FHMA Day 38: Weather... or Not

QUICK FACTS

• Where We Started:  Santa Fe, N.M.
• Where We Ended: Durango, Colo.
• Miles Driven: 321 (8,664 total).
• New States: Colorado.
• States So Far: 16 (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado)

THE DAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

When you drive the entire country, you see all sorts of different kinds of weather. There are bright, sunny days. There are rainy, gloomy days. There are days where black clouds loom ominously. There are days where driving snowstorms limit visibility. There are cold, crisp, windy days. And there are rare days where every one of those weather types makes an appearance. Sunday was one of those days.

It was, to say the least, an odd day on the FHMA tour. We encountered two significant snowstorms and areas of New Mexico that were completely blanketed with snow, and other areas that were green as far as the eye could see. The temperature ranged from 30 to 55 degrees as we moved up and down between 6,000- and 10,000-foot elevations. The sun came and went all day long, and just when it finally seemed to win the day, it set.

After lunch, we started our exploring by taking the High Road to Taos, a scenic drive from Santa Fe to Taos. It was merely drizzling when we left Santa Fe, but it wasn't long before we'd climbed to 8,000 feet and encountered our first heavy snowfall of the day -- and the trip.

 
Snow falls outside Chimayo, N.M., along the High Road to Taos.

The snow got heavier as we ascended, and I briefly considered turning back. But it was a fleeting thought, and so we kept on plugging. Eventually, the snow dissipated and we made it to Taos, where the weather was cloudy with light drizzle.

The next major stop was a repeat from the 2003 trip: the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, about 10 miles west of Taos. The bridge is the fifth-highest bridge in the United States, running 650 feet above the Rio Grande. In 2003, it was pouring rain when we reached this bridge -- we always seem to bring great weather with us to northern New Mexico -- so Joan never even got out of the car. I loved it, though, and wanted to go back.

Visiting the bridge is sort of a surreal experience. You can park on either side of the bridge and walk out on to it. Once you do, and you look either direction, this is what you see:

 
The Rio Grande runs 650 feet below the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. Looking over the railing of this bridge is not for anyone who is afraid of heights.

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.

As if the mere fact you're peering 650 feet down into a rocky gorge isn't enough to get your hair on end, you also have to pay attention to the cars that are speeding over the bridge, mere feet from where you're standing, as the bridge is part of a relatively busy U.S.-64. Add in a little drizzle, and it made for an interesting experience, one not for the faint of heart. Because of all the potential distractions, we did not walk Fred and Hank out onto the bridge.

 As cool as the view down into the gorge is, it's just as spectacular to look out at what is essentially the southern end of the Rocky Mountains.

The southern end of the Rocky Mountains, as seen from the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.

A car passes over the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. (Photo by Jim)

As you can see from these photos, the weather wasn't great, but it wasn't raining hard and the temperature was in the high 40s. But, from the bridge, we headed west, and 45 minutes later, found ourselves in the midst of another heavy snowstorm.

Plow-created snow drifts line U.S.-64, near Tierra Amarilla, N.M. This drift was somewhere between 8-10 feet high.

The combination of driving snow, curvy roads and the approaching nightfall was a bit of a concern, but typically, as soon as we started to worry, everything changed again. Thirty minutes later, as rolled into the small town of Chama, N.M., this is what we saw.

 
The sun is out, and there's not a snowflake in sight as we pull into Chama, N.M.

Soon after leaving Chama, we crossed the border into Colorado and headed for Durango, a cool old mining town. And, thankfully, we experienced the 50 most uneventful miles of the day and reached out hotel around 9pm.

