The Historic Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico

Magdalena

On the way back I went west out of Socorro onto Hwy 60, what a beautiful ride. Vast grasslands, craggy hills, wide open skies. I was on a mission to find Pie Town, a real place where some man had started a cafe back in the 1930's I think for east/west travellers. It was a long drive only to find the cafe closed. Bummer. I was craving pie! But as luck would have it, I was passing through a sweet village called Magdalena and found an open cafe called the Bear Mountain. The nice women who run it served me a delicious lunch capped off by a rich piece of chocolate pecan pie. I was in foodie heaven. And they also had a gallery next door full of beautiful arts and crafts. I definitely want to come back here and explore some more. There is a ghost town called Kelly I'd like to see, just 3 miles from here.

I also drove past the VLA (Very Large Array). It was way in the distance but so eerie. Are they trying to commune with outer space?! And I drove through Datil (don't blink or you'll miss it), the former home of Frances Nunnery a rancher and all-around adventurous woman who moved to New Mexico all by herself when she was 21 in the 1920's.

Truth or Consequences

Well, I did a little road trip last month, headed down south to Truth or Consequences (formerly known as Hot Springs) just cause I loved the name and wanted to check it out. I love being on the road, pooch at my side, wind in my hair, my time is all mine. Took 5 hours to get there. T or C is south of Albuquerque. Got its name from Ralph Edwards of the tv show who said he'd promote a town which would change its name to T or C. Then he lived up to his promise and went back there every year for 50 years! Very cool. The town itself isn't much to look at, except it has the Rio Grande flow right through it, the Raph Edwards Park is right on its banks, very nice. It's kind of a small desert town, quite a few shops closed, boarded up. But I hear the folks there are hopeful because that Space Port thing is supposed to be built nearby.

I found a great little place to stay, Blackstone Hot Springs. Perfect. They have a room that allows dogs, and you have your very own tiled tub that you can fill up with the hot springs mineral waters. Wonderful to soak in after a long drive. The room itself was pretty and colorful, very folksy. I had a full kitchen, a nice round table with a bright oilcloth tablecloth, tv, music, and it was right in town so I could walk to restaurants (some very nice ones too) and shops. I think I must have some gypsy in me, could easily spend my life on the road.

And its funny, I just picked up a book someone left at work and what's it about? Gypsies in France.

On the Road Again......

Yay, I had time to take a weekend getaway, sorely needed. Main reason was to see Willie Nelson at the Route 66 Casino on the I40 just west of Albuquerque. I was nervous that it might snow and I would never drive down the highway by the Rio Grande, even to see Willie. But the weather gods were with me, both coming and going. Freezing cold but sunny. I had a front row seat, but it was waaaay over to the side, in front of speakers and a Christmas tree. But still I had a pretty good view of the man, who was playing with Asleep at the Wheel. A fabulous show as usual.

I decided to spend a couple nights in Albuquerque since I usually just pass through there. Found a great cheap but super nice motel near the Old Town area, called the Monterey Non-Smokers Motel on Central SW. Proprietor was super nice and had a little old blind doxie. Very sweet. And it was just a couple block walk to Old Town where I spent all my time. Even had a personal tour of the Plaza. The guide knew so much Stuff! Did some Xmas shopping, picture taking. Oh, speaking of which: I had my camera with me at the concert but then realized I had left the media chip at home, so no pics of Willie, boo. Sunday evening a friend joined me for dinner at La Placita, a really old building that now houses a restaurant but used to be the Armijo Home. Had a nice dinner in a nice atmosphere, but got to admit, the tacos were not as good as the ones from the "taco wagon" in Winters, CA.

Monday morning found my car just about encased in ice, and this was just Albuquerque! So I found a cool diner to have breakfast, where the waitresses call you dear and the first song I heard as I sat down was "Little Old Lady From Pasadena! Great trip.