So I’m pre-writing this as we’re heading up Hwy 285 from Salida, Colorado to Denver. We just finished a power trip through the Colorado mountains from Pagosa Springs to Durango to Telluride to Crested Butte. We’re surrounded by fourteeners (14,000+ foot mountains) full of lush evergreens powdered by snow. There are some crazy-go-nuts bicyclers headed down the highway as well. We should be in Denver by the late afternoon where we’ll grab dinner at Domo, one of the top-rated Japanese restaurants in the nation. For those of you who don’t know, I used to live in Denver and Domo was always a “must visit” whenever visitors came into town. Another place I’m looking forward to eating at is Oshima Ramen. But I’ll save the details for our videos.
Durango is my favorite place relocation-wise so far. It’s the hub for the entire southwest region of Colorado and part of the “four corners” region spanning Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Durango’s a livable town with just about every outdoor activity you can think of within easy driving distance. There are some great hot springs nearby (we soaked in the one in Pagosa Springs…awesome!) along with “epic” skiing at Wolf Creek and Telluride, according to one of the locals. There’s even ice climbing in Ouray. We’ll that’s it for now. Keep checking back for the latest posts, photos, videos and polls.
February 23, 2007 at 12:30 am · Filed under SHANGHAI DAILY
We rolled into Alburquerque around lunch time on Tuesday and our RoadFood guidebook suggested a soda fountain diner in the back of a pharmacy….why the heck not??!!!
Turned out to be a really great hole-in-the-wall place with nice people and great food.
New Mexico is known for its Green Chile Stew…We had it at least once a day (sometimes twice a day) for the 3 days we spent in New Mexico…every place has it’s own recipe, but it’s based on on stewed green chiles, pork, potatoes and veg…..spicy!!!
Missy, our server, was great and suggested some great places to grab a drink in ABQ too!
February 23, 2007 at 12:22 am · Filed under ALL POSTS
So….for all you guys out there faithfully keeping up with our (mis)adventures…..we’ve completed another poll-apalooza! Sorry for the sound quality…we had to film this one out in the dusty winds of Old Santa Fe….the English girl was kinda cute….
Keep sending in your ideas for polls and our Great and Mighty Web Administrator will keep puttin’ ‘em up online….
btw…I’m wearing that ridiculous ski hat because my hair is completely out of control now…even the heavy duty gel won’t hold it in shape anymore…any suggestions on what to do? e-mail me and lemme know…better yet…treat me to a haircut with your barber/stylist when I’m in your ‘hood….
After a great time in New Mexico, the Sams are off to Colorado and some Rocky Mountain fun. We’ve got a new poll to the right for the Sams to do once they get to Denver. Take a look and cast your vote!
Writing in this blog and commenting on the Sams’ progress makes me feel like Waylon Jennings as the voiceover narrator in the Dukes of Hazzard. You know, when he says something like this before it cuts to commercial: “Well, looks like dem Duke boys are headed for a heap trouble. Ya’ll don’t go too far now, ya hear?”
We’re here at the Holiday Inn in Santa Fe and I finally have a moment to catch my breath and do some updating. We Pricelined this 3-star hotel for about the same price as the hostel we stayed at in Albuquerque. The Holiday Inn has everything we need including a 4th floor view of the mountains. (None of the buildings in Santa Fe are over 4 stories.) Gotta love Priceline!
After Amarillo, Shanghai and I made our way to Roswell then Albuquerque then Santa Fe. If I’ve learned anything from this trip so far, it’s how to spell Albuquerque. Even the locals tend to abbreviate it as just ABQ. Check out our updated Flickr photos. We have some video footage as well but it may take some time to get it edited and uploaded.
