kevin_standlee | Entries tagged with new mexico

Also among the photos I scanned yesterday are two that Lisa took from a visit to the Santa Fe Southern Railroad. This time it was when she was driving through Lamy sometime in the 1990s. (She cannot recall exactly when these were taken, and there's nothing else with the photos that would help us tie it down.) She didn't ride the train this time, but she happened to be in Lamy when the SFSR train came down from Santa Fe.

( Same Locomotive, Different Year )

I hope that the new SFSR manages to get rolling with GRRM's backing and that they can make a going concern out of it. I'd like to ride it again, possibly connecting to it from Albuquerque on the Rail Runner.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: Fernley, Nevada
Crossposts: https://kevin-standlee.livejournal.com/2045106.html

Thanks to finding a loose bell cart hanging around in the Hyatt's parking garage, we were able to get moved out of our hotel room in only three trips instead of the anticipated six. We bade farewell to our friends who were hanging around the lobby waiting to go to the airport, checked out of the hotel, and just after noon set out for the first leg of our trip home.

( But First, Breakfast )

Suitably fed, we turned our faces west for home.

( Land of the Endless Mesas )

Just before sundown, we entered Arizona and stopped at one of the many Indian Trading Posts trying to separate tourists like us from our money.

( A Time-Honored Tradition )

Despite some trying minutes fighting the light as she drove straight toward the setting sun, Lisa got us to Winslow without incident.

( Welcome to Las Posada )

Our room has wonderful decor, and Lisa was able to take advantage of the jacuzzi-style bathtub while I worked on stuff from Day Jobbe that I had put off to this evening. The desk chair, however, is definitely not meant for spending extended periods at work, and I'm already feeling it. Fortunately, I only have to work four hours tomorrow morning before we set out again.

After checking in to La Posada, we initially tried out the Turquoise Room Restaurant, but found the menu overly sophisticated for us. (We'll have another look for breakfast tomorrow.) We opted to go to Denny's instead. This is not a knock on the restaurant. Lisa said, "It's just way over my head." Some of the dishes look great, but they also look too spicy for Lisa, who can eat oatmeal plain and like it.

( Even a Train to Watch )

Tomorrow's trip is only 200 miles, so I hope we will have time after breakfast to explore this lovely property in daylight.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Winslow, Arizona
Crossposts: https://kevin-standlee.livejournal.com/1916607.html

Our original plan for today was to drive to Gallup, New Mexico, but for reasons described below, we cut that back to make the trip Amarillo TX to Grants NM, 356 miles per Google Maps. Our actual distance traveled was 380 miles including some detours.

( Morning Trains in Amarillo )

After our brief railfan detour in Amarillo, we set out on I-40 heading west.

( Escape from Texas )

Shortly after 3 PM (MT) we pulled into the Waffle House on Yale in Albuquerque for our final WH meal of the trip. We both went large, and I added chili to my hash browns. (My blood sugar paid for this later inasmuch as there's no time for exercise.) Leaving the Waffle House, we refueled the Astro and, after a brief stretch of rush-hour traffic on I-25/I-40, made good time to our destination in Grants.

( So Why Grants? )

Not only have we changed stops, we also are going to spend an extra night in Las Vegas.

( Making the Most of the Points )

We'll have to have a look at schedules, but this change may allow us to finally go ride the Nevada Southern Railway in Boulder City.

Meanwhile, back to our hotel tonight. The Holiday Inn Grants is pretty nice, and includes wired (not just wireless) internet connections that actually work (the wired connections at Amarillo last night and at the Sheraton Fort Worth did not work), so Lisa could check her messages on ActiveWorlds. Even though I'm staying on points (and at a huge bargain at that), they still upgraded us to a mini-suite, and one immediately opposite the indoor pool and spa. This led to what Lisa described as a red-letter day: the first time she's been able to go into a hot tub in eight years.

For some reason, Lisa's tinnitus abated for most of today, even while eating. She hasn't been able to swim because she obviously can't swim with the static-making plug in her ear and the radio on her hip. She decided that under the circumstances, she could risk it here. So we put on our swimsuits and went across the hall to the hot tub and soaked out the substantial stiffness of a long road trip. Lisa felt pretty good, but unfortunately, as we were leaving, the tone returned. She dashed across the hall to our room and grabbed the radio to get the white-noise masking going again. That last part wasn't pleasant, but she was still happy to be able to get into the hot tub again for the first time since the tinnitus started afflicting her shortly after Nippon 2007.

Now we need to get some rest because tomorrow is going to be the longest single day of the entire trip. It's a good thing we'll be in Vegas for three days, because I think the first day, we'll have to stay in bed and sleep late. But I doubt that it will be difficult to find somewhere serving breakfast all day in Las Vegas.

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: Grants, New Mexico

Today's journey was relatively short: Google Maps put it at 229 miles. Compared to Days 2 and 3, that's no big deal, and while we ended up spending about eight hours on the road, that included time to actually stop and look at things.

