Scott's Spot

Days 9 and 10 (Wednesday and Thursday, October 29 and 30) In the immortal words of Britney Spears, "Oops, (we) did it again!"  By that, I mean that we couldn't leave Taos without one more terrific breakfast at Michael's Kitchen !  Dang, that food is so good! And the coffee warmed us up since it was a brisk 29 degrees in Taos on Wednesday morning! Our early morning start meant we had the road between Taos and Farmington almost entirely to ourselves.  From the desert up into the Carson National Forest and back down again...so many beautiful sights!  Scores of cattle grazing as we passed through ranch land between Tres Piedras and Chama...the twisting roads...clear blue skies...and, yes, the radio chiming in with John Denver at just the right time--all made for a beautiful morning. After a quick stop for lunch in Farmington, we made our way through northwestern New Mexico and into Arizona on US 64.  Sadly, we saw great poverty as we passed through Shiprock,...

Days 7 and 8 (Monday and Tuesday, October 27 and 28) Monday began with a delicious breakfast at the Pantry Restaurant in Santa Fe. Friends had made many suggestions for places to eat--it's too bad we couldn't fit them all in!  The Pantry is a local favorite that caught my eye driving from our hotel to the Plaza because of its eye-catching neon sign (there are many great old neon signs along Cerrillos Drive that take you back to the Route 66 days...the El Rey and Western Scenes motels, to name a couple).  The consistent positive reviews on yelp! and TripAdvisor confirmed our choice...and the food was perfect!  MB had a vegetable omelette that was light and full of spinach...and my eggs and "veggie sausage" were cooked to perfection. At the separate suggestions of two friends, John and Philip, we took the "high road" to Taos.  It was absolutely worth the extra effort and time.  The fall colors at the lower elevations were really exceptional... ...

Days 6 and 7 (October 25 and 26) Santa Fe has been as exceptional as we expected.  The weather is perfect, with lows in the upper 40s and highs in the low 70s.  Yesterday was sunny and clear, but today brought a few showers.  Saturday morning began with a stop at Starbuck's where we encountered the most positive, engaging barista ever!  This particular Starbuck's has outside seating only.  As we enjoyed our coffee, we overheard every exchange this employee had with customers who ordered via the drive-thru.  It was fun to watch each patron's expression when greeted by the barista with a joke or a pleasantry.  I made it a point to let him know that he had "made my day" with his attitude as we left.  His personality reminded me of the "F.I.S.H." customer service video many of us have seen featuring the fish mongers at Seattle's Pike Place Fish Market.  Everyone should have this much fun at work! We spent much Saturday morning and earl...

Day 5 (Friday, October 24) Las Cruces was surprising.  I'd been there once before and apparently hadn't ventured very far outside of my hotel room, because there was much more to do and see than we expected!  There are many young people here attending New Mexico State University, so there are all the restaurants and businesses that you would see in any college town.  Our hotel was close to the campus--new, clean, with a friendly staff. On Thursday evening, we had dinner at a restaurant recommended by hotel staff:  La Posta del Mesilla.  Atmosphere reminded us of Mi Tierra in San Antonio...busy and colorful.  The food was good, but when you're used to South Texas Mexican food, it's hard to be impressed!  The evening did give us the chance to do a little walking through the plaza area in Mesilla, and to prepare for a return trip on Friday morning. After breakfast, we drove back to Mesilla, which we understood to be the "old Las Cruces."  The p...