I was very fortunate to be able to experience a Thanksgiving vacation trip to Albuquerque to spend the holiday weekend with my sisters and their families, as well as my youngest brother HBL who accompanied me on the trip along with his two daughters. This was the first time I have spent Thanksgiving with my two youngest sisters since they were teenagers back in 1983 or 1984, 24 or 25 years ago. My, how time does go by.
The trip started for me on Tuesday 25 November in late afternoon after finishing the day at work. After a therapeutic hot shower, the remaining packing, and loading up the White Knight, I headed out of Cheyenne towards Colorado, Denver, and inevitably Castle Rock, around 5pm and made the 135 mile door-to-door trip effortlessly with no hassles. I stopped at the Longmont exit (#240) on southbound I-25 around 6pm and got a couple of sandwiches from Arbys to carry me through the evening. I arrived in Castle Rock around 7:15pm and enjoyed the evening with my brother and his family before retiring around 11pm.
Wednesday was the main travel day south. We had hoped to get a reasonably early start, but with two small children to take into consideration, to accomplish that was difficult and next to impossible. After a slow start and a number of small obstacles to overcome, we finally got on the road about 1pm. HBL made a wise decision to have a worrisome tire on his van checked out and serviced before we left town which saved us a potential nightmare while on the highway. We stopped a few times for restroom breaks for the children, as well as for a pizza in Fountain, a small town just south of Colorado Springs. The pizza restaurant there is an ideal example of the kind of small business I would like to have some day. It was a simple basic operation with seating for about 75-100, a couple of big screen TVs, pinball and video games, and a kitchen operation that appeared straightforward. Some day I hope to come up with about $100k to just that: be my own boss and do something that is enjoyable in many ways. Someday...
We drove on through southern Colorado and stopped in Trinidad for a treat for the girls. Being tied down in their carseats for a even a relatively short trip like this is really tough for children that age and breaks are essential every hour or two to keep them in a favorable mindset. We popped into a McDonalds and got them an ice cream cone each. The weather all day was sunny and pretty warm with temps climbing into the mid to upper 60s all along The Front Range. But as soon as the sun slipped behind the mountains west of Trinidad, it cooled quickly. Trinidad is a quaint little town with a population of less than 10,000. Its downtown is quite historic and scenic, and I consider it the best old west downtown of all the communities along the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming, and is clearly superior to the overhyped favorite that many believe is Cheyenne. But the downtown and history of Cheyenne pales in comparison to Trinidad.
We continued south soon, crossing Raton Pass while still in daylight and continuing south across the vast empty northeast plains of New Mexico. Its about 110 miles from Raton to Las Vegas and this stretch is largely desolate with only a couple of small hamlets -- Wagon Mound, Springer -- along the way. Darkness fell, and the warmth and motion of the vehicle we were driving in -- HBL's white Honda van -- mesmerized his oldest daughter to sleep for better than two hours. But the younger daughter was feeling feisty and still energetic and compelled us to stop a couple of more times briefly for a restroom break before she finally faded away to sleep west of Las Vegas. With the girls asleep, we made better time and was able to cruise in the northern part of Albuquerque by around 8:15pm.
We tried initially to get accommodations at the La Quinta Inn but found what was available unacceptable. We then went next door to a Quality Inn and found a great room and accommodations for our four day stay. The hotel was located just off of the San Antonio exit off of I-25 (exit 231), one mile south of the main connector expressway, Paseo del Norte, that links north Albuquerque to the suburbs that lie west of the Rio Grande River, such as Rio Rancho, Corrales, Paradise Hills, and the broad neighborhoods which have sprung up in such vast numbers west of Coors Blvd over the last 25 years that continue to sprawl west.
After getting briefly settled in, we were joined at the adjacent Denny's for a late dinner and snack by my sisters and most of their families. Only K's husband was absent, although her two children ( I have to figure out a better term) (ages 20 and 16) joined us a little later. HBL's daughters were exuberant and thrilled to see their cousins and there was much laughing and revelry while the meal was being eaten. We ended being in the restaurant for over an hour and a half before parting and calling it a night.
Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, saw a significant change in the weather with overnight rain into the morning with cloudy skies and cooler temps than what had been the case in Albq in recent days. H and the girls arose a little before me and partook of the complimentary breakfast downstairs in the motel. I took advantage of the alone time to take a nice leisurely hot shower and get dressed into my nice clothes for the upcoming day. After he and the girls returned to the room, I returned the favor and let them have some alone time while I walked over to Dennys for some breakfast. He and the girls got ready and we headed west around 12;30 for the start of the celebration and in anticipation of the splendid tasty feast. We made a pitstop at an Albertsons for a deli vegetable tray, some milk for the girls, and some flowers for L to further adorn her holiday table.
We arrive at L's home around 1pm and enjoyed a long afternoon into night of companionship, an absolutely scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner, and good conversation. The meal was great with a full choice of favorites that L and her husband truly put a lot of effort and expense into which turned out perfect. I enjoyed all the entrees, and had some wine with dinner. Later the young ones watched some movies while the adults talked and conversed further. A game that was whimsical was a nice part of the evening and resulted in a lot of fun shared by all. The cleanup of the preparation of the meal and the remains of the meal itself went seamlessly and in a flash. We wrapped up things around 10pm and returned to the hotel.
Friday started out a little shaky as the young C could not locate her tennis shoes, compelling us to make a stop and get her some new replacement ones. After taking in the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we headed over to the Target at Wyoming and Montgomery where younger sister K works. We hoped to see her while there, but the store was mobbed with shopping zealots and consumerists, and our stay was very short as the young C had a blowup over her father's choice of tennis shoes, resulting in a crying temper tantrum that lasted over one-half hour. Upon completion, we decided to drive around the old areas of the NE Heights where we once lived, worked, played, and participated in many years ago. We saw the old houses we resided in along Wyoming Blvd, Phoenix St, Christine St; some of the schools we attended: Eldorado, Sandia, Matheson Park, Collett Park, Jackson; some of where we worked at: McDonalds, Mr Swiss (its been erased from the planet completely), and the neighborhoods we walked, bicycled, and drove in during our younger years. My overall impression was that most had deteriorated and had been a prolonged downscale in recent years. Lawns had all but disappeared on most residential lots. Businesses had come and gone as could be expected. I would have like to have explored more extensively but time was short. Perhaps I will get a chance to in the next few years when I make a return visit.
No trip to Albuquerque is complete without enjoying at least a few of the local restaurants. One of the more basic and simpler one is Blake's Lotaburger. The menu is all but unchanged all these years later, and the tremendously unhappy employees labor in their totally unpractical white uniforms. A Lotaburger with green chile always hits the spot and Friday was no different. We explored further down Juan Tabo before making arrangements to rendezvous with my sister at a Fuddruckers in the Coronado Center mall. As expected, it was a zoo in that part of the city, but parking turned out not to be a problem. We had a small snack and then went over to the Borders Book Store next door and spent about an hour and a half reading and browsing. The young girls particularly enjoyed having a number of stories and books read to them by their relatives. Afterwords, we headed over to the westside via I-40. We took a brief detour and saw the edge of the city ever creeping west as we drove along Unser Blvd at the height of the western desert of the city which sits at an elevation in excess of 6200' and provides a splendid view of the valley below and the mountain chain that spans the eastern edge of the city and surrounding region both to the north and south. The development is just in its infancy but I imagine it will be in full force within just a few years and largely complete in about a decade.
After we returned to L's home we spent a couple of hours visiting and relaxing. Her daughters are 16 and 12, but remain children at heart with a lot of enthusiasm, wonderment, and relatively ignorant bliss. Lots of laughing, screaming, running, and overall excitement was seemingly always present throughout the visit, delighting the young daughters of H and providing them a warm and enriching experience they will remember for a time given their ages. I know they will pester their parents to do it again as soon as possible.
For supper on Friday night, we went over to an Italian restaurant in Rio Rancho that turned out to be a disappointment. It was not as nice as we thought it would be, and the preparation of meals turned out to be large mistake and hassle as the pastas ordered by some were quickly served and long gone before the baked entrees like calzones which took well over one - half hour to get to us from the time they were ordered. But at least the kids had a good time. We returned back to L's home where we watched a Jim Carrey movie, Bruce Almighty, before calling it a night around 11:30 pm to midnight.
Saturday we started out again with the hotel breakfast buffet. We headed over to L's around 11am as plans had been made for the girls and their cousins to go to the zoo. I spent the afternoon halfheartedly watching some college football while surfing the 'net. In early afternoon H took a couple of photos of me, and while they turned out okay for the most part, the photos made it quite clear I am getting quite aged in my appearance and bear a resemblence to a goblin. Maybe having a smile and wide open eyes would help somewhat. What a drag it is getting old. Mike provided us with some microbrews to enjoy through the afternoon including an "Alien Ale" from a Roswell brewery. The girls returned around dusk with tales of excitement and ready to play away through the evening. They did so with enthusiasm and energy. Around 7pm we ordered some pizzas for delivery which hit the spot. Shortly afterwords, the nieces S, A, and S surprised my younger brother HBL with a tasty birthday cake, candles and all, that made the evening a glorious success. Shortly then, most everyone watched the movie, Enchanted, which is a really good movie that is hypnotizing and a wonderful story. We adjourned the evening around 11pm in hopes of getting on the road early.
Sunday was the day to depart and naturally the girls were a little glum. We managed to get organized at a decent hour, and after a breakfast with everyone at Denny's, were able to be on the road by around 10pm. The departure for everyone was a hugfest and everyone wished it did not have to be so soon.
The weather improved slowly over the days we were in Albq and Saturday and Sunday were both warm days with the high temp around 60. But as we hit the road we could see change was in the air in the direction we were going as clouds coated the tops of the mountains as they blew in from the north.
As we emerged on to the northeast plains east of Las Vegas we ran into some light snow and streets were wet, but it was not inconvenient. Mostly it was cold and windy, about 20 degrees less than what it was in Albq when we left. By the time we made Raton, snow clouds were everywhere. Raton Pass was treacherous, particularly on the Colorado side as the highway was snowcovered and slick. We made into Trinidad for our meal and the town was a winter wonderland. Choices for a meal were limited so we ended up at a so-so diner converted out of an gasoline station that was quite downscale, but the food was acceptable. Within several miles north of Trinidad all signs of winter disappeared, but it would turn out to be short lived. We made it to the southern reaches of Colorado Springs just as daylight faded and by the time we made it through downtown, the weather and traffic drastically turned bad with heavy snow, snowpacked and slick roads, and traffic that was gridlocked.
It took us close to an hour to creep up I-25 from downtown to the Academy exit on the northside, about 5-6 miles at best. I attempted to get some information on what lie ahead for us. I called Matt in Denver and got some great information from him which made it necessary for us to abort finishing the trip and waiting out the storm in a motel in the Springs. HBL's wife got us a room at the Howard Johnsons on the north side of the city, and we had dinner at the Olive Garden before fighting the storm outdoors. The streets and pavement were incredibly slick, and parking at the hotel was difficult with all the snow and ice. Our room was across the lot a good couple of hundred yards away from the car on the fifth floor after struggling to traverse a sloping hill that nearly put us on our keisters more than once trying to get our luggage to the building where our room was.
We managed to get settled in after the struggle and got a reasonable good nights sleep for all of us, save my brother who had to wrestle with the girls for space in the bed that kept awakening him often through the night, as was the case every night. The poor guy is desperately in need of a week off from his life where he can get about 80 - 90 hours of sleep and peace (Hint, Hint, nieces). He is aging noticeably before my eyes with his lack of rest, constant stress, and a demanding lifestyle which keeps him on the go and dealing with long commutes that he and his spouse utterly deplore.
Monument Hill is a gorgeous area filled with trees and scenic views, but it is utterly treacherous in winter as bad weather is amplified over this area with its sudden rise in elevation relative to the areas to the north, south, and east. The localized blizzard that pummelled that area Sunday night into Monday morning was a whopper as about 15 to 20 inches of snow fell and the winds hollowed in excess of 35 mph creating a traffic nightmare for anyone attempting to travel.
But by midmorning Monday, skies had cleared to a brilliant blue and melting was underway. We got going by 11am after breakfast at IHOP. The highway home had largely dry roads but the aftermath of prior night's storm was evident with many cars along the sides of the highway and in the median. Traffic was sluggish and it took us over an hour and a half to return to his home, about twice as long as could be regularly expected.
We returned into Castle Rock by around 12:30 pm. Skies were sunny, winds were calm, and temperatures had warmed to above 50 degrees, but heavy snow was everywhere in sight. We got HBL's van emptied out; enjoyed a midday small meal, and then readied for the final leg of the trip, for me, back to Cheyenne. After hugs from the girls I started out around 2:45 pm for the trip back. The snow all but disappeared from along the sides of the highway by the time I got into Centennial and South Denver. Traffic was good for the most part, although I was caught in a lockdown from south of Santa Fe to about Speer which slowed me by about 20 minutes. The rest of the trip was uneventful except for a pit stop for gasoline at Windsor ($1.68 per gallon). I pulled into Cheyenne shortly after sunset. I emptied the truck of my luggage, bedding, and everything else; put everything away once I got into the house; had a couple of chickenwiches for supper; and relaxed watching MNF between the Jaguars and Texans as well as the NHL contest between the Avalanche and Wild. At 9pm, I tuned into Boston Legal (only two episodes left before the series is history) before calling it a night and a week around 10:15pm, as work looms in the early am on Tuesday; and very nasty weather is arriving in Cheyenne early Wednesday which will plunge us into the core of winter with a good snowfall and very cold temps for much of the rest of the week with no more 50 degree days in sight for at least the coming several days and probably much longer.
Thank you to L, her husband Mike, their girls A and S, for their hospitality and generosity over the holiday. Also thanks to K, her husband Ken, their offspring J and S (they really are not children anymore for sure) for the great time over the four plus days we were in town. I missed getting an opportunity to talk with and see Mark G as I had hoped to, but hopefully I can get follow up on that sometime in 2009.
Special thanks to my brother H, his wife D, and their girls J and C, for deciding to have the girls and him accompany me on the trip and for the time with them which was truly enjoyable and very satisfying. Given all the things that could have gone wrong, I could not have asked for things turning out much better than they did.
This has been about the best Thanksgiving I have had in recent years, particularly in this decade. I could not have asked for much more and certainly got more than I expected and merited. Hopefully I can do this again sometime in the next few years or so. No waiting 23 years to do this again....
..I will edit this post at least a couple of times in the coming days to week as I recall more details and information...*****
I had my first full week of freedom from work since last New Years week. I mostly rested as a cold has me feeling crummy and somewhat listless. The weather was largely very poor -- either extremely cold or snowy or windy or, for the most part, all three. This made outdoors activities impossible. I did go out a couple of times for some light meals - once to McDonalds, once to Wendy's (the chili and baked potatoes are always good and tasty), and again on Friday night to The Little Bear Inn, a restaurant located north of town on the way to Chugwater where I had a steak for probably about the first time this year. The restaurant was offering a steak at half-price to anyone born in 1958, the year the restaurant started in business. I got myself a sirloin with a baked potato and it was fine. I do not get to eat steak except on extremely rare occasions and 2009 may be a year where I go without having one. I did not eat a steak in 2006, 2005, or 2004 as I recall with the exception perhaps of a steak taco at Taco Bell, which really does not count.
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