Santa Fe, NM

I'm falling behind on my blogging but I'm having a blast. Guess that's all that matters.

Today is the first day of summer and what a way to celebrate. Woke up in Denver this morning and had breakfast with my good friend Scott at Jack N Grill in Downtown Denver. Wonderful Chorizo Omelet with green chili sauce, beans and some amazing hashbrowns. I don't know what they did to those hashbrowns but the bar has officially been raised for a future entries.

After such a wonderful breakfast, I headed south on I-25 to Colorado Springs for a fill up. It's an incredibly beautiful place. The Air Force Academy is there and they have an amazing complex, at least the little bit you can see from the highway.

Continuing South on I-25, I stopping in Pueblo, CO. It's a huge town. Way bigger than I ever imagined. I was hoping to find that big Government Post Office that we've all seen on commercials or sent mail to in the past. No such luck. However, I did discover that it used to be an old steel mill town. Huge old steel mills are there. They didn't look operational but I never thought of CO as a steel mill state. You learn something every day.

Next stop and last stop in the State of Colorado, Trinidad. Their motto is "We saved the best for last". It's more like a big small town. This trip has taught me the value of WalMart. If you live in these little towns, you're very happy to have WalMart come to town. The prices aren't bad, they are open 24 hours and you can get just about anything you need at any time. Of course, they are still dirty, poor service, understaffed, but if this is your only choice, you're happy to have it.

About 10 miles south of Trinidad is Raton, NM. Another pit stop and then back on my journey. At this point I made a right turn, off the beaten path onto Hwy 64 and I do mean off the beaten path. The only other cars I saw for the first half hour were going the opposite direction. I went right by the National Rifle Association something or other. I guess it's where their members go to shoot. Who knows? Then through 6 miles of Boy Scout owned property. Maybe that's where they go for their jamborees. Continuing on through the Ute property and the State Park/National Forest. It was perfect in the Jeep. I was driving through the woods and could hear the call to go off-roading but was able to hold myself back. It was about 90F and the views were amazing. Photos will come soon.

About 1/2 way (2 hours in) I drove down the mountain (yes, switchbacks galore) and came out of the forest at Eagles Nest. A big lake area. It really felt like I was driving through the Santa Cruz mountains in CA. Forest then Lake area then more forest. Up and down the mountains. It was really a blast.

Another hour later, I ended up in Taos. What a fun, little touristy town. Everything is designed to look like Pueblo's and it's got that very ritzy feel to it. I guess that's why the rich and famous hang out there.

A quick stop in the town and then I need to head into Santa Fe for the evening. Yes, another hour (or more). A pretty easy drive and the complete antithesis to Taos. The little towns on the way to Santa Fe were definitely agriculture and gambling based economies. Many, many casinos so I'm assuming Indian Reservation land galore between the two towns. One of the cool things I did get to see on the last leg - The RIO GRANDE. Yep, it really exists and it's really a river and it has water running through it. I don't know how grande it is in comparison to others but put in context I can see how those who came upon it were humbled. I'd always heard it was dry, well not in New Mexico.

I think that's a good shot a catching everyone up to date. I'm turning in for the night and then heading into Texas in the morning. I've been covering about a state or 2 per day up until now. Texas is going to take 2 days because I'm covering it from Northern corner to Southern corner.

G'night.

S.

Good morning from Buffalo, WY. We chose a slightly different route than originally predicted but that's the whole point of an unstructured roadtrip, right?

We're hitting the road so I don't have much time to fill you in on all the stories but here is a link to the updated Google Map showing the original plan and the new route - so far.

I'll upload photos later. One cool part of this detour - we went through Little Big Horn and felt like quasi celebrities going by all the Custer stuff. More stories to come.

Day 1

The whole scoop on the trip so far. It's already an adventure.

4:00 pm PDT: Ronna met me at the office and we immediately had to take the top off the Jeep. How could we resist? We actually made really great time and were just chatting away. So much so that we blew right by our first intended stop - a coffee break in N. Bend. No worries. Made it all the way to Ellensburg instead. What a tiny pass through city that turned out to be.

In the first half hour, at 75 MPH, we found ourselves at the start of a big pile up because 3 cars chose to pull over. One on the right shoulder of the hwy, o

ne on the left and some dumbass woman IN the fast lane. Yes sir, you read that right. She was parked IN the fast lane. She looked shocked that people were slamming on their breaks and driving crazy to get around her. She even jumped in her car to move it. Duh. Good job, dip shit. I have very little tolerance for stupid. This one receives no break whatsoever.

A few miles up the road, a dude in a big red dualie decided that he wanted to share the space that I was using at that moment. Realizing that this guy had no clue of the Laws of Physics and couldn't comprehend that we could not possibly share the same space, I found the real use for the defensive driving class that Dominic and I went through. How could he miss a gigantic blue Wrangler on his right side? Was he even looking? Maybe he thought my big blue monster would look better with some red accents. Whatever his thought process, and I'm betting he didn't have one at the time, we didn't connect.

Outside of Vantage, WA, we stopped at the scenic point to snap photos of the Columbia River (thanks John) and the Wild Horse Monument. We ran into some very nice people and played tourist with them. They snapped our photos, we snapped theirs. They invited us to hike up to the monument with them. We thanked them for the invite, hopped back in the car and hit the road.

