Bitches Be Trippin

The bad news is that we didn't make it in time to see any museums in Albuquerque. We'll have to go in the morning. The good news is that the drive to our "Glamping Site" in Albuquerque was jaw dropping in its drama and beauty. One thing to know about Holbrook, is that they love their dinosaurs. And rocks. First jaw drop - gas under $3 a gallon The dinosaurs of Holberg Because genetics totally works that way IT'S A GOOD DINOSAUR, BRENT! First stop was Gallup, where it was pouring rain and lightning. Of course, by the time we finished lunch it was beautiful and lovely. The whole drive to Albuquerque was that way - brilliant sunshine, pouring rain, lightning, dramatic vistas, clouds pouring over the mesas - heck, we even saw wild horses. We have no pictures of them, because we were like: Gallup was a really cool place - it was like a Southwestern Sebastopol. With more trucks and jeeps.  Sucker for signage We stopped a...

Today we started at the crack of noon on our way to Holbrook, unremarkable except for the Wigwam Motel, which was our destination. To properly fuel, we went to the Circle K that was in the movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. "Sixty-nine, dudes!" I regret nothing After a healthy breakfast, which included what Frankie swears is the best apple turnover they've ever had (strange things afoot indeed), we hit the road.  We had a coffee stop at the Worlds Largest Kokopeli Thank fertility gods for Starbucks About an hour along, we were drawn in by the now defunct Twin Arrow trading post. You know by now I can't resist big things. Now home to graffiti and rot, it's still a fun but creepy place to explore. The highlight of the day for me was the meteor crater in Arizona. Ever since I was a child I wanted to see it, but somehow it never worked out.  Took half a century, but I finally made it. I'm glad I di...

Why might you ask, have we been checking the news feeds for "Las Vegas Bomb Scare?" Because we accidentally planted a explosive device in the casino. Before we left, I made a batch of kim chee with the intent of sharing it with the people we were staying with along the way. For those of you who aren't familiar with the stuff, it involves a very active fermentation of cabbage and other vegetables, to the point where it has to be burped daily or risk exploding the jar. It gets more active as it heats up. And the smell - fermenting garlic, cabbage, peppers creates this pungent odor - that can clear a room if you aren't careful. So we had a couple quarts in a cooler along with our luggage when we left our room in Las Vegas. We did not have the cooler when we looked in the car in boulder. So, somewhere in the El Cortez, is a ticking time bomb, or the fermentation devastation, as Frankie named it. Possibly the parking garage, getting warmer and warmer. Possi...

Yesterday we left Las Vegas, and to be fair, it wasn't a great hardship what with the smoke, and polo shirts, and flagrant abuse of fanny packs. While there are a lot of things to see, there are an equal amount of things to avoid. Things to see include this giant drivable swan that shoots flames and has a tuck and roll interior. Our goal for the day was Tempe, AZ, where we visited our friends Pam & Scott, and their family. Including two giant cats We stopped in Boulder at a diner for breakfast/lunch, where the waitresses were incredibly friendly, the food shockingly good, and the sign a masterpiece. I know! Gotta love roadside signage! The drive took us by the Boulder Hoover dam, so we had to stop and look. The dam really is a glorious tribute to the WPA. Not only did they build this massive public work, but then they decorate it with bronze statues, inlaid terrazzo depicting major features of the night sky, and a tribute to fallen workers. Local le...

A full day in Las Vegas and because I have no filters, what happens in Vegas will be plastered all over this corner of the internet. We actually started on schedule, hitting the streets and walking to the Mob Museum at 9am. It may surprise you to know that there are almost no people on the street at 9am. A veritable ghost town. Also, again, we started out looking for caffeine and found none. Really, what kind of place is this when you walk three blocks at 9am and there's not a single coffee shop? The museum is located in the old post office and courthouse, so it's an amazing building to begin with. Much of the original decoration, furniture, etc. remains and has been woven into the museum. It's a nice touch. No photo here, because I hadn't had coffee It was surprisingly interesting, and we had a long chat with one of the docents, who was into railroads, about the history of Las Vegas, railroads, energy efficient travel, water conservation - we were practicall...