Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico – 8/2011 – Day 8

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This morning we hiked at Tent Rocks…as you can see from the photos it was amazing!  From Wikipedia:

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, located 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico was established as a U.S. National Monument by President Bill Clinton in January 2001.

The area owes its remarkable geology to layers of volcanic rock and ash deposited by a volcanic explosion. Over time, weathering and erosion of these layers has created canyons and tent rocks. The tent rocks themselves are cones of soft pumice and tuff beneath harder caprocks.

A 1.2 mile (1.9 km) recreation trail leads up through a slot canyon to a lookout point where the tent rocks may be viewed from above. A 1.3 mile (2 km) loop trail leads past their base.

 

Always look up…

 

It reminded me some of Cappadocia in Turkey.  There they call them the fairy chimneys…

I love hiking in beautiful places…it’s one of my most favorite things to do!  We went back to our rental to shower and made a healthy lunch of fish, broccoli and salad.

Next on the agenda…Cowgirl Bar & Grill in Santa Fe for a margarita and some chips/salsa.  Kathy’s friend…Chris…met us there.

We wanted to dance…so we checked out Evangilo’s, but the band hadn’t started yet.  We ended up at La Fonda’s again and the band Soulman Sam was playing.  It was so much fun…great band!

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico – 8/2011 – Day 6

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We got a late start today…left the rental at 9:45am…had breakfast in Santa Fe at the Zia Diner…nice place…good food!  We parked in the free public parking lot situated about 4 blocks away from the “plaza”.  The native Indians sell their jewelry/pottery under the portal of the Palace of the Governors Museum.  Since I’ve adopted the mind-set of “Collect Experiences…Not Things”, I was a good girl and only bought a shirt and some essential oil lotion on the trip!

This is the oldest house in Santa Fe…we took about 5 minutes and walked through it.

I went into this Cathedral…

There are some outdoor statutes and galleries around the plaza area…

This is the work of Bill Worrell…

a local artist that my traveling companion, Kathy, is friends with.  They are his signature “Shamans”!

We were invited to John Farnsworth’s house/studio.  We met online through my blog, which I think is pretty cool!  He’s also a local artist, who has a great spirit and personality!  His home was located only about 5 minutes from where we were staying.

That evening we went dancing at La Fonda…I wasn’t feeling great…probably the drinks in Durango the night before…and the altitude!

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico – 8/2011 – Day 7

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We went to the Santa Clara Corn Festival today.  The Indians from that particular Pueblo dress in their traditional garb and do dances.  There is drumming and it is a spiritual occasion.  It was a hot day and I didn’t have an umbrella…so I baked a bit.  We were there for about 5 1/2 hours…whew!  You’re not allowed to take photos…in fact I witnessed the security guards taking away a couple of the attendees cameras.  Kathy had met one of the Indian women who invited us to have lunch, so we located her home and enjoyed dining with them.

Photo courtesy of New Mexico Magazine

After cleaning up at the rental from the hot and dusty day, we walked along Canyon Drive, where all of the upscale art galleries are and enjoyed the variety of creativity that is alive in Santa Fe.  You’re not allowed to take photos inside…so I took them of the outdoor works of art…

As we were walking from gallery to gallery…something beautiful to look at everywhere…I looked up at this tree and found more beauty!

That evening we went to the famous outdoor “Santa Fe Opera“.  We had standing room tickets, but since they didn’t sell out, they let us sit down.  The backdrop of the setting sun was gorgeous.  This particular opera, “Wozzeck”,  wasn’t very good…but I enjoyed it anyway!

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico – 8/2011 – Day 5

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We left our rental near Durango, Colorado about 9:30am to drive to Santa Fe.  Along the way we saw some stunning scenery…

The route we took was through Pagosa Springs…Chama…Abiquiu and the photo below is of Chimney Rock.

We stopped at “Ghost Ranch“…

We arrived at our VRBO…which was another great deal…$59.00 per night with great views…

This was in the backyard…

I understand why so many artists live in Santa Fe now…

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico 8/2011 – Day 4

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If you are ever in Durango, go to the Durango Diner for breakfast…the portions are huge and the food is great!  We had eggs, hash browns, and split blueberry pancakes…delicious!  We needed energy for hiking Smelter Mountain, which is located right in Durango.  It’s not a long hike, but it is rather steep…

You’re rewarded with a nice view of Durango!

We showered afterwards and then did some girly things…Kathy had a hair appointment, so I got my nails done and then we looked through shops!

We enjoyed the Balcony Bar and Grill so much, we went back for $2.50 Fish Tacos, good live music, and more strong drinks!

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico 8/2011 – Day 3

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This morning I made us an omelet, 12-grain toast, strawberries, blueberries and banana for breakfast.  We drove 1 1/2 hrs. to the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I was driving and after we paid the $15 entrance fee, there was another somewhat “scary” mountain road to traverse before arriving at the top where the Park was located.