( Fort Sumner's Most Famous Resident )

Both Lisa and I work up pretty early: 5 AM. Having been underwhelmed by the included breakfast at the Hyatt Place, we decided to skip it, and once I was showered and shaved, we packed out of the room, checked out, and had breakfast at the nearby Waffle House instead before leaving Albuquerque about 8 AM.

( Albuquerque to Fort Sumner via Clines Corners and Vaughn )

When we got to Fort Sumner, we were massively ahead of schedule, having left two hours earlier than originally planned, and I was actually concerned about arriving so early that we wouldn't be able to check in at Clovis, so having a stop to see the Billy the Kid Museum seemed like a good thing to us.

( One of the two Billy the Kid Museums in Town )

Kuma Bear had his own adventure in the museum, about which you'll have to go read his journal to find out about him going to jail.

I resumed the driving for the final portion of today's trip.

( Fort Sumner to Clovis, With Railroad Depots )

Within three minutes of our originally-planned arrival (thanks to deliberately dawdling and touristing along the way and also stopping for some groceries), we pulled in to the Holiday Inn Express, where we checked in and laid up for the rest of the afternoon. Later, we ordered up a pizza for delivery, not wanting to go out any more today.

Tomorrow is another relatively short trip. We could surely go to Fort Worth tomorrow if we had wanted, but there seemed no point. Had I been able to get three free nights instead of two at Albuquerque, it might have been worth it for me to work from there for a second day and save another vacation day, but Lisa didn't like the hotel at all and would have been unhappy about it, and besides, we're unlikely to ever come through this way again, so we might as well take the time to look at points of interest while we are here.

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Location: Clovis, New Mexico

I spent most of today working on Day Jobbery, including declining an invitation to a conference call tomorrow morning from someone who should have well known by now that I am on vacation from tomorrow through a week from Friday, but so it goes. Lisa went and visited with her friend Nan (they go back to Lisa's Los Alamos days), and then early this evening we met Nan and her friend Groot for dinner at the Flying Star Cafe & Bakery. Lisa doesn't know if or when we'll ever be back in Albuquerque, so she treasures being able to visit her old friends here.

( The Lights of Albuquerque )

After following Bridge and then Central back down to the city, with a brief diversion to have a quick look at the train station, we returned to the hotel, where we took pictures of a safety hazard that Lisa had reported to the management during the day.

( Here's Hoping We Aren't Featured on Seconds from Disaster )

The next two days' trips are relatively short, because we're actually a bit ahead of where we need to be and are driving to Fort Worth, but that's just as well, I think.

Current Mood: rested
Current Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Today's route of travel was a mere 361 miles according to Google Maps, and we got away from Williams an hour earlier than planned, despite the passenger door continuing to balk at unlocking in the cold.

( Following Historic Route 66 )

Before leaving Williams, though, we made a brief stop at the Grand Canyon Railway.

( A few shots of the GCR )

After taking the train pictures, we got onto I-40 and headed east, with our usual stops at least once an hour or two. I drove us to Winslow, where we sought out the Standin' on the Corner Park based on the song "Take it Easy."

( It's a Bear, my Lord, on a Bright Red Ford )

Click through any of the photos above for more shots of the park. We did indeed spend some money traveling through Winslow, so the park did have some of its intended purpose. Lisa drove from Winslow to Gallup, allowing me to take a few pictures of interesting scenery as we passed through Northern Arizona.

( I-40 and Geology... and Dill Pickles... and Drill Bits )

Around 4:30 PM, as the light was fading but before the sun actually set, we arrived at the Hyatt Place Hotel Albuquerque Airport. We'll be here for two nights, cashing in points ~~that I earned mostly from Westercon 58, clear back in 2005 in Calgary, from hotel stays during the planning of the event and during the convention itself~~. [ETA: Per comments below, apparently not. Now I don't know where those points were earned.] I don't recall ever using Hyatt points on any hotel at all before, except for a planned stay on the way home from Nippon 2007 that we canceled (and recovered the points), and I'm sort of lucky to even have the points recovered and usable at a time and place that's valuable for me.

( Our Mini-Suite )

After we got our luggage moved in for our two-night stay here, we headed over to the Waffle House for dinner. Low tastes, I know, but we like Waffle House. We then did a small drive around parts of Albuquerque that Lisa knew well from her college days here.

Tomorrow, I work remotely from here while Lisa goes and visits friends.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Today's trip was relatively short (only 225 miles) because we'd left room in the schedule to visit the Roswell Museum.

( Welcome to Roswell. Aliens Welcome )

Kuma Bear has his take on today's visit with more pictures of Bears Trying to Help.

Having been rebuffed at the Roswell Museum, we left Roswell about two hours early. So it was no problem to divert from the main route and go over to Roswell International Airport and visit the Walker Aviation Museum, which is located inside the airport terminal. (There are three flights per day in and out of Roswell, operated by American Eagle to DFW. There is one gate, a rental car counter, and a snack bar besides the museum exhibits. It was between flights and we pretty much had the place all to ourselves.)

