Posted by Mama Mary.
The previous days of Jianne's trip across country are in previous posts, day 3 is above this one. They started in Florida and are heading across the U S to attend seminars.
We are amazed that her husband is still alive after 3 long days in the car with her, even driving through SNOW in Texas. Men aren't always great on road trips.
Day 4
We awoke to discover Tyler covered in a thick coat of fog.
Nevertheless, like the hardy frontier people we are, we ploughed ahead with our plans to travel to Amarillo. Three hours later, we marveled at the drastic topography and weather through which we had traveled. Fog gave way to the famed mammoth cattle ranches of Texas and winds, which blew the layers of the snow blanketing the fields into a blinding fury for the DH
Then came blue skies and sun, lush green landscapes drifted into scenes of shrubs and low brown grass and oil wells.
To my delight, we bumped into my first ever Saloon! With hunky cowboys and people y’all -ing each other left, right, and center. We watched a boot shod, Stetson-wearing guy snap back a shot of tequila and it was barely noon! I so wanted a photo of the saloon with the name that I agreed to pose in front of Bono’s Saloon (I hate taking pictures). Twice I reminded the DH to make sure the name was in the picture.
The outside temperature dropped and dropped, and went from a balmy forty degrees to thirty-two as we hit Amarillo. The hotel we stayed in, The Ambassador, had free hors d’oeuvres and a happy hour for the couples staying with them for Valentine’s Day. What a lovely surprise at the end of a long seven hours of traveling.
CENT Days 5 & 6
On Valentine’s Day we traveled from Amarillo to Santa Fe, our first long stop in the journey to the Grand Canyon. Man, we’ve been through every form of weather short of hurricanes, cyclones, and tornadoes. First the snow, then sleet, then freezing rain with the temperature dropping every mile or so it seemed. But, it was a short day of travelling (after 7-hour days, 4 was a breeze), and Santa Fe is absolutely charming and wonderful and OMG so quaint!
Santa Fe with a population of only 60,000 has its own opera house - spectacularly located on the top of a mountain with a vista of valleys and canyons. The art here overwhelms the senses. Even the overpasses on the highways are decorated (and not with graffiti!).
The Rio Grande flows through the town and the adobe architecture blends into the landscape perfectly. This is a state where Mother Nature and humans meld instead of warring.
Now, we never celebrate Valentine’s Day. Never - I hate the way the price of flowers jump astronomically for that date and the DH and I just wandered into a non-Valentine’s thing over the last 33 years. So blow me down when I get gifts and a card on Sunday morning. Sheesh! How to make a person feel bad and good all at once.
And then he arranges for us to have dinner at Geronimo’s, a 5-star restaurant I’ve dreamed about for ages (I loooooove good food). We had a table by the fireplace, and, yes, the pic stinks, but it gives you an idea of the setting - an adobe-style ranch house built in 1678. The food was incredible, eclectic and delicious, the ambiance perfect, and, of course, the DH stands the test of time, much like fine wine aging.
We had a great day and night and the following morning decided to visit the outlying city of Taos, about 70 miles north of Santa Fe (as if we hadn’t driven enough in the last 4 days - yeah we’re certifiable). I swear we had the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life at a hotel on the Taos plaza. You know what I mean, coffee that tastes the way it smells.
Charming city, but the drive along the Rio Grande was the highlight of the trip. The sheer cut of the river between the mountains took my breath away.
I cannot get over how astounding and beautiful this country is!
When East meets West, Cultures Collide, Passions Sizzle…
email: jianne@jiannecarlo.com
url : www.jiannecarlo.com
latest release:
books: Manacled in Monaco, T is for Temptation, D is for Desire, Notorious in Nice, White Wolf
Stay tuned for more installments and see if she and her DH are still speaking to each other.
