Day 191 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways
My road trip took me toward Santa Fe today. I met up with some friends, Buck and Kelly, in the late afternoon yesterday and got to take advantage of the laundry room and an untimed shower! Later, we went to Terra for dinner and drinks at the bar while watching the third game of the NBA Finals. Our poor Mavericks lost by two points in the final four seconds…dang it!
Terra
I’m told Terra, which serves outstanding truffle fries, is also supposed to provide a lovely sunset view. The smoke from the Arizona fires, however, masked the landscape and concealed the falling sun. I was so content to just relax for the evening with friends, I didn’t feel like I missed a thing.
The Iron Horse in Durango
Kelly was one of my horse trainers when I was a kid. She was one heck of a rider and showed me the ropes as a youngster. We traveled all over the place with those crazy ponies and horses. Her husband Buck is an avid cyclist. In fact, I missed them by a few hours in Durango last weekend while he competed in the Iron Horse, a cycling event that attracts riders from all over the country. The Bike Classic and the third stop on the NATS National Circuit includes several events including a road race, criterium, and time trial in which Buck competed.
Hike
The next morning, Kelly and I took a hike which followed a creek to a picturesque waterfall. The trail, lined with wild rose, pansies and geraniums, criss-crossed the creek that gurgled beneath the shade of tall pines and impressive rock outcroppings. Petey followed along slowly as a variety of butterflies flitted from flowers to overgrown bushes. The cascade splashed between large boulders into a shallow pool of ice-cold, ankle deep water.
Dinner at Mexican Diner
We worked up enough of an appetite to meet Buck at Tesuque Village Market for an enjoyable lunch on the patio before spending a quiet afternoon at home attending mostly to computer maintenance items.
Dinner time led us to a Mexican food diner where I ordered chicken and pork tacos topped with green chiles – at least that is what I recalled from the menu. After a few bites, my lip, mouth and throat were on fire, and as I guzzled my margarita, I commented, “I’m about to have to order some milk…these chiles are hot!”
Kelly looks at my plate, snags one of the peppers and before she takes a bite says, “These are jalapenos”. About a minute later, she gulped down the rest of her wine.
Buck comments, “Kelly never does that”, as he takes a baby bite of the pepper. He emptied his beer. We ordered another round from the waiter, who reminded me that they were Serrano peppers…HOT!
While we were enjoying the cool weather on the patio, the wind started blowing in the smoke from Arizona. The sun burned fire red and the crescent moon glowed bright orange as ash floated toward the ground. ETB
Map of My Road Trip Across the USA
Learn more about my road trip across the USA, or click the link below for the interactive map.
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