More Travels 4--Strip "Teasers"

Life with Strip "Teasers"

Every room at the Rio boasts a suite. We had two queen beds and a sectional pull-out sofa for $55. The views from the 21st floor were beautiful, even if we looked out the back over the dark swimming pool away from the Strip.
But Vegas has changed. The city remakes itself to keep up with society. On the Strip, cranes stretch high for new construction. A gigantic Ferris wheel behind the Flamingo will offer families new entertainment and breathtaking views. It won't be called a Ferris wheel, since the cars suspended on the outside of the wheel will carry more than 15 people each. It's a Wheel.

The new Ferris wheel, that is only called "The Wheel,"
rises high above the surrounding hotels.

And since we were here three years ago, brand new hotels have gone up and opened--the Quad, in particular. Those that have disappeared include the Sands, the Dunes, the Stardust, the Landmark, the Hacienda, the Desert Inn, the Sahara and the Imperial Palace.
The biggest difference we notice is in the food specials. There aren't any! Vegas used to be inexpensive with great eating--steak and egg breakfasts for $1.99, all-you-can-eat dinner buffets for $4.99. Now the breakfast buffets start around $18.99, and prices for a cup of Starbuck's coffee equal those in New York.

As clouds clear, the Las Vegas Strip basks in October sun

"I remember staying at the Dunes in the 1980's for $12 a night," said Andy, "and besides a nice room, we got two adult dinners, two adult breakfasts, two adult show tickets and kids ate free."
I reminded him that in 1976 we had visited Las Vegas during a trip out West and had gone to one of the extravaganza stage shows at night for $7.76 a ticket. Now the big name entertainers can command a couple hundred dollars a ticket. We chose performances that offered two-for-one-tickets. There weren't too many of them.
Some measurable rain last night cleared the air. By 7:30 a.m. we headed to Starbuck's for breakfast and to check out the town. A go-go girl in skimpy black lace already danced on her platform in the casino at the Rio. There wasn't a soul around to watch. An older man cleaned the ashtrays by the slot machines. We hurried by. The dancer and the custodian continued their jobs numbly without a glance or a smile. By 8:00 a.m. a different dancer in black lace bounced up and down on the platform. This one smiled as we headed out toward the Strip.
As we approached the overhead sidewalk to cross Flamingo Boulevard, a tall scruffy young man with dreadlocks scrounged in a trash can. Just as I passed, he straightened up, with his back to us, and held up an almost empty Corona bottle. The lime chunk clogged the neck of the bottle. "Can't get anything out!" he screamed. He lifted his arm and smashed the bottle against the walkway wall. Glass shattered everywhere. We moved fast.
"There's a man down there who needs help," Andy told a security officer when we reached the top of the escalator. "He really went off the deep end."
Three other homeless people begged at the top of the crossway: a young Mexican man with an "I need beer" sign and a huge sombrero; a middle-aged woman with a small dog; and an older man, head bent down, with a full beard and a wool cat.

The Talking Tree invites us to play at the Bellagio.

At Bally's we met a couple from Massachusetts, who confirmed that Jubilee was the best major floor show in Vegas. "You'll love it," they said when we bought our tickets.

A 16-foot whimsical
scarecrow made of hand-painted
burlap, rules the autumn display.

At the Bellagio the Talking
Tree greets hotel visitors.

We crossed the Strip to the Bellagio. Their autumn display in the Botanical Conservatory exploded in orange, yellow and red. A 16-foot scarecrow with a hand-painted burlap head, guarded the flowers. Whimsical talking trees 25-feet tall made of twisted willow "withers" greeted guests. Every turn gave us a different colorful, gorgeous picture. The autumn pumpkins, gourds and greens attracted wall-to-wall crowds.

Even twisted grotesque
vine shapes look beautiful
in the autumn colors.

Only a few milled around the fountain outside, but as the clouds moved out, a bright sun teased us with warming temperatures. I took off my jacket; Andy kept his sweatshirt on but loosened the tie.

From the Bellagio we had a lovely view of the skyline of
the Paris Casino across the street.

