Spent our first day driving to Flagstaff where we stayed the night. Stopped outside Kayenta at the Anasazi Inn for dinner; great beef stew and fry bread. Left Flagstaff early Sunday then headed south through Sedona. Beautiful but the town is like Breckenridge in the desert. A bit too touristy for us. Quirky though; McDonald's has understated turquoise arches on the side of the building--no gigantic golden arches.
Kept on trekkin' to check out Prescott where the Down the Road folks own a home. Found a cool little mining town named Jerome along the way; amazing how the homes are stacked on the mountain. Got to Prescott and did a short hike up Thumb Butte. Saw our first tarantula in the wild since Costa Rica. Nice views of the valley from just below the butte. Be sure to stop at the Taj Mahal Indian restaurant (1781 State Rte 69 Ste 33) in Prescott. Highly recommend the mixed tandoori grill.
Met up with the St. Louis' clan just outside of Tucson. We stumbled upon Catalina State Park which has a really nice network of trails past saguaro and tree cholla. Spent a couple days hanging out and enjoying running around in shorts. Warm nights there; didn't even need a hat.
Bid the St. Louis' and Tucson adieu on Wednesday and headed south through Tombstone and Bisbee on the way to Las Cruces, NM. Make sure you eat in Bisbee; there's not much in the way of dining between Bisbee-Douglas-Deming.
Had a nice Thanksgiving at Mom Sue's with family and friends Thursday. Did some exploration of pit houses northwest of town on Friday and found broken points, turquoise, and pottery shards. Left mid-morning on Saturday bound for Taos. Hit the Albuquerque Costco for staples (no tax on food in ABQ). If you stop in Socorro, there's a nice SW cafe named Sofias next to Taco Bell; great green chile!
Got to Taos too late to sightsee so caught a late dinner at Tequila's and crashed at Quality Inn. Woke up to a chilly morn and frost on the car. Drove around Taos but not much was open on a Sunday morning. Took a nice walk on the west side of the Rio Grande with the dogs and then toured an earthship. Very cool concept; hope to stay at either Helio house or Phoenix next time we get to Taos.
Took a new route home through San Luis, CO, and west to Alamosa. Windy but blue skies all the way to Buena Vista. All in all a good trip and confirmation that we really love living in Colorado!
