So, for a few days we were sidelined and sidetracked doing stuff and not really focused on writing. But, we managed to arrive a little early in Studio City and met Gregory and Vati for gelato at our favorite spot. It's good to be here out of those traffic jams and ready to begin PART TWO of our adventure.
But, first we'll do a short writing to bring us up to date.
Saturday, December 14, 2019
DAY EIGHT
Before we headed out from San Antonio toward Fort Stockton, Texas, we had a fast breakfast and after loading the car did a quick walk around the corner to pick up a few last minute items from the La Villita shops we visited the day before. As we entered the village shopping area, we were stopped dead in our tracks by very loud GUNFIRE! WHAT? GUNFIRE! It was hard to tell the direction it was coming from, but it was loud and close-by. At the same time, we were aware of armed men but we had a sense of a few hundred years of clothing differences...there were many men in buckskin and large hats and guns...like muskets, maybe? Because it was 10:00 ish (when the area opens) there didn't seem to be other shoppers so the few other people around us looked like families from the 1800's maybe. The women had long skirts, shawls, hair covers and looked somewhat alarmed. A bit farther along the walk was a battalion (? maybe fewer than a battalion...a regiment?...fewer than that...it seemed like a big bunch (maybe 6-10)of fancy-dressed soldiers...Spanish? Mexican? Fussy hats and lots of gold cord and medals and guns with bayonets! They were looking for the other men. Then another group came around the corner and were led by another man from long ago...but the group seemed more like us. They were stopped by a soldier to explain why they were there and what their business was...the leader engaged in conversation as we rushed to get out of the way of the oncoming battle...which started as we ducked into a shop to get the items we wanted. The shopkeeper wasn't aware of any 'historical re-enactment' in the area and seemed amused when we were startled by yet more volleys of gunfire. I guess it was just another Saturday morning in historic San Antonio.
As we left this beautiful, curious, historic city, we realized that although we were within easy walking distance of the Alamo, we hadn't actually seen it...we had gone in other directions! So, we'll have to make another trip there at some point.
At the end of this drive, the weather had turned a bit cooler and the sky was totally clear again. We were in a small town, Fort Stockton, and had reservations at a Hampton Inn there. This was a new hotel and our GPS was having trouble finding it no matter how hard we tried. Finally, asking at 2 newer hotels, we got decent directions to a new access road off a new roundabout and located our correct place. A brand new Hampton Inn. We were directed to the best place in town for our dinner, "K-BOBS", and headed there for vitals. Jack chose meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy while I suffered with a small filet and a nice salad. All was delicious. During dinner there were loud outbursts from customers and servers and kitchen areas...we asked about it and were told that they just like to have fun and tease each other. Our waiter was very pleasant and when he returned at the end of our meal to talk with us, we saw him also speaking with the folks two tables away! WHAT???? Seems his very identical twin was working there also. Some days are just like that.
SUNDAY, December 15, 2019
10:30 am....temperature 69'
DAY NINE
Lovely morning and after standard breakfast fare we headed to Interstate 10 again and our next stop a Hilton Garden Inn in LasCruces, New Mexico. This was also a brand new hotel in a new area of town. Very lovely grounds, large common spaces, fireplaces, holiday decor and very southwestern feeling about the place and the rooms as well. We got unloaded and took a few pictures in the remaining sunlight and then headed to dinner at Lorenzo's, a nearby Italian family restaurant. Jack had beef tortellini while I tried their lasagna. $50 later we waddled out and back to our hotel...funny that the trip to Lorenzo's took less than 5 minutes to go less than half a mile, but going back took about 20 minutes and 3 miles. Wrong turns do that. This wasn't the first one. It probably won't be the last one, either.
We did do a run through El Paso, where we hoped to check out our taxes at work and see how that border wall was coming along. We might have seen part of it, but it was a very built up congested area with lots of shopping malls and 8-10 lanes of heavy traffic. Fast moving...lots of it. We saw what could have been a wall, but it certainly was not impressive, nor did it go anywhere of interest. It was just sort of 'stuck' out there. Didn't make too much sense. Sound familiar????
Jack asked the evening desk clerk for directions to use the lovely hot tub and the fireplace near it and we suited up to enjoy the wet warmth. Getting in, the force of the jets took my wedding ring (the wide gold band) right off my hand and dumped it in the water. I somehow managed to grab it before it went over the seat into the deep bottom, but that was a very close call! Overall the tub was a nice part of the evening except it got very windy so it felt pretty chilly when we got out of the tub.
I forgot to mention that earlier in the day, we actually went rogue, off the grid, and took off down a windy unmarked road toward a nice bunch of mountains, but after 15-20 miles of scrubby, but high, mountains and very few cars, we turned around and went back to where we turned off of the interstate...(by a derelict gas station marked by "nuclear accident" graffiti writings).
