ROAD TRIP!


















Steph is the perfect person to road trip with.

She loves great music and thinks nothing of singing loud and long to any number of musical styles.

She loves to sample local cuisine.

She doesn't mind driving.

She enjoys long, mostly nonsensical, conversations along the lines of "What would we do if we won the lottery?"

We decided to drive to Durango from Albuquerque. It was a doable trip for the amount of time we could spend. We would drive up, spend the night, and drive back.

The landscape heading north was great.

Here are some samples.



It looked like this,


























and then it looked like this.


































And then we were there.

















The Animas River






















Chloe
liked it...

















a lot.



















The trails along the river were awesome.

















Chloe got her feet wet.






















So did we!






















Saw this cool sticker on a pole along the trail.






















It was a beautiful day.





















I've been here once before when I was a kid.
I wasn't sure, but when I told dad we made this trip
he confirmed it for me. We got lost on our cross-country
trip from Indiana to California. I don't really remember
it, like most of that trip, only a few things stick out for me
and the rest are likely remembering the pictures from the
trip rather than the events. It was just a feeling that I'd been
there before.


The town is quaint. I love the architecture.



















































Chloe has on her new Durango bandana.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad























We had the best dinner at this place.

Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad--Field greens, sliced red grapes, red onion and raspberry vinaigrette

Pepper Steak Herbert--Seared Filet Mignon, peppered mango chutney, flamed with brandy served on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes.

The pork tenderloin with cheesy grits, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and corn.

A bread basket with sweet and savory breads and spreads.

And

Blackberry Martinis.



Steph and I after blackberry martinis. Self portrait gone wild.
































We had a blast in Durango...and and even better time on the trip home.
Road Trip II coming soon!

Music

Bella Luna--a swingy jazzy compilation cd we had a lot of fun with.

1. A Shot In The Dark -- Henry Mancini
2. Guaglione -- Marino Marini
3. La Bambola -- Patty Pravo
4. Buona Sera -- Louis Prima & Keely Smith
5. Come On-A My House -- Rosemary Clooney
6. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra
7. Sotto Le Stelle Del Jazz -- Paolo Conte
8. Return To Me (Ritorna da Me) -- Dean Martin
9. Mack The Knife -- Bobby Darin
10. O Sole Mio -- Mario Lanza
11. Tu Vuo Fa' L'Americano -- Renato Carosone And His Sextet
12. Lazy Mary (Luna Mezzo Mare) -- Lou Monte, Joe Reisman & His Orchestra
13. Amarcord -- Nino Rota

We also enjoyed the following:
Funk This-Chaka Khan
Little Voice-Sara Bareilles
girls and boys-ingrid michaelson
Corinne Bailey Rae
Begin to Hope-Regina Spektor
Sleep Through the Static-Jack Johnson