ROAD SCRAPS

• Among the towns we drove through on the High Road to Taos was Truchas, N.M. It's a small town, and easy to miss, but has one main claim to fame: It was where Robert Redford's film, "The Milagro Beanfield War" was filmed.
• We reached a 10,000-foot elevation for the first time on the trip Sunday, hitting the five-figure mark in Vallecitos, N.M.
• I mentioned earlier that the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge -- running 650 feet was above the Rio Grande -- is the fifth-highest bridge in the United States. You didn't think I'd leave you hanging, did you? Here are the first four, according to Wikipedia: the Royal Gorge Bridge (1053 feet) over the Arkansas River in Colorado, the New River Gorge Bridge (876 feet) over the New River in West Virginia, the Foresthill Bridge (730 feet) over the American River in California, and the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge (700 feet) over the Colorado River in Arizona.
• We had lunch at Harry's Roadhouse in Santa Fe with our friends Nancy Chiriboga and her husband Doug. As we were eating, Nancy mentioned that Harry's was a favorite haunt of one of Santa Fe's most famous residents, actor Gene Hackman. Now I am a huge Gene Hackman fan. Whether it's "The French Connection," "Hoosiers," "Mississippi Burning" or "Unforgiven," I think he's among our finest and most versatile actors ever. He's comfortable in leading roles or supporting roles, and is willing to play good guys, bad guys and anything in between. So, for the remainder of the meal, I scanned the face of every guy who walked in, hoping it would be Gene Hackman. Alas, there was no Gene on this day. In 2003, we went to Clint Eastwood's place in Carmel, Calif., as we heard he frequently visited there as well. We were no more successful then.

MUSIC REPORT

• Random iPod shuffle song of the day: "Moon Dreams," by Miles Davis. Jazz had not yet surfaced in the random song of the day, but now that it has, I'm glad it came courtesy of Miles Davis. This song is off the terrific soundtrack to Ken Burns' "Jazz" series. If you're not a jazz fan, but are looking for a primer, the soundtrack from the Burns show covers of wide range of jazz types and eras. My personal favorite Miles album is "Bitches' Brew," a groundbreaking work that invented the fusion genre. I'm also a big fan of "A Kind of Blue" and "In a Silent Way," two much mellower but equally influential albums. Davis was never afraid to experiment, which also meant he made some stuff that hasn't held up well, but that's a small price to pay for his accomplishments. My other favorite jazz albums: "My Favorite Things," by John Coltrane; "The Inner Mounting Flame," by the Mahavishnu Orchestra; and "Thelonius Monk Quartet With John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall." Trivia note: Coltrane died in my hometown of Huntington, N.Y. in 1967, the year I was born.
• Most-Played Albums: We stuck with shuffle play most of the day, making the types of music we heard as unpredictable as the weather.

MEAL REPORT

• Lunch: Harry's Roadhouse, Santa Fe, N.M.: Harry's is a Santa Fe landmark, and we met Nancy and Doug there. It's in a great location, at the foot of a mountain, and was jammed. Jim Nutrition Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5). This was my best meal in a while, as I had a cup of mulligatawny and a tuna salad sandwich. Restaurant Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5). My sandwich was good, as was Joan's chicken Caesar salad. Harry's Road House had a tough act to follow on dessert, since the coconut cream pie we had had the night before at The Plaza Cafe was so incredible. That said, Joan had no trouble consuming the enormous piece of lemon meringue pie that was put before her. 
• Dinner: KFC, Durango, Colo.: There wasn't a whole lot to look at between the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and Durango, so by the time we got to Durango, we were starving, But being this was Easter Sunday, and it was approaching 9pm, we had few options. We chose KFC based on a one crtieria only: it was 100 feet from our hotel. Jim Nutrition Rating: 2 stars (out of 5). I got a one-piece breast, and added mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese as sides. The biscuit was stale and the chicken didn't taste as fresh as it could have.  Good news: It was a pretty small meal. Restaurant Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 5, on the fast-food scale).

HOTEL REPORT

• Quality Inn Durango, Durango, Colo.: At $59, this was the cheapest hotel room of the trip, and also probably one of the smallest. The bed takes up half the room, and the walls are thin. As I write this, I can hear the guy in the next room snoring. Having said that, the bed is perfectly fine, and we are parked right outside the door. Hotel rating: 3 stars (out of 5, on the budget hotel scale).

COMMENT OF THE DAY

From Lori Hoffer, who asks an excellent question:

• I am so curious. What would be the ideal meal that would earn 5 stars on Jim's nutrition rating? How do you define 5 star nutrition? Because I have some ideas of meals that I would call 5 star in that arena, but what about you? Were you given guidelines by your nutritionist for stars?

   

I have not had a 5 yet, so I can understand the mystery. My getting a perfect nutrition rating for any meal would probably cause the Earth to shift it its orbit and kill us all, so all this bad eating I'm doing... I'm doing it for you.

Seriously, though, a perfect meal would probably be a dinner-size salad with limited use of dressing, no dessert, no appetizer and no beer. Or a nice piece of grilled fish without the starchy sides. I have many eating issues, but one that I have patented is taking a healthy base meal and destroying it by getting bad sides, eating too much bread or having a few beers. A "5" would be when I get a healthy meal and and manage to avoid any other bad decisions.

UPCOMING PLAN (subject to change)

• Today: The San Juan Skyway, and Mesa Verde National Park.
• Tomorrow: Four Corners, Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly.
• The Day After Tomorrow: Grand Canyon and on to Las Vegas.

BONUS BEAGLE PHOTO

Fred does the runway walk for Joan in front of the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, just outside Taos, N.M.

Comments

[Nancy White]

Amazon has a list of what its staff/editors consider the 100 greatest debut albums. Personally, any list that doesn't include Willis Alan Ramsey's eponymous and only album doesn't cut it for me, but I'm old and snarky, so heck. (The comments, as ever, are better than the list, so worth checking out.)

1. Boy by U2
2. Birth Of The Cool (Rudy Van Geld… by Miles Davis
3. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground
4. Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin
5. Unknown Pleasures [Collector's E… by Joy Division
6. The Piper At The Gates of Dawn (… by Pink Floyd
7. Bleach by Nirvana
8. Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan
9. Kill 'Em All by Metallica
10. Funeral by Arcade Fire
11. Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z
12. The Smiths by The Smiths
13. Grace by Jeff Buckley
14. My Aim Is True by Elvis Costello
15. Horses by Patti Smith
16. Here Come The Warm Jets by Brian Eno
17. Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley
18. Appetite For Destruction [Explicit] by Guns N' Roses
19. The Who Sings My Generation by The Who
20. Movement [Collector's Edition] by New Order
21. Slanted & Enchanted by Pavement
22. Catch A Fire by Bob Marley
23. The College Dropout [Explicit] by Kanye West
24. Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. by Bruce Springsteen
25. England's Newest Hitmakers by The Rolling Stones
26. Pablo Honey [Explicit] by Radiohead
27. Murmur by R.E.M.
28. Talking Heads 77 by Talking Heads
29. Coltrane by John Coltrane
30. Ten by Pearl Jam
31. Paid In Full by Eric B. & Rakim
32. The Doors [40th Anniversary Mixes] by The Doors
33. Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix
34. Ready To Die The Remaster [Expli… by The Notorious B.I.G.
35. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
36. Van Halen by Van Halen
37. The Chirping Crickets by Buddy Holly
38. The Clash (UK Version) by The Clash
39. Enter The Wu-Tang by Wu-Tang Clan
40. Licensed To Ill by Beastie Boys
41. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's … by Sex Pistols
42. Madonna (Bonus Tracks) by Madonna
43. The Chronic [Explicit] by Dr. Dre
44. Doggystyle [Explicit] by Snoop Doggy Dogg
45. A Pesar De Todo by Vicente Fernandez
46. Peoples' Instinctive Travels & t… by A Tribe Called Quest
47. Illmatic [Explicit] by Nas
48. Marquee Moon by Television
49. Pink Flag by Wire
50. Exile In Guyville by Liz Phair
51. The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers
52. Five Leaves Left by Nick Drake
53. Parachutes by Coldplay
54. Entertainment! by Gang Of Four
55. Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
56. Dummy by Portishead
57. Gish by The Smashing Pumpkins
58. Music From Big Pink by The Band
59. The Stooges [Deluxe Edition] by The Stooges
60. Pretenders [Reissue] by The Pretenders
61. Santana by Santana
62. Creedence Clearwater Revival by Creedence Clearwater Revival
63. Dreamboat Annie by Heart
64. New York Dolls by The New York Dolls
65. Outlandos D'Amour by Police
66. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers by Tom Petty & The Heart Breakers
67. Rage Against The Machine [Explicit] by Rage Against The Machine
68. Brown Sugar [Explicit] by D'Angelo
69. Funkadelic by Funkadelic
70. RUN-DMC by RUN-DMC
71. Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
72. Give Up by The Postal Service
73. Incognegro [Explicit] by Ludacris
74. Calle 13 (Explicit Version) by Calle 13
75. Alejandro Fernandez by Alejandro Fernandez
76. Get Rich Or Die Tryin by 50 Cent
77. Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. by Dwight Yoakam
78. Superfuzz Bigmuff: Deluxe Edition by Mudhoney
79. Falta amor by Maná
80. Lee Ann Womack by Lee Ann Womack
81. Takin' Off (Rudy Van Gelder Edit… by Herbie Hancock
82. Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
83. Is This It by The Strokes
84. Weezer by Weezer
85. Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos
86. Violent Femmes: Deluxe Edition by Violent Femmes
87. Blue Lines by Massive Attack
88. The B-52's by The B-52's
89. Monster Movie by Can
90. Confusion Is Sex by Sonic Youth
91. Debut by Bjork
92. Storms Of Life by Randy Travis
93. Viva Hate by Morrissey
94. (Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd) by Lynyrd Skynyrd
95. Oh, Inverted World by The Shins
96. Roxy Music by Roxy Music
97. Homework by Daft Punk
98. Diamond Life by Sade
99. CooleyHighHarmony by Boyz II Men
100. #1 Record/Radio City by Big Star

[Tamara & John and their beagles, Elvis and Abbey, from Michigan]

Extraordinary pictures!

[Rebecca]

I'm happy and jealous that you got to see Nancy (and Doug). Nancy and I were friends at AOL, and I always loved her wit and humor. I've missed her.

[Paul]

Vegas Food: Burger Bar in Mandalay Bay, likely the best burger you'll have, lots of combinations to choose from but go for the basic and get the onion rings; great shakes as well. For a great dinner go to Bouchon in the Venetian, awesome French bistrot (that's why it's in the Venetian?) by Thomas Keller of French Laundry in CA. Onion soup, roasted chicken, fries, great wine. Also, the Liberace museum is a riot.

[Rebecca]

Paul, are you actually encouraging Jim to eat more burgers/fries/onion rings? Think of his poor nutritionist who must be beating her head against a wall reading the daily food posts ..... ;-D

[Paul]

Absolutely! I can't think of a better tasting way to clog your arteries (french fries cooked in duck fat? With homemade ketchup?) Besides when you're on the road, all bets are off, right?

[Jenny]

Not sure if you have time for a show in Vegas, but Ken and I just saw Terry Fator the ventriloquist. He won America's Got Talent and is really really good. He is at the Mirage.

[Fran]

"I have many eating issues, but one that I have patented is taking a healthy base meal and destroying it by getting bad sides, eating too much bread or having a few beers. A "5" would be when I get a healthy meal and and manage to avoid any other bad decisions."

So are you are committed to this "Not Achieving a 5 Plan?"

[Mary Lou White]

Hey, the "bonus beagle" photo is supposed to be an extra, outside of the other beagle photos.
Where were they?