Monday, December 16, and Tuesday, December 17, 2019
LasCruces, New Mexico to Peoria, Arizona
Days 10 & 11
Cibola Vista Resort & Spa for two nights
A pretty morning and an earlier start after realizing we had about a 6 hour drive...one of two longer travel days. Loaded the car after Jack returned from a "great" AA group meeting. Welcoming and nice the 25 plus folks gave him a new coffee mug marked "St Albert's Newman Center, Established 2004", and their slogan: "Sober at Sunrise". 7AM meeting. So, this hotel in LasCruces was the least expensive but we had to pay $7.95 for the same complimentary breakfasts we'd had at other Hilton properties along the way. It was also the prettiest property...right up there with the Savannah Doubletree. Just as an odd note, one of the desk clerk was named "Mirella" and when Jack asked her to pronounce it she said, "Just roll the "r"." Of course, neither of us can do that. We tried. Nope.
LasCruces seems to be a growing town with a young population. Very nice area. Not too congested and has a friendly, college-town atmosphere.
So this day will take us through the rest of New Mexico, over the Arizona border. We'll continue through Tucson, and through Phoenix, settling in at Peoria, AZ, at the Cibola Vista Resort & Spa for two nights. Hopefully, we will arrive early enough to enjoy a nice dinner and see some of the area, but it is a longer drive than we've been averaging.
On this section of our drive we saw...well, I saw, our first tumbleweed! Flew across a parking lot! And we were photographed by the BORDER PATROL, along a very barren section of country quite a distance from the border. But they took our picture and waved us through. They seemed to focus on the trucks and I'm sure it didn't take much for them to notice that WE HAVE NO SPACE TO SMUGGLE ANYTHING!!! This is a little car. It is STUFFED with our stuff!
We passed over the RIO GRANDE RIVER, at least that's what the sign said. I doubt it. It doesn't seem like it's in the right place. And that was quite an exaggeration...there wasn't any water in it! It couldn't have been certified a legitimate 'creek'.
The ride through Phoenix was awful. We took a route around the city, from 6:00 on a clock to 9:00 on that pretend clock...most in the HOV lane - one lane of 12 during rush hour. It was dreadful, stressing poor Jack and getting dark. It wasn't complicated but many of the off-ramps seemed new and the signage was new and even though traffic was moving, there was SO MUCH OF IT! So, Phoenix gets a -10 for ease in rush hour driving. Just too many cars. They need some, or more, mass transportation. But, we made it and found our resort without too much fussing.
When we arrived, we unloaded EVERYTHING, to be sure we could get all the dirty clothes in and do the laundry and get the gift-wrapping done before we arrive in Studio City at Gregory and Kelly's. As we finished we realized we didn't have Pedro Svensen, our little gnome, with us. He, along with one other gift and a book destined for Gaby, had somehow been left behind in Las Cruces. We called the hotel and it wasn't entered in the Lost & Found, and hadn't otherwise been reported. I'm not surprised, he was quite the cute fella...a real catch. So, I called the Bird & Pear, the shop in LaVillita where I purchased him, talked with the same gal who sold him to us originally, and re-ordered him and the other little something, and had them sent to 26 VITW. He'll be there when we get home next month. Then, I called Amazon and ordered another book to be sent to Gaby directly...to arrive tomorrow for her as another Christmas gift. Life can get complicated if you're not paying attention. Well, even if you ARE paying attention it can get complicated!
The Cibola Vista Resort & Spa is a lovely, multi-use resort and spa with villas, houses, condos and apartments, with tennis, various pools and hot tubs, and spa services. Which we did not take advantage of as we were busy re-packing, doing laundry, walking, doing laundry, snaking, doing laundry, wrapping packages, and doing laundry. Jack did get a well-deserved "timeout" with a massage while I was wrapping and packing. He did all that driving with smiles and good conversation now and then. It all got done and packed so we accomplished our goals. We both got two good nights' rest and a nice meal. And that massage.
Nearby was a huge outdoor mall with all kinds of restaurants, shops, businesses with easy access Jack had already scoped and was comfortable finding. We had not been to a "CHILI'S" in years, since the Cary version went out of business many years ago. So we elected to go for fajitas in the Peoria version. We had an exceptional waitress named "Justice" who helped us wade through the menu 'book'. Pages and pages and pages. I told her that we have smaller appetites and that we were traveling so could not take any leftovers with us. She guided us to the "LUNCH" menu where, lo and behold, there was an offering of fajitas half the size for half the price. Got our votes and we had a lovely dinner and she got a healthy tip!
I'll give a quick update in a few days about our time and fun plans for Studio City.
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