We circled the Miracle Mile stores inside the mall twice. I doubt it was two miles, but the walk was a quick, long one in search of advertised shows at a fountain and a rain forest. "Loser," said Andy rather loudly, when we discovered the fountain was only a small indoor water drop with colored lights.
"Even bigger loser!" I said just as loudly, when water fell from the ceiling high overhead into a pool, lights flashed and a few drum rolls of thunder rumbled around us.
"Well, THAT was certainly disappointing," said Andy.

Opera singers perform in the
courtyard at the Miracle Mile stores

"Yeh," I agreed, "a Strip teaser."
The two free shows at Caesar's Palace were closed for renovation. We had raced there in order to meet the times posted on the printed Strip show list.
Wynn Casino also had gorgeous gardens inside--huge balls of mums and roses hanging like ornaments from the ceiling. We wondered how they stayed so fresh and lovely.

Mums and roses decorate
the mall at Wynn Casino.



 

Upscale and classy, the Venetian had block after block of exclusive stores. "How do they stay in business?" asked Andy. Very few of them had any customers inside, and the prices equaled New York City's costs.
Casino Royale had another teaser, a buy-a-beer-for-$1.00-and-get-one-free coupon. Yesterday Andy said, "Miller Lite, please." The bar tender handed him two bottles and charged us $3.50. It wasn't the "correct" coupon. Today Andy ordered again. "Two bottles of Bud Lite, please." The bar tender charged us $2.25. It wasn't the "correct" beer. Apparently, only Michelob is the $1.00 beer, but nowhere is that qualified except on a small sign outside the building.
We'll be back tomorrow.

Turf, Andy, Sue and Jeff Civillico pose after the show.

Jeff Civillico headlined at the 4:00 p.m. show at the Quad Casino. Comedy in Action was a fast-paced, audience-involved series of juggling skirts, balance acts and unicycle skills. Civillico kept the audience laughing and yelling out answers, as he tapped two men to come on stage to help him mount the ten-foot bike.The body contortionist and dancer Turf from America's Got Talent opened the show. Audience members gasped as he twisted his arms backwards and practically turned his body inside out.
After the show we picked up our free tee-shirts, had them signed in magic marker by the stars and posed for pictures like goober tourists.

From the Venetian Casino and Hotel
Las Vegas looks like a foreign wonderland.

"We have an hour and a half for diner before the next show," said Andy. "Where do you want to eat?"
"How about Denny's?" I suggested. "It's quick, it's close by and we get 20 percent off with the AARP card."
Nearby a middle-aged man begged for coins. His cardboard sign said, "Homeless truck driver, blind in left eye, so I can't drive a truck. Please help." Across the sidewalk a woman with a mangy golden retriever stroked the dog with one hand and hummed to herself. With her other hand she clinked a small metal cup of pennies, nickels and dimes. It's pitiful to see such poverty next to store after store of exclusive luxuries.
Slot machines don't clink an more. That used to be the fun of walking through a casino. Now people play with cards and tickets, and payoffs only click a few times. So much for bells and whistles. Casino Royale gave away free play coupons for $50 of play money on promotional machines. "Can you win on these?" asked one man with an English accent. He hit the SPIN button.
"Sure," we told him, "but your odds are one in a million. It's like winning the Lottery. You have a better chance of getting hit by lightening twice in the same day." He punched the SPIN button again.
"It's win or lose, and you need 4,000 points on 25 spins." I explained. "So basically, no. You can't win."
We played the promotional machines and drank our two-for-$1.00 Michelob Lights.
"My hand is getting tired," complained Andy.
"Can you get carpel tunnel from this?" asked our new friend next to him.
I had fun just watching the tumblers spin. I won extra spins--four 10-pointers and eight 2-pointers the first round; one 10-pointer and seven 2-pointers the second round. After that I didn't keep track. That must be what happens to real gamblers! It all amounted to nothing--just another Strip "teaser"!
Kevin Burke starred in Defending the Caveman at Harrah's at 7 p.m. The performance, a monologue about male-female relationships, was hysterical and insightful, well worth the two-for-one ticket price. This one wasn't a Strip teaser!

More Travels 4--What Happens In...

What Happens in Vegas Stays

By tonight Flagstaff won't be Mecca. Weather forecasters predicted strong winds and snow there by evening with a low of 22 degrees. I believe it. As we headed west, the cirrus clouds swirled in patterns that swept across the horizon. Tops of the Ponderosa pines bent back and forth, and in Williams, Arizona, a gigantic American flag blew horizontally from the pole with barely a dip because of the strong sustained wind.
Six miles downhill on the western flank, the clouds stretched in stratus layers.
"That's probably what will bring snow to Flagstaff," said Andy, "but at least it should be warmer down there." The 49-degree reading on the car thermometer climbed to 57 degrees, and Utah juniper and cedar bush-trees took over as we descended.
The farther west we drove, the heavier and thicker the cloud cover became. "I understand why the high in Flagstaff tomorrow is 46 degrees," I told Andy.
"Durango will be just as cold," he replied, "so it's a good thing we decided to head toward Las Vegas. Forecasters did mention the possibility of a thunderstorm there, but the high temperatures will be in the 60's."

In the murky dustiness, not much grows
here except the bunch grass along the road.

The sun still popped in and out as we sailed past the exits for Seligman and Peach Springs and Valentine, all on Route 66. No one lives here. We passed mile after mile of hills covered with Utah juniper and cedar scrub trees but little grass. It looks greener than the high desert, but there can't be much grazing pasture opportunity.
"I think it would take more energy for the cows to climb up and down for the grass bunches than what they could get from their nibbles," I told Andy. By now some cumulous clouds with darker under sides piled up ahead of us over the road. Snow was coming to the hill country of Arizona.
Just about everything along Route #93 from Kingman to Las Vegas was for sale -- 5/10/20-Acre Tracts, 54 "Prime" Acres, Land for Sale...Call Us, Four Parcels--36 Acres.
"Back by Chloride, there were dagger yuccas. Now it's all creosote bush," said Andy. "This is really poor soil or probably just even drier conditions."
It wasn't a day weather-wise to help things look better either.
Thick dust in the air obscured our view of even the closest hills. Everything looked murky. Even though the car thermometer recorded 66 degrees outside, the weather looked downright dreary.

With grey skies overhead, all vegetation disappears
as the road winds toward Hoover Dam.

"It's the wind here that is causing the problem," said Andy. Strong gusts had picked up the dry, sandy soil and clouded everything. The thick stratus cover overhead didn't help much.Lake Mead National Recreation Area was closed. We expected that. Willow Beach was blockaded. "The only reason we are driving through here is that Route #93 is a major highway," said Andy. "We can come back here one day if the weather clears up," he added. Along the road even the creosote bush was having a hard time growing. "Vegas is very dry," said Andy. And that was evident from the land southeast of the city.
Since check-in at the Rio was not allowed before 4:00 p.m., we parked at the Flamingo garage to check out available shows and stroll along the Strip. Of course, walking with Andy has never been a stroll. We dashed through Harrah's, the Flamingo and Casino Royale, checked out Players' Clubs at Harrah's and Casino Royale to qualify for half price show tickets, jogged along the strip outside for a few blocks and still had plenty of time to make it to the 1:00 p.m. Mac King comedy magic show at Harrah's. For the price of a drink as admission, we were treated to an hour-and-a-half of mystifying magic interspersed with quips and jokes. King is a delightful showman. He even gave me an autograph.

From the Masquerade Garage parking lot on the fourth floor,
the view of Las Vegas at night is beautiful.

It took the rest of the evening to get registered at the Rio, find convenient parking and settle in. The 55-floor hotel boasts suites in every room, and the accommodations are luxurious, even if we overlook the dark swimming pool from the 21st floor.
Vegas is full of life with people everywhere, probably more so mid-week this week because of the government shutdown. But in Washington, D.C., no one is talking yet. And so with everything else closed down and blockaded, vacationers flock here. Just like we did! Viva Las Vegas!

More Travels 4--Heading Backwards

Heading Backwards

Kurt, Carol, Kari, Andy and Sue hug goodbye.

Lots of hugs and Carol's gourmet breakfast of green chili omelets, bacon and homemade raspberry muffins sent us on our way from Los Alamos by 9:45 a.m.
Two hours and about a hundred miles later, we passed through Albuquerque on our way back to Flagstaff. There wasn't a single balloon. "The Festival goes a few more days," said Andy. "With such a big sky view from the freeway, I would have thought we would see at least a few balloons dotting the sky."
"Maybe the wind?" I half-suggested.
"No," he answered. "It's actually pretty calm, and with predictions for snow moving in above 7,000 feet, they won't have good weather much after today. I'm surprised not to see anything today since the Festival goes through Sunday."