( Endless Rolling Hills )

We're 1520 miles from Fernley, with one more day's drive before we get to Worldcon. Tomorrow's leg of the trip to San Antonio is about 350 miles, and we really hope we can get in before LoneStarCon 3 Registration closes tomorrow night, so we need to start early. I'm going to try to get to bed as soon as I can after getting this posted.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Fort Stockton, Texas

This morning we were quite late leaving Albuquerque because Lisa and I met for breakfast with her friend

slymongoose and her partner, Groot. We had a fine leisurely breakfast at the Gold Street Cafe and Lisa and her friend caught up on old times. Lisa was very happy. Then we headed up to Santa Fe to deal with the family business, which went well, but took some time. (Still much less than if we'd had to send papers back and forth between Santa Fe and Fernley.) After the business, we briefly strolled around the plaza outside of the Palace of the Governors before working our way out of Santa Fe. We stopped at Whole Foods Market and had lunch there (our first lunch not on the run for several days), then refueled the van. As we were leaving, we got to see the RailRunner train coming in to Santa Fe through a horribly complicated grade crossing (the rail line diagonally traverses a major intersection). Unfortunately, the camera was not handy. Indeed, we took no photos at all today.

We left Santa Fe about three hours behind our projected schedule, and never made up any of that time. We headed south on US-285 through Cline's Corners and Vaughn. The territory here is about 150 miles of rolling hills, gently descending several thousand feet over that distance. There wasn't really a whole lot to look at, and we took turns driving and keeping each other awake. It was interesting seeing antelope interspersed with the herds of cattle along the highway, though.

When we got to Roswell, we initially went to the wrong hotel, and it wasn't until I was coming up to the counter that I realized we were at the Holiday Inn, not the Express a couple of miles south. We continued on, arriving about 9 PM. Upgrade-fu strikes strongly, as we've been upgraded to a full suite with a full kitchen with two-burner stove, dishwasher, full-size fridge, and assorted kitchen utensils. (It's larger than the apartment I rented in San Jose for a year.) Had we known that was going to happen, we might have done more than buy lunch meat for sandwiches in the room. OTOH, the hotel has only wireless internet instead of wired (another reason I'm glad we took no photos), and the layout is somewhat wasteful. Still, it's nice to be treated as a special customer.

Today's travel: 275 miles (1295 since Fernley, versus 1249 projected by the scheduling software; of course we never travel exactly the way the scheduler thinks we should travel.)

Tomorrow is a (relatively) short leg, going on to Fort Stockton, Texas, so that Lisa has some time to take me to the Roswell Museum for my birthday tomorrow. My thanks to everyone who has sent me good wishes. As usual, I'm too busy with Worldcon or travel for my birthday, but I do appreciate the nice messages.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Roswell, New Mexico

When we were packing the van back in Fernley, I saw Lisa put one of our umbrellas in the back. "Why are you packing that?" I asked.

"Because we might need it," she said. I laughed. This would come back to haunt me later.

I should have taken heed to the warning of this morning's weather at Williams, as it was raining as we packed the van to set off east. At times the rain was so heavy that the wipers wouldn't clear the window even at high. And while it let off later, it was cloudy through most of our drive across Arizona and New Mexico.

We got away early, which was good because the scheduler doesn't realize that Arizona is effectively in a different time zone. And we did keep making lots of stops, both because our respective metabolisms require it and because there were things we wanted to look at.

( Here It Is! )

( On to New Mexico )

As we were still at least two hours ahead of our revised projections to Albuquerque, Lisa asked if we could stop in Grants (where we were originally scheduled to stop tonight) and have a look at the New Mexico Mining Museum. Unfortunately, it's closed on Sundays, so we had to content ourselves with walking around the grounds. My diabetes blood sugar after lunch indicated that a walk was a good idea anyway.

( Watch Out For That Drill, Kuma! )

Around 5 PM, still comfortably ahead of our schedule (we still ended up losing 15 minutes against projections even with all the padding), 370 miles and 9 hours after we started today, (and 1,020 miles from Fernley) we pulled in to the Holiday Inn Express. Here my Platinum status actually worked and they upgraded us to a mini-suite. Furthermore, this must be a "first generation" HIX, as it had wired as well as wireless internet; therefore, It only took a few minutes to upload the photos and video I took today, as opposed to the wi-fi at Wiliams where the photos took more than an hour to struggle through the hotel network.

After getting the photos into my computer and the upload started, we took the camera back to the van and stowed it, then walked a couple of blocks to dinner. A light rain started to fall. By the time we were finished eating, it was a moderate to heavy rain. Lisa looked at me significantly. Despite having been warned multiple times and despite having been at the van before we walked to dinner, I hadn't brought the umbrella with me. Fortunately, it wasn't too far, and we didn't get too awful wet. Lisa improvised a rain hat for

travelswithkuma, who does not like getting wet.

( Boom Tonight )

Tomorrow morning, we'll be meeting an old friend of Lisa's for breakfast at a restaurant over by the train station before detouring north to Santa Fe to take care of some business with her late father's estate. While this does take us about 50 miles out of our way, we will then be able to take the shortcut (US-285) to Cline's Corners on our way to Roswell, our target for Monday night. Because we pushed harder the previous two days, we have less distance to travel tomorrow, and therefore I get an extra hour of sleep tonight. And I need it.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico