LATEST TRICKS: Westward Ho!

South Dakota and Wyoming
Saturday, September 25, 2010

After another scenic and delicious breakfast, we packed up Rover (our rented minivan) and bid farewell to the Holiday Inn Express in Custer.  It was a great home base for the past three days.  Entep, the cheerful staff member who was there to welcome us when we first arrived, was also there to wish us safe travels when we departed.  Thanks to Entep and all of the Holiday Inn Express staff for making our stay a memorable one.

On the road again, we headed out of Custer via the breathtaking, winding Needles Highway.  Driving in the brilliant morning light, the perspectives and colors were completely different and as equally spectacular as yesterday’s drive.  We stopped many times along the route to take pictures of the scenes surrounding us.

Winding through the stunning rock formations and breathtaking vistas, we came to beautiful Sylvan Lake.  The contrast between the rocks and the water was dramatic.

Descending the mountain brought a change from the towering pillars of rock to the vibrant colors of the Black Hills National Forest.

As we swung down into the valley, the deep blue waters of the Pactola Lake reservoir glistened like a gorgeous sapphire.  It was surreal to realize that below those pristine waters lay the submerged town of Pactola, a mining camp and military outpost first settled in 1875.

We trekked north through the Black Hills to Deadwood--site of Wild Bill Hickok's murder.  Today, Deadwood looks a lot different than it must have in Wild Bill’s day; it’s more of a modern day “wild west” town filled with hotels, saloons, and casinos.

Wild Bill's Bar marks the location where Hickok was gunned down during a lethal poker game.  According to legend, he was holding two pair--aces and eights--now commonly referred to as the Dead Man's Hand.

Moving on from Deadwood, we passed the Homestake Mining Company, one of the largest gold mining businesses in United States from the gold rush of 1876 until 2002.

Nature greeted us with even more splendor as we drove through Spearfish Canyon to the town of Spearfish. The brilliant yellow of the autumn aspens made a striking contrast against the towering stone walls and pines of the canyon.  It was truly magical.

On the recommendation of a gentleman that Bruce and Kim had met in Custer, we stopped by the Crow Peak Brewing Company on our way out of Spearfish for a sampling of their craft brews and a little snack.  Bruce liked their Spearbeer Pale Ale and 11th Hour Golden IPA while Ted’s favorites were the Pile-o-Dirt Porter and IPOD Black IPA.  All four of us gave high marks to the pickled buffalo sausage.

As we crossed the border into Northeast Wyoming, the terrain flattened out into broad plains speckled with buttes and gulches.

Then the terrain changed once again as we began to climb.

As the land dropped away into a picturesque canyon on our right, Devil's Tower National Monument appeared boldly in the distance.

No matter how many times we’ve seen Devil’s Tower in photos or watched Richard Dreyfuss make a mashed potato model of it in Steven Spielberg’s movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, nothing gave us a sense of the enormity of this monolith or the spectacular setting surrounding it.

It is no wonder that Devil's Tower, like the Black Hills of South Dakota, is sacred to American Indians.  It is a place of deep stillness and awesome majesty.  Human beings are tiny creatures in the presence of this towering monolith.  It was a humbling experience.  Gazing upon the tower at dusk, we noticed a few tiny pin-pricks of light about half-way up one side.  Each light was an intrepid climber...attempting to reach the top of this colossus.

From Devil's Tower we drove west to Gillette, Wyoming, an area rich in coal resources that calls itself the "Energy Capital of the Nation."  Needing some energy ourselves, we stopped for dinner at Las Margaritas Mexican Restaurant.  We admired the brilliantly-colored wall murals as we enjoyed delicious Mexican cuisine.

Our energy replenished, we continued west to Buffalo, Wyoming and our final destination: the Historic Occidental Hotel.  Walking through the front doors of the Occidental was like stepping into a time machine. The 21st century melted away at the threshold and the Old West of legend and lore welcomed us in. 
-- Ted and Laura, Bruce and Kimberly

LATEST TRICKS: A Taos Sampler

Taos, New Mexico
Thursday, October 28, 2010

While relaxing beside the fire in our room at El Pueblo Lodge this morning, we paid bills, posted another blog entry and enjoyed a tasty breakfast from the Dragonfly Café. Their spicy pumpkin-chili bread and sweet raspberry and pear tarts were simply delicious.

With business and breakfast taken care of, we returned to the Taos Pueblo for a little more quality time. It was another crisp and sunny fall day and the pueblo seemed full of life and good cheer.

We stopped at Sonny Spruce's shop and were glad to see Zoe again. She was so friendly and helpful to us, answering all our questions about the various handcrafts and the artists who created them. We really enjoyed our experience there.