At the Arizona Welcome Center we stop for noon snacks.

Heading back through Albuquerque to Flagstaff had not been part of our plan. But with the government shutdown that caused the closing of all the national parks, our four days at Mesa Verde were cancelled, even before we called to change our plans. We hedged about alternatives until Drew warned of blizzards--snow and strong winds--farther north. "It's early for big snow," I told Andy.
"But that would really curtail our outdoor activity," he answered.
That settled it. He booked Las Vegas.

Route 66 is famous as a Chicago to
Los Angeles byway of the past. 

Behind the bronze statue
is the mural with a girl in
her flatbed Ford truck. 

Wind whipped the car as we headed west along I-40. Andy gripped the steering wheel tighter as the car rocked with the gusts. By 2:30 p.m. we had crossed back into Arizona. But it wasn't a cold wind at all. In fact, at 79 degrees we were comfortable in shorts and shirt sleeves.We got off the highway in Winslow, Arizona, to "stand on the corner," as the 1970's Eagles' song, "Take It Easy," goes.  A mural of a girl in a truck, a plaque and a bronze statue marked the place.... the particular corner.


Andy makes friends with the traveling
guitarist who memorialized Winslow,
Arizona, in the 1970's song.

"Well, I'm a standing on a corner 
in Winslow, Arizona 
and such a fine sight to see 
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed 
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me 
Come on, baby, don't say maybe 
I gotta know if your sweet love is 
gonna save me 
We may lose and we may win though 
we will never be here again 
so open up, I'm climbin' in, 
so take it easy."

A group of middle schoolers dressed in wool hats and scarves leaned on the street lamp. We ignored them and took pictures anyway. The car thermometer read 81 degrees. "This part of Arizona does get cold," said Andy, "but I don't think it's that cold." We were 58 miles from Flagstaff.
In the distance loomed the San Francisco peaks. The closer we got, the more trees popped up and the higher we climbed, the more the temperature dropped. By the time we reached the city, it was 61 degrees, a 20-degree drop!
"Can you believe the difference!" said Andy. "No wonder people flock to Flagstaff.  It's desolation for miles around in every direction, and then you come upon tree-covered peaks that rise 5,000 feet above everything else."This must be Mecca.

More Travels 4--Sculpting Memories

Sculpting Memories

Carol took us out mid-morning for a walk down the Horse Trail in Los Alamos. We passed the stables and headed out along the mesa to the overlook at Bayo Canyon. Far below us we could see the hiking trail that led through the canyon. "I think you can drive that," said Carol.

We walk along Horse Trail to admire
Bayo Canyon beneath us.

"It looks like a jeep road," I told her, "and I'm pretty sure that was the second evacuation route from the mesa out of Los Alamos when we had the terrible fires a few years ago," said Carol.

The expansive landscape spreads out
before us when we reach the end of
the Horse Trail.

The mile-long walk out to the Bayo gave us some beautiful views of the landscape below us, and the hot sun warmed us so much that light jackets were uncomfortable.
We stopped for coffee at Ruby K's in Los Alamos and then headed down the mountain.
Our destination was Shidoni Foundry and Galleries and the adjoining Tesuque Glassworks, built in 1975. Shidoni, advertised as one of the greatest resources available for art collectors and sculptors, is located five miles north of Santa Fe in the village of Tesuque.
The gallery and foundry include eight acres of sculpture gardens along the Rio Tesuque on a former apple orchard. We strolled across the grass, avoiding sprinklers and admiring the sculptures.

Swim Buddies, a bronze by Moore,
awaits lifting and delivery outside
the Tesuque Foundry.

Triceratops Skeleton by Brandon Khl
is welded steel and sells for $5,800.

At the foundry, a lift that could raise 4,000 pounds was poised to hoist a new bronze, Swim Buddies about two soldiers at war, but actual pourings of the 2,000-degree molten bronze into ceramic shell molds are only open to public viewing on Saturday Pour Days.
Shidoni, a Navajo greeting to a friend, lives up to its name in every respect. Suddenly, I felt something wet on the back of my left calf. Turning around, I spotted a tiny dog, probably part Chihuahua. It had either nosed or licked my leg.

