taking the healthier approach to staying awake the B12 got us through close to 2 am and to travel plaza a few miles short of the Kansas border. We utilized bungee cords and towels for makeshift privacy that reminded us of being 5 and throwing sheets and blanket over couches to make forts. The next morning we woke up to a couple frozen toes but a decent nights rest. The farms in the middle of this great country, with the exception of the 8,000 pound prairie dog and $2 postcards, were about as uneventful as they seem but this tacked on two additional states to our adventure. We made it into Denver around 4:30 pm and paid for our stay by helping our hosts move in some furniture that would eventually benefit us since a couch was part of the load. George, a corps member from my most recent year, and his roommate were our hosts and entertainment as they we pretty funny. George's family that lived near by had us over for pork chops, cabbage and some Green Planet education. We got to check out a local bar which was pretty empty but it had cheap drinks and it was close to homebase. The next day we stole Jesse and met up with Ethan, another AC flashback from year one who happened to be passing through town on his way to Tucson and day tripped to Lookout Mountain and Buffalo Bill's grave. Just west outside the city and into the foothills of the Rockies was a beautiful drive and on our way back we stopped at Red Rocks Park/ Ampitheatre. To say we just walked around wouldn't be fair. At 6,400 feet, 100 extra feet up will put a roadtripped, Austin food binging, resting heart rate into overload. But we made it, top to bottom and back up. By the time we were on our way back George was out of work and we decided dinner was a must. Since both George and Jesse were new transplants we all explored this new city together. We parked downtown and started hoofing it about the city. We came across a restaurant with “Food Network” and “ Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” painted on most of the windows. Sam's No. 3 turned out to be a pretty sweet stop for dinner. All of us had what we had been told was a Denver classic, a breakfast burrito, with eggy, chessy, potoatoey goodness as big as your head. Keeping up with staying as authentic to each city as possible, we took our togo boxes to a Denver original brewery, the Great Divide and made it just in time for their happy hour and brewery tour, both were favorable. We bought a couple six packs and headed back to the car before rush hour. Ethan came back out to play in the evening when we hit up another local bar, Stoney's around Capitol hill where we ended up loosing terribly in a couple games of cornhole, or bags as I like to call it. I got to drive George's car home, this is fun because it was a manual transmission and would make the most god awful noise when you put it into second, but George was asleep so he wouldn't have minded if the transmission fell out anyway. The next day we loaded up the car once more to head south to New Mexico but not before we detoured through the Garden of the Gods and saw the kissing camels and some rock climbers on top of a rock enjoying a picnic. Since our drive to our next post was a short one we took advantage of the natural wonders of the area. We stopped at a closed Seven Falls but found Helen Hunt's falls around the corner. Mantiou Springs was a cute touristy city we drove through before NM also, and although there were no springs, we got to drop off some more postcards. As far as weather is concerned, we have been pretty lucky. Even though Denver was a little overcast and it snowed our first morning, it was nothing a scarf and sweater couldn't handle. New Mexico was just as pleasant. Whether its the dry air or the night we spent in Hotel Corolla that readjusted our body's internal temps, but a scarf and long sleeves took us through most of the Southwest. Unfortunately it was dark by the time we got to Taos New Mexico but pulling up to “Hotel Pascual” we were still giddy at the sight of the pueblo that would keep us warm that night. Alysha's friend who had made Tampa his home for school then returned home to Taos. He took us out to the “local favorite” which was actually there catch phrase which made dinner an easy choice. There is something about a XX's, a chicken enchilada and sopapilla with honey that put a smile across my whole face. On the list of things I've noticed, right behind how Oregon Trail did not prepare me for how big the wild west is, is that the southwest keeps their food spicy. It's delicious don't get me wrong, but as the south appreciates their sauces the Southwest appreciates the food itself being spicy. Pascual, our accomodating host had the world's most awesome house. On a dirt road, lined with unmatched skinny wood rails and neighborhood dogs about, his house was adobe made with a decorative clay tile floor, rounded doorways and an upstair accessible by what resembles an attic ladder but that opened up to his patio in which you could see every single star in the sky. He lived next to his grandparents in a house his great grandfather used to live in and the street address was his very own last name. Taos as a city itself was incredibly self sustaining and rather preferred family owned and operated businesses. Pascual told us it was a habit that when commercial and chain business try to settle in the town gets involved in boycotting the big business and driving through the downtown their Christmas lights and family named store fronts are the proof, that a little town can survive.