Along the way, somewhere around Moses Lake, a semi was honking to get our attention. I thought something was wrong. Ronna just laughed at me. He was just trying to get our attention. There is something about the Jeep that people really connect with. Even more so than the VW bug. Funny.

11:00 pm PDT: We ended the day in Couer D'Alene, ID. Grabbed a hotel room and some Taco Bell. Who needs fancy?

Today's time in the car: 7 hours.

Today's drive time: 5 hours.

A good balance of work and play.

(We'll upload photos soon. Technical difficulties.)

Tomorrow: Headed through Montana toward Yellowstone Park.

Ellensburg, WA

Greetings from Ellensburg, WA. We're about an hour into our adventure and we already have stories and photos. I'm on my cellphone right now, so I'll update with those gems later.

A potty break and a snack and we're back on the highway headed on to Spokane. Looking forward to a beer when we get wherever we're going.

Via handheld.

Pre-trip benefits

I'm not sure what is going on but I'm liking it. This trip has everyone around me buzzing. There's something about a road trip that speaks to the wild, independent American in all of us. No matter where I go, or who I bump into, people are excited to talk about road trips. Mine, theirs, past ones, future ones they want to take, future ones that they are dreaming of but will never take. It's just amazing. It's one of those few topics that makes us all the same in some way.

Tonight was just that... a moment when my neighbors and I bonded over road trip stories. I was passing out my cell phone number and giving them the low down on my trip. They were supplying theirs in return and promising to keep an eye on things while I'm gone. And then it happened, we started sharing stories. Funny stories, interesting stories. OMG, laugh out loud stories. Road trip stories. Strategies for what to eat on the road, where to stop and sleep, how to pace yourself. On and on. My cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much.

Now I have something to look forward to after the trip. When I get back, we're going to make plans to have drinks on someone's patio, and then someone elses and then someone elses. I volunteered to be first.

Proving once again... life is good.

Counting down to Friday

I'm getting so excited and feel so busy getting ready to hit the road. Good busy. Excited busy.

Mail is suspended. Most of the clothes are packed. One more load of laundry on Thursday night. Dishes are done. Garbage has been collected.

Where will I be next Tuesday night? Probably Sante Fe, NM or somewhere in that vicinity. Check in for photos and stories of where ever it might actually be.

Interesting day today. The magic is returning and it feels amazing. I knew I was missing it but never realized how much until now. I'm just thankful to have it back again. I never took it for granted before but will appreciate it even more now.

Three more days... and counting.

4 days and counting

Just 4 more days until the start of a very long and much needed vacation/road trip. My refrigerator is bare except for a few eggs, 1/2 a loaf of bread, 1/2 and 1/2 for my morning coffee and a dozen or so tortillas. Slim pickin's for sure but it's all part of the excitement for takeoff.

I've started packing and setting aside the things I'll need most - snacks, wine opener, reusable insulated coffee cups that fit in my cup holders. You know, the important stuff.

Today, I also had the essentials installed on the Jeep. Locking lug nuts, locking gas cap and trailer hitch. They gave it a once over for the trip and declared it road worthy. 5000+ miles in 16 days is nothing to sneeze at. Gotta make sure it's not going to be spent in a "Hitchhiker" movie remake.

Actually, my favorite movie reference so far has been to "Terminator" and Linda Hunt driving around in her Wrangler. I'd completely forgotten about that movie. A welcome reference. I'll take it. Maybe I'll meet some hot dude from the future who will father his own hero from the past. Or not.

So I'm cleaning up around the house, getting things all lined up and thinking about how cool it's going to be this time next week. I should be somewhere between Denver and Santa Fe next Monday evening. Check back and find out.

Crazy Week..

What a crazy week. Last weekend in California with friends. Then 3 days on the road, all over California.

This week will be all prep work for Friday's departure. Packing, finalizing trip details, making sure everything is covered on the home front while I'm gone. Lots of little stuff. Exciting.

17 Days and counting...

Just booked my sister's flight from Denver to Seattle on Monday June 21st. Don't know much about how this trip is going to unfold but I can guarantee you we will be at Denver Int'l by 6:30 am that day. Ronna says, "Look out, Thelma and Louise". I say, "I'm not driving my brand new Jeep off a cliff for you or anyone else."

Yes, it's all about me.

:)

Road Trip 2010 - 20 days to departure

20 days sounds so far away but there is actually a lot to be done before I hit the road. Mapping out the trip is more daunting than you would imagine. There are a lot of miles between here and Houston and lots of dead space between some of the stops along the way. I'm trying to leave ample time to sight see along the way but if I'm going to make it to Houston by Friday, there are a few days that look like 8 - 10 hours behind the wheel. I'm undaunted and getting more and more excited with every step.

The biggest question I get ... are you going to keep the hard top on your Jeep or put on the soft top instead? Funny question but a good one. I can't remove the hard top by myself and it has to stay home if it comes off. I'm sure it will work itself out between now and then.

I'll be finalizing the map soon and post a link for all to view and comment on. Love to hear your thoughts on must-see's along the way.

Update: Here is a link to Google My Maps.

Road Trip 2010 - The preparation

It's official. I'm headed out on the open road for 2 weeks in June. Destination: Houston, TX to see Justine for her 40th birthday celebration.

I'm working out the details including the route out and back. Very soon, I'll post a link to the route and start filling in the details and, of course, I'll be sure to post pictures and stories along the way.