June 14 , 2021 /

ROAD TRIP REPORT # 2

Contrasts and Comparisons

Being planted in one place to absorb the surroundings versus traveling to get to another place – day and night.  While being on the road is a very different experience from parked or camped in one spot, we find ways to make the motion forward at 70 mph engaging.  These include listening to books on audible.com which S. downloads onto her phone and then we play it through the speaker on the dashboard.  Our recent one was “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson, a deep dive into the history that has kept us separated by physical identifiers among other things.  While a bit discouraging and depressing at one level, increased understanding might help to overcome some of the barriers and resistance to equity, inclusion and diversity. We listen also to podcasts such as Malcolm Gladwell’s “Revisionist History”series and Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert.”  And we listen to each other as we share sights, insights, concerns, hopes and plans.

Another activity is looking for interesting places for lunch on the road and occasional historical sights to visit as a way of taking a break from highway stress.  They can be easily found either on a GPS according to categories or on various web sites of cities and towns and regions.  Two such places in the past 4 days included lunch at Anong’s Thai Restaurant in Rawlins, WY.  Who would have thought to look for such a place there?  Here’s the menu, see for yourself.  Excellent!  http://www.anong-thai.com/menu/

The other stop in Rawlins was a visit to the Wyoming State Prison Museum before going on to Laramie.  Stories of lives on the wrong side of the law and how they coped with life behind bars through the years.  Fascinating!  http://wyomingfrontierprison.org/

Every couple of weeks we treat ourselves to a hotel stay and luxuriate in the space and amenities provided by one of the big chains.  This time it was Best Western Plus in Pueblo, CO.  While being limited in our RV to a 200 square foot living, dining, eating, bathroom space is adequate, it’s nice to stretch out occasionally. The RV is well-designed and well-equipped, and we’re traveling with a third party, dog Milo. We have an awning that provides an outdoor living/cooking space. Another contrast.

Arrived June 12 in Santa Fe, NM, where we had lived off and on for 25 years so it’s a familiar place with many favorites.  Our first stop for a late lunch was Southside Plaza Café and the next day, June 13, a tasty breakfast at Flying Tortilla Café. Both have outdoor seating which makes it convenient with the canine companion. And then another late lunch downtown in the shaded outdoor patio at Casa Sena.  It’s beginning to sound like a food trip which is a small part but nonetheless interesting and important to fellow travelers.

Our kitchen on the  24’ RV has refrig/freezer, pantry, stove, microwave and convection oven so we do quite a bit of our own cooking and dining wherever we’re parked or camped, connected to water & electric in a campground and off the grid in primitive sights such as National Forests.  We have 3 storage tanks for fresh water, grey water and black which we fill and empty accordingly. Propane provides cooking and hot water.

We’ll visit with former neighbors, family and friends here this week, do a little shopping and stay cool in some rather warm 90+ degree temps, according to the forecast. Our location is Los Suenos RV Park near where we lived at Trailer Ranch for our last 3 years before the 2-year CA hiatus.  Another story for another time.

If you haven’t been to Santa Fe, it’s a prime tourist destination and here are some of the reasons why.  Questions and comments welcomed:  https://www.santafe.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0o-wo_aV8QIVhD2tBh0BfQSvEAAYASAAEgIz4vD_BwE

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