A Few Words From The Road

Once again I have set out on my annual trek to Tucson, AZ for the Gem, Mineral and everything Jewelry show. Last year coming and going I battled the elements: rain, sleet, snow, ice. This year I am battling different challenges: getting old, diabetes, ...wait.. I battled those last year too. And last year was my first year going alone. Pffft! This year should be and is smooth sailing.

A few highlights from my trip out..
I have a new dislike for people from Colorado. Especially those who drive Audis. Let me be more specific. Those who drive Audis and talk on the phone. It seems that Colorado drivers are to Wyomingites as Arizona drivers are to Californians. Here lies the fun. I am "from" Wyoming.. had to drive through Colorado and am staying and visiting Arizona and i am originally from California!! This might warrant a Venn diagram.

Rest Stops.. Can be a wonderful thing....
On my way out I of course stopped at a few state ran rest stops. It seems that they have all gone and remodeled these oasis' on the highways and byways. Most are in good condition and nicely maintained. However... The one just before Benson/Tombstone exit on Interstate 10 gets my vote for the scariest pee-stop on my trip so far. First, when you exit your vehicle there is the distinct smell of death. Something died out there in the darkness and it's letting it's presence known. I have to give ADOT the kudos that this place is well lit. The ladies room was relatively clean however the two of three stalls lacked doors and there was a roll up garage style door between the Mens and Ladies side that had been rolled up about 18 inches .. enough for someone with little effort to crawl under. Yeah that gave me the strength to carry on a little farther and head into Tucson. (my original plan was to spend the night in Tombstone and ghost hunt... but I had my share of frightening stuff!)

Why do people have to suddenly slow to a stop for no apparent reason in the travel lane? Why can't they just pull over??? (do i really have to elaborate on this one? )

Missed Photo Ops
Because I am goal orientated and therefore drive from point to A to point B .. then C etc. I will occasionally miss some good photo opportunities. Here are some of note.

Just over the border in Colorado is a bison ranch.. with bison! They were all over the place covering the hillsides. It was really cool!

Some where along the way were two dehorned cream colored bulls trying to "lock horns" and spar. Either that or they were scratching each other's foreheads. It was very cute.

Trinidad Colorado very cute town. I really wish they would finish their highway project. It's been over a year now and it's still a 35mph zone through there.

Other Things of Note:
Albuquerque had the highest concentration of "Smoke Shops" i have seen. Every strip mall has at least one.

Over the past year I have stayed at a lot of motels and have formulated an opinion. There's not a lot of difference. One of my favorite places to stay when I am in Colorado is the Best Inns and Suites Denver off of Quebec street in Commerce City. It's only major Malfunction is it's dated and faded. But it's clean, quiet, has full amenities and kitchenettes! Plus it's $35 a night!

My very nice room at the La Quinta here in Tucson is about $100 a night .. it's almost the same room. Has the identical bathroom , and if pretty noisy. Why do people have to shout in motels? I mean in their rooms and down halls. It makes now sense
Wow.. just noticed the wall fixtures are the same. Point for point the Best Inns and Suites Denver wins by price and amenities.

Well time to get ready and face my day. I have my first technique class today. It's a Cold Connections class called "Captured" This should be fun. She touts that this will improve my sawing skills. That's not hard. I am looking forward to getting instruction on how to correctly use a jewelers saw. Oh and tonight I move into my timeshare... home sweet home!