We waited in line for about 30 minutes for tickets to the Cliff Palace and then went to the Museum for a 20 minute video about the Park.  We then toured Spruce Tree House.  This is the walk down to it…

After eating our picnic lunch, we were ready for the 1:30pm tour of Cliff Palace.  It almost looks like a miniature reproduction…

The tour guide was very friendly and made the tour interesting…

We had to climb some ladders…

We got back to Durango at 4pm…explored the town some…ran into Oprah…(not really)…

This is a Hummingbird Moth…at first I thought it was a Hummingbird!

We had dinner at Francisco’s, which was very good.  Next stop was the Balcony Bar & Grill, where there was live music and very strong drinks!  We had a long island, which we nicknamed “After Mesa..Got Verde Wasta”.    This is the duo…it looks like she’s naked, but she’s not!

It was another great day!!

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico 8/2011 – Day 2

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We got out of bed about 6am…had a leisurely cup of coffee and breakfast…then drove a few miles towards Silverton, Colorado to the Molas Trail, which is part of the Colorado Trail.  It was recommended by the couples we met at our Resort.  We hiked part of the 8 mile round trip trail that descends to the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Train.

After hiking, we drove the 20 something miles (1 hour drive time) to Silverton on the million dollar, mountain road.  Kathy did the driving…because for some reason (probably a combination of factors…caffeine and altitude) I was very jumpy and nervous.  The town of Silverton is cute…

We had lunch at the Brown Bear Cafe, which was recommended by a local.  It was tasty!

We drove back towards Durango and stopped at the other Molas trail…across the highway from the first one…and hiked for another 1 1/2 hrs.  There were a lot of wild flowers…It was a beautiful day and hike!

Feeling invigorated and filled with the love of nature, we drove back to our VRBO and made a fresh grilled fish and vegetable ke-bob dinner.  Life is good!

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico 8-2011 – Day 1

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My friend Kathy, from a hiking club through Meetup.com, picked me up from the Albuquerque airport.  She had been in New Mexico for a couple of weeks with another friend who left the day before I arrived.  She usually comes to Santa Fe every year.  She’s a school teacher and this is her escape from reality.  We were spending four nights in Durango, Colorado, five nights in Santa Fe, and the last evening in Albuquerque, where we would fly home to Ohio from.  We set off for the 4 1/2 hr. drive to Durango and stopped at the Aztec Ruins National Monument.  The Indians prefer that we refer to them as “ancestral grounds” rather than ruins.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and dates back to the 11th century!

 

This shaft of light coming through the ceiling was cool!  A tourist was throwing sand into the path of it, as you can see in the second photo below…

 

After leaving there, we drove on to Durango.  The drive was nice…the skies were blue and the rock formations varied in colors of pink, salmon, beige and brown.  We stopped at the grocery and then arrived at our VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner) in the Cascade Village Resort, located 30 minutes north of Durango.  We got a great deal…$55 per night!  I made us a drink with Vodka and Mango Martini mix…so we named it the “Durango Mango…I want to Tango” martini.  While sitting on the patio soaking up the clean pine sky, we met some neighbors and spent an hour or two talking.  Two lovely couples – Craig, Steve, Sandy and Kay.  They gave us a tour of their beautiful condos.

It was a great start to our trip!

I’ve been to Colorado and New Mexico, snow-skiing, but never in the summer and not to these areas…so I was looking forward to the trip!

 

 

Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 8

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A friend that I met a couple of years ago on a trip to Egypt met us for breakfast.  Up until a few months ago, she had traveled the world for a few years…stopping occasionally for a month or two somewhere that she enjoyed.  It was nice to see her.

I had booked a 4 1/2 hour bicycle tour of Vancouver through Cycle City Tours for the afternoon.  Originally, I couldn’t decide if we should just rent bicycles or spend more than double the cost to have a tour.  I’m so glad we did the tour.  There is no way we would have known where to go, even with the extensive research that I typically do.  This company was rated #1 by Trip Advisor.  We walked a mile or two along the sea wall to the bicycle shop.

Palm Trees in Vancouver??

Dan, with Cycle City Tours, was a knowledgeable and personable guy who led us on a wonderful tour that included Stanley Park (a 1,000 acre rain forest), Gastown, Chinatown, the Convention Center, and Granville Island.

We took a 30 minute break on Granville Island…so we decided to do a beer tasting!

If you’ve ever been to Pike Place Market in Washington…Granville Island is much bigger and nicer!

  

This wooden sculpture was somewhere along the bicycle tour…

We stopped at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.

Gastown was named after “Gassy Jack“.  You can read all about him here.

this was also in Gastown…the cobblestones and architecture reminds me of Europe.