Albuquerque and Santa Fe are the first places we’ve been to that are actually on my “to visit” list. The clear blue skies, snow dusted mountains and green trees were a sight for sore eyes after the seemingly endless plains of Texas and eastern New Mexico. Albuquerque is a medium-sized city (about 500,000 people) that looks old but is going through the early stages of revitalization. There’s a long stretch along Route 66 featuring renovated buildings with many eclectic shops, bars, restaurants, etc. and the University of New Mexico. Santa Fe is just an hour north of Albuquerque and has a smaller community feel to it. The city has done a great job of preserving its adobe architecture. Even the McDonald’s resembles an adobe-style house. There’s also a town square called The Plaza where we will be heading tonight for dinner and drinkie drinks. The best thing about both cities is the mountains towering in the background. But I prefer the tighter community feel and uniqueness of Santa Fe to Albuquerque. Plus I’m looking forward to checking out Aspen Vista in Santa Fe’s Sangre de Cristo mountains tomorrow morning on our way to Durango, Colorado.
UPDATE
I don’t think I could live in Santa Fe. The population is older in general and the nightlife is a little too sedate for me right now. There was a Mardi Gras band hopping from bar to bar that was pretty cool. We happened upon a decent bar called El Paseo where the Jagermeister girls were. But the coolest thing was, out of the handful of people we met in Albuquerque, we ran into two of them in Santa Fe. What are the chances??
Here’s our planned route as we make our way from New Mexico to Colorado to Utah. We’re going to try to make it to Denver by Friday or Saturday in case any of you want to meet us out.
Roswell -> Albuquerque -> Santa Fe -> Durango -> Telluride -> Crested Butte -> Salida -> Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins -> Fruita
February 20, 2007 at 2:14 pm · Filed under SHANGHAI DAILY
What a friggin’ dump!
So last night we stayed in the Route 66 Hostel in Albuquerque, NM….35 bucks for a double room….
- T.V. had one channel (NBC)
- Bathroom had one light (the other bulb blew out)
- exactly 2 plugs in the entire room (we need 6 just for our personal electronics)
- bed leaned towards the right…turning in sleep was an uphill battle
my words don’t do it justice…it was so much worse…
anyhow, that’s the end of staying in hostels…we wanted to do it to experience hostel life in the U.S. (Result: sucks, nothing like Europe or even Asia…no cool people hanging out or anything)
*plus, we can stay in Motel 6’s and such for similar if not cheaper prices…and we also have friends that are willing to host us…
February 19, 2007 at 8:50 am · Filed under ALL POSTS
Just got an email from the Sams. They’re in Roswell, New Mexico now and are hitting the UFO museum. They’ll be in Albuquerque by the afternoon and then Santa Fe in a day or two. A new poll is up and running so take a look to the right. Also, some photos from the past few days are on flickr (click here).
As if conversing with each other wasn’t fun enough, the Sams want you to call in and help pass the time on the long trip. Here’s Shanghai’s number to reach them (in inviso text so highlight it to see!): 214-284-2522
The Sams are off to Roswell, New Mexico after spending a day in Amarillo. There’s no time for a poll so just leave messages on what they should do before leaving Roswell. Here’s the entry about Roswell, NM in wikipedia.
Let’s start this off with something I guarantee you’ve never seen…unless you’re from Amarillo…
We finally got underway aboard the S.S. Roadtrip today and made it 400 miles from the Big D to Amarillo, TX..home of the Big Texan 72oz. steak and….wait for it…wait for it…..Cadillac Ranch!! The modern Stonehenge of cars (specifically classic Caddy’s)…buried face down in the dirt in the middle of nowhere…amazing, you say???!!! Unbelievable??!! Truly the 46th Wonder of the World!!!
How awesome is that?!!! And they provide the spraypaint…..sure it’ll be gone soon because they paint over it every once in a while, but it’s up there now, baby!!!
We’re on our way! Join us as we kick-off the www.imwithsam.com road trip aboard the S.S. Roadtrip! We finally got our sh*t together and managed to get on the road….
Keep checking back for daily blogs and videos live vicariously through us..the two Sams!! It’s gonna be a blast!