Andy adopts Moo! by Phillip Glashoff,
a mixed media sculpture priced at $4,900.

“It says NO DOGS ALLOWED here,” said a man’s voice as a golf cart drove by.  He stopped the cart. “No dogs, but this one doesn’t read English.” He chuckled at his own joke. “Enjoy our gardens,” he added, “and let me know if I can help in any way.”
“Shidoni,” I thought. “What an appropriate name for a friendly place.”
I really liked Prickly Pear Cactus by Joe Barrington, a steel sculpture for $8,400, but the price wasn’t right for my pocketbook.

Carol gets a pretend kiss from Brahma by Bruce Newell,
a sculpture made of steel and priced at $15,000.

My favorite pieces inside the gallery were the bronze Indians named Tuli, Daughter of the Pueblo, and Blue Corn by Billy Kratzer and a three-foot bronze of a little tomboy girl with pigtails, who was reaching up to catch a ball in a mitt.  It was titled I Got It! I Got It! By Lawrence Ludtke. Carol and Andy browsed as well, each admiring different pieces and choosing the ones they would most like to purchase.

Andy poses at La Percha de Mi Madre,
a mixed media sculpture for $13,000
by Nicholas Herrera.

At the Tesuque Glassworks, adjoining the Shidoni property, we watched George blow and shape molten glass into a tumbler. We chatted about the Grateful Dead music he played, and Carol learned that she and George shared some mutual friends.
Kay worked the main desk as we talked.  She too knew local teachers from Carol’s school. What a small world! And what a marvelous and creative hobby these artists had found in “retirement.” Before we knew it, the whole afternoon disappeared, and it was time to drive home for dinner.

At the Tesuque Glassworks, George fires molten glass
in the oven to make a tumbler.

Parting is always difficult, but the Dixie Girls restaurant in downtown Los Alamos gave us a chance to share a last meal together. Kurt and Kari joined us after work for a relaxing and delicious dinner.
“At least you don’t have to cook for us again,” Andy told Carol. “I’m getting fed so well here, I certainly don’t want to leave. You had better be careful because maybe I won’t!”

More Travels 4--Red Dots Mark Way

Red Dots Mark the Way

From the top of the canyon,
the Red Dot Trail looks fairly easy.

Today was hike-the-canyon day. Kari picked the trail. The Red Dot Trail led from the canyon ridge in White Rock, New Mexico, down to the Rio Grande River and back up. Kurt led the way down the cliff. We picked our way carefully over huge basalt boulders and crumbled lava, following the switchbacks along the cliff and trying to keep track of the red dots along the way.

We climb over lava and basalt rock on the way down the trail.

Andy comes back looking for us as we
clamber over the rocks and cross the streams. 

Closer to the river the rocks were interspersed with sandy patches. After tip-toeing and rock-hopping across two streams, we made our way to the Rio Grande River.

Kurt and Carol pose by the river.

"This is the bend in the river where we were supposed to get off the water when we tubed," said Kari.

Sue and Andy make it down to
the river, but the worst is ahead.

"They said Red Dot Trail. Hike back up. You'll know the spot when you see a pile of wood that looks like a beaver dam but it isn't a beaver dam. Only I never saw anything that looked like anything." Kari and her friends were picked up miles down the river. Now the Rio Grande rushed past us. Water filled the entire riverbed, and a strong current carried sticks and grass clumps as it tumbled over rocks in little white caps."It's really deep here," said Kurt.
"I was just going to suggest that if we waded across I could say I had crossed the Rio Grande," I told him. "Guess that's not a good idea!"

Kari cools down.

From the bottom, the hike up intimidates.

We all laughed.

We can brag about the accomplishment when we make it to the top.

Then it was time to start the one-hour-and-fifty-minute trek back up the cliff. Concerned about the strenuous climb, Andy even apportioned the water. By the time we reached the top, we were more than ready to make dinner and sip wine.

More Travels 4-Balloons Galore Aloft

Balloons Galore Aloft

As we drive, suddenly the sky in the
distance fills with colorful balloons.

Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque took off this morning. We knew it at 4:15 a.m. when security alarms went off in the motel. People, tired of waiting for the elevator, apparently used the emergency door. Earlier I had overheard one lady say she had to be at the launch site by 4:30 a.m.
Andy said that weather reports at 7:00 a.m. had balloon launches on hold due to wind conditions. We checked out and headed north out of town on Route I-25. Huge balloons lifted into the air in the distance. By 9:15 a.m. the beautifully colored and patterned inflatables that dotted the sky were already coming down.

We stop in the parking lot at Denny's
to get a better view of the Balloon Fiesta.

Andy explained how it worked. "Rides last an hour to an hour-and-a-half, depending on wind and landing spots," he said, "but it takes three to three-and-a-half hours for the crew to transport the balloon back to Fiesta Park for the next passengers."

A lighthouse is only one of the unusual
shapes we spot from Denny's parking lot.
 

We were told the whole Balloon Festival lasts ten days, so opportunities to go up in a balloon last all day and all week long.  Drew wanted us to go for a ride. He said it would make for good blog fodder. But at $400 a person, which was the rate mentioned by a young couple we met at the winery, it was a tad out of our price range.
The rolling hills outside of Santa Fe are lined with adobe-style homes. From the by-pass we could see the varied outline of rooftops, all one-story and two-story dwellings. "I can picture the ruins of a pueblo community there," I told Andy. "I wonder what story it will tell hundreds of years hence."
We stopped at Buffalo Thunder casino for coffee around 10:00 a.m.  The car thermometer read 46 degrees, and a cold wind whipped across the parking lot. "This really looks like a giant pueblo," I told Andy. "Can you imagine what the ruins of this place would say about 21st century society!"
Inside a great many of the slot machines played for pennies. "You never saw that years ago," said Andy. "That just goes to show they'll take every last penny."

Heading toward Los Alamos, we notice the green vegetation
as we approach the Jemez Mountains.
It is the result of unusual rainfall amounts this fall.

It was 52 degrees by the time we headed into the Jemez Mountains, but recent rain kept the desert sage green and the Rio Grande flowing.
Los Alamos was located in one of the most out-of-the-way places possible. Back in the 1940's, it must have been really inaccessible. That's apparent by the road in. As we climbed, the temperature dropped again to 46 degrees. In town, the trees had all turned red and yellow.

Andy, Sue, Kurt (back row), Chris, Carol and Kari relax
around the dining room table after dinner.

Carol and Kurt were not exactly waiting for us with baited breath. A half hour before we arrived their kitchen sink sprung a leak under the cabinet and flooded the kitchen. We were just in time to help.
Andy and Kurt set to work on a repair job. Carol and I followed orders for towels, rubber bands and flashlights, but otherwise we stayed out of the way. Progress happens. Before long, Carol had a new faucet, and the kitchen dried out.
Kari's friend Chris joined us for dinner. Kurt had prepared German Gulasch and fried potatoes. He got the recipe from a German cookbook--written in German. Carol had baked apple pie for dessert. It was an evening of good food, good wine and good company.

More Travels 4--Big Government

Big Government Affects Little People 

We got an early start this morning, earlier than usual anyway. It wasn't planned. Construction workers occupied most of the rooms at our motel last night. They went to bed in good time. All was quiet by 10:00 p.m., but one accidentally set off a truck alarm about 5:30 a.m. right outside our window. "I might as well get up," said Andy. "I'm not sleeping any more now."
I grunted and rolled over. Burying my head didn't help either.

A deserted house along Route #117 is stark evidence of the
difficulties of making a living as a farmer in the high desert.

We were on the road by 7:00 a.m., just about the last car to leave the motel parking lot. "It's a good thing," said Andy. "In 14 miles we lose an hour, since Arizona is not on Daylight Savings Time and New Mexico is." By 9:45 a.m.--New Mexico time-- the car thermometer read 45 degrees. Early AND cold! That's not fair!El Malpais warmed 10 degrees as we neared the Cebolleta Mesa along Route #117. "This will be our test case to see what and how much is actually closed down," said Andy. "The main road goes right through the El Malpais National Monument, and much of the land is Bureau of Land Management. There are hikes at pullouts along the road. We'll see what impact the government shutdown has here," he explained. We already knew our hopes of exploring Bandelier and Mesa Verde were in vain.

Cebolleta Mesa, part of the El Malpais
Conservation Area, rises in the distance.