We also enjoyed seeing Sunflower paint exquisite, finely-detailed pottery and purchased some of her and her daughter Plum Blossom's work. In addition, we admired the creative artistry of Jacqueline Gala.

After the pueblo, we walked around Taos' historic square and stopped into several interesting shops. We enjoyed the many fine crafts at the Artists Co-op and were fascinated by the fabulous Day of the Dead displays at Dwellings Revisited.

Looking to warm up as the sun went down, we stopped into The Adobe Bar at the Historic Taos Inn. Known as "The Living Room of Taos", it was a lovely space to relax in, with a large kiva-style fireplace in one corner and wooden beams supporting a two-story arched ceiling.

Further enhancing the mood, Teresa Storch was playing guitar and singing jazz, folk and blues. Theresa is traveling the United States and has brought her music to 33 states over four years.

The Adobe Bar's signature margaritas were outstanding and the green chili stew and quesadilla appetizers hit the spot. Our waitress, Merilee, was friendly, personable, and always there at just the right moment. She made us feel truly "at home".

Before moving on, we added our departed loved ones' names to the community Day of the Dead alter at the Inn. It was so nice to remember those who have passed on before us and left their imprints on our lives and our hearts.

We then headed straight for an encore dinner at The Love Apple. Jen and Marianne greeted us with enthusiasm and we had the pleasure of meeting Rachel, also a waitress at The Love Apple. The place was bustling, but, to our delight, a table for two had just opened up.

Once again, our dining experience was exceptional. From the beet, avocado and grapefruit salad to the ribeye with roasted yam and potato au gratin (not to mention the tamale, pecan pie, and apple crisp) the flavors, presentations and service were unparalleled.

It was another exquisite dining experience thanks to Jen, Chef Andrea Meyer, Marianne, Rachel and all of the staff. We cannot praise you enough for the culinary paradise you have created. A thousand "Thank You's"!

We wrapped up the evening cozy in the glow of the fireplace back in our room at the El Pueblo.  Ahhhh....
-- Ted and Laura

LATEST TRICKS: The High Road to Taos

Santa Fe to Taos, New Mexico
Tuesday, October 26, 2010  (Happy Birthday Ted!)

Three months on the road requires some periodic "household maintenance" and we were definitely due. So, we started off the day doing laundry at the motel, hauling much of the contents of the van out onto the pavement, and repacking the whole kit-and-caboodle. Perhaps the staff found it a bit odd to see hot pink plastic bins, tote bags, shoes, cans of Diet Coke, fresh-washed clothes, and books strewn about their parking lot, but it all made sense to us.

Content with our reorganization, we took a stroll around the beautiful grounds of our motel, the El Rey Inn, before a cheerful check-out with Sylvia at the front desk.

Now it was time for fortification and the Tecolote Café was the perfect spot. We had a hearty and delicious southwestern lunch of Huevos Yucatecos with fresh-baked biscuits, blueberry muffins and flour tortillas.

The Café was celebrating 30 years in business and we can understand why they have been successful. The food was wonderful and everyone there was friendly, hospitable, and excited to hear about our journey. They shared several good recommendations for some of our upcoming destinations and wished us safe, happy travels.

Pleasantly stuffed, we set off on The High Road to Taos, a recognized scenic byway. As much as we enjoyed Santa Fe, it felt good to get back into nature. The views along The High Road were breathtaking.

One memorable stop along the way was El Santuario de Chimayo. Built between 1813 and 1816, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. El Santurario is known locally as "The American Lourdes" because of its reputation for miracles and healing. It felt like a "sacred space" because of its beauty, serenity and the reverence that it embodied. It was inspiring to visit this special place.

Arriving at Taos, we checked in to the El Pueblo Lodge and headed out to dinner. Finding most of our original picks closed on Tuesdays, we followed an old traveler's trick--look for the place with the most cars in the parking lot. That place was clearly the Guadalajara Grill North. Inside we found a cheerful, casual Mexican restaurant. We shared their Chicken Monterrey and Camarones Veracruz with sides of rice, beans, corn tortillas, guacamole and salsa fresca. What a feast! Ted tried the Mexican beer Carta Blanca and absolutely loved it. He said it reminded him of the refreshing light beer Medalla that he enjoyed so much in Puerto Rico. I think he'll be stocking up on Carta Blanca from the local grocery store!

  

After dinner, we returned to our cozy room at El Pueblo Lodge, lit a fire in the kiva-style fireplace, and relaxed with some American Indian flute music. Sublime. Ted said it was a perfect birthday.
-- Ted and Laura