Artwork at The Convention Center…

The trip was wonderful…if you haven’t been to the Pacific Northwest…I highly recommend going!  Have a wonderful day!

Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 7

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After a yummy breakfast at Rocky Bay Cafe, we boarded the ferry at Friday Harbor, San Juan Island for the 1 hour ferry trip back to Anacortes.  We picked up our car and drove a couple of hours to Vancouver.  We only had a 5 minute wait at the border crossing.  Since it was too early to check-in, we drove on to Squamish…about an hours drive North of Vancouver…towards Whistler, on the lovely Sea-to-Sky Hwy.

We ate lunch in Squamish…notice the reflection of the mountains in the glass.

….then drove to our condo in Vancouver.  The owner of the VRBO in Seattle recommended this place to us and it was in a superb location…on Beach Street…across from Granville Island.  It was a bit noisy for sleeping because they don’t have air conditioning and when you leave a window open…

After checking in, we boarded an Aquabus for a 30 min. Tour of False Creek.

I recommend dining at The Sandbar, where we had dinner.  This is the view from the restaurant.

It was cool to lie in bed at night and gaze out at the City lights through the floor to ceiling windows!

Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 6

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We drove 1 1/2 hours from Seattle to the Anacortes ferry, where we parked our car and walked onto the ferry for the hour-long ride over to the San Juan Island.  I had reserved a room at the Earthbox Hotel for 1 night after our whale watching adventure.  The ferry arrived in Friday Harbor…

where we disembarked and walked 2 blocks to the hotel.  We explored the town after having lunch at the Downrigger restaurant on the water.

I chose the Western Prince for the whale watching and decided to book the 14 person expedition on a Zodiac boat.  It was amazing.  At one point, the whale named “Mike” came within 20 feet of our boat.

The feeling it invokes is one of wondrous excitement.  Our guide said we had good whale “karma”.

My photos didn’t come out as good as I had hoped, because I decided not to take my good camera, for fear it may get splashed.

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Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 5

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Today was our lay low…chill at the house…do laundry…drink Pina Coladas and watch boat traffic day.   While walking on the beach at low tide, I was able to get within 50 feet from this eagle.

The house is the one above the beach house on stilts.

This was the sitting area below the house.

Another wonderful day!

Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 4

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Although we hadn’t planned on going to Olympic National Park, it turned out to be the highlight of the entire trip for me.  It was another 13 hour day.  We drove 40 minutes from Seattle to catch the Edmonds/Kingston ferry, where we drove our car on.  The ferry ride over took about 20 minutes.  After driving a couple of hours, our first stop was the beautiful Crescent Lake, where we had lunch at the Lodge. The blues are so brilliant!

From there we made our way to the Hurricane Ridge Road entrance to Olympic National Park.  It was a windy road with scary cliff drop offs, but so worth it!  We hiked the 3 mile round trip, Hurricane Hill trail.  I have hiked at some amazing places, but this is my favorite hike.

I felt like I was in the Alps.  The fresh pine scent intermingled with the fragrant wild flowers, along with the truly spectacular views was amazing!

Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 3

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Today was a 13 hr. day.  I decided to drive the full loop (rather than just drive to Paradise…by way of the Nisqually entrance) around Mt. Rainier.  Some of the drive was on windy roads with steep drop-offs.  Our first stop was Sunrise, on the Northern side of the mountain.  It was in your face rugged beauty.

Next we drove to Silver Falls, a short hike to a beautiful water fall.

We ate our packed lunch and stopped at Reflection Lake next.

From there it was a short drive to Paradise, where we wanted to hike.  The trails were shut down due to late snowfall, so we drove to Longmire and hiked the 5 mile Rampart Ridge trail, which took about 2 1/2 hrs.

Notice the bee on the flower…

We didn’t see any bears…but some cute deer!

Just outside of the National Park we found the Copper Creek Inn for dinner.  The food was good and the yuppy rustic ambiance was cool!

Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 2

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If you want to keep costs down and get some exercise when visiting downtown Seattle, park at Amgen Co.  There is a free public lot right next to the sea wall.  It’s about a 40 minute walk to Pike Place Market.  We got an early start and arrived to the market around 8:15am, as the vendors were setting up.

I got a photo of the “famous” fish throwing guys!  The guy next to me threw the fish to the guy on the right.

The monorail was fun to take over to the Space Needle.  Since it was a cloudy day…I didn’t want to go to the top.

This is a large art piece near the bottom of the Space Needle.

On the walk back to the car…I took photos at the Olympic Sculpture Park.

This is a metal tree…

It ended up being a $7.50 day…purchase of donuts at the market and the monorail charge!

We grilled steaks back at the house for lunch and took a nap.  Discovery Park is only a 10 minute drive from the house, so we took a nice 2 mile walk on the trails.

I was told this is a weather Doppler radar.