It only took another few minutes before all our questions were answered. The turn into Lava Flow Overlook was blocked by a large No Entry sign, and yellow tape fluttered from across the interpretive welcome sign. We lose!
But the South Narrows picnic area was open. "It looks like areas under the auspices of the Bureau of Land Management are still available, like the Narrows Rim Trail from the picnic area," said Andy. The ranger drove past as we pulled out. "I wonder what they would do if we parked and hiked," mused Andy.

Although South Narrows parking area was open, we admire
the scenery and move on, nervous about patrolling rangers.

"They can't ticket you," I told him. "There are no signs prohibiting entrance or parking. Would they tow? That would be terrible. It doesn't say 'Closed' here, so I don't think we could be punished for hiking."
Andy wasn't convinced.
Sun lit the top of the mesa as we drove South Narrows Road through The Narrows. We continued on the winding road through The Narrows.

At La Ventana, The Window, big fuzzy black
caterpillars miss the view as they inch across
the trail in search of richer feeding grounds. 

La Ventana, The Window, offered a half-mile walk to a natural arch in the Zuni sandstone. I read the interpretive sign. This area of twisted tan and white pillars and cliffs started during the Jurassic Period when huge dunes of sand collected and were buried. Dinosaurs stayed near the lush natural oases. Thousands of years later, water seeping into the cracks of the now compressed, hardened and uplifted sand created the formations.
We drove past the entrance to Sandstone Bluffs Overlook. It was closed, and so was the BLM Ranger Station. "It looks like park sites are closed, but overall the BLM sites are open," said Andy. "They just don't have the personnel to shut them all down." We were able to see what was labeled El Malpais National Conservation Area, operated by the BLM, but not areas that were part of the El Malpais National Monument, operated by the National Park Service. Bureaucracy! But at least it wasn't all closed. But our reservations for Mesa Verde would have to change.
minimum speed. Andy chose the right lane.

Named for a natural arch worn in the Zuni
sandstone, The Window allows sun to
stream through at midday.

Driving into Albuquerque today was certainly different from our trip into the city on Route #I-40 three years ago, when a westbound tractor-trailer jack-knifed, causing a 12-mile backup the other direction. Even though the noon-time temperature today was only 61 degrees, the surrounding landscape of sage and grass was green. On our first trip in early 2011, we hit a blizzard out of Gallup and drove some of I-40 in blinding snow. It wasn't a matter of getting off the highway either--even after more than a hundred miles of roadway was closed from Gallup to Flagstaff. That was because none of the New Mexico exits had been plowed. Not so today. Today traffic zipped along toward downtown. In fact, left lane traffic observed a 65 m.p.h. minimum speed.
At the Route 66 Travel Center, gas was $2.999 per gallon. "For that price, I'll fill up the trunk!" said Andy.

In front of the Albuquerque Museum in Old town, an impressive
bronze commemorates Spanish exploration from 1598.

We used our Marianne GPS to find Casa Rondena Winery and then Gruet Winery. Both offered tastings for $7.00 a flight. Our primary interest was picking up a gift or two. As we drove toward Old Town Albuquerque, we found St. Clair Winery, as well. It was advertised as the largest winery in New Mexico. Balloon Festival celebrants were everywhere by this time. Until a couple days ago, we didn't realize that tomorrow would be the start of the annual 10-day festival.
Andy found a place to park on the street near the Albuquerque Museum. That gave us a chance to look at the sculptures there and to walk around Old Town and browse in the blocks of gift shops that line the square. A group of Native Americans played pipes on one street corner, a marimba quartet performed in the gazebo, and a guitarist strummed his instrument across the square.  Tourists jammed the sidewalks. Only the chilly breeze discouraged lingering. And by the time the sun dipped behind the buildings, it was downright cold outside.
Camino Real had thousands of specialty items imported from Mexico, from yard and garden to blankets and wall hangings. "Thirty percent off," said the clerk, "and we want to sell all of it."
But carrying such treasures on the plane home will never work!
We hurried back to the Days Inn and Suites near the airport, our "free" accommodations thanks to Andy's careful tabulation of motel points. "Please help yourself to some soup," greeted the desk clerk. "Warm your innards."
It was spicy Mexican tortilla soup, thick and rich and warm going down. What a special treat!
"We're new owners," explained the manager.
"You've got a great review," I promised.