Gotta see a Man About a House

Today was "put your money where your mouth is" day.  I made an offer and we will see what happens.

The house is small...but I want to downsize.  It is a little snug but fine for me.  It has a lot of land -- 1.3 acres -- so there is plenty of room. It is practically a wildlife sanctuary because of the water feature and all of the bird feeders around the yard.  Also have chipmunks.  Watson will be excited. It is very southwestern in style.  Storage might be a problem.

I started the day at my old coffee shop but the retired engineers were not there....I'm kinda worried.  They are on the loose.

I spent a good part of the afternoon with my agent putting the offer together. Tons of paperwork.  I was getting writer's cramp.

I decided to take myself to dinner so I drove up to Bernalillo and went to The Range Cafe. If you follow this blog, we've been there before. Usually I get a burger or Reuben sandwich and watch to folks come and go.

Tonight I decided on trout. It was a butterfly (de-boned) trout baked with butter, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and artichokes served over a risotto-chive cake (think super thick rice and chives pancake) and roasted asparagus. Boy, was that good.  Only disappointment was the Marble Brewery IPA...I should have known better, it tastes like grapefruit juice. The citrus flavor was OK with the fish but not my style of beer.

After dinner I drove up to look at my vacant lot...I mean ranchette.   It is about the same...nobody has built up there yet. The trash dumping is about the same....not much more than last time.  The road was a little better.

The drought is still raging up here in the desert. Even the desert plants are looking bad and one of my old juniper trees has died. There are signs of wildlife but the plants look terrible.  The monsoon season isn't until another month or two.

Everything is dry. There is a huge fire up in the Jemez Mountains and the newspaper said it got all the way down to the floor of the Valles Caldera...a forest and nature conservation area about an hour north of here.  Valles Caldera ought to be a national park but is serving as sort of an experiment in self sufficiency.  It is the site of a huge mega volcano that exploded way back in the dim past and left a vast crater that is now a large meadow with trout streams and a forested rim (used to be forested, anyway). Access is limited by paid permit and only a few fisherman are allowed each day.  I hope the damage isn't too bad.  I have plans for that place.

There was a big thunderstorm looming in the distance and moving my direction so I took a few pictures. At one point there was a dust devil that went a thousand feet into the air an then dissipated.  There was thunder but no lightning that you could see.   I watched for quite a while but it was moving very slow. You can see so far that it might be 20 miles away.

If there is enough rain it will help with the fires but the lightning might start new fires. The big Pecos fire that I saw from the train was caused by downed power lines.

This last picture is my King's juniper. These trees grow so slowly that they were living here when Coronado came through. Some were possibly not much smaller than they are now.  So this tree was once owned by the King of Spain and is at least 400 years old. Some of the trees have crude hatchet marks where somebody chopped off a limb for some reason. This was sheep country at one time so maybe a sheep herder lopped off a branch for fire wood.  The chopping marks seem almost random.

I decided to head back to town and beat the storm.  The wind came up but no rain (yet). I stopped off at Il Vicino cantina - a microbrewery - and had a second beer....better than the first.

Tomorrow I'm planning on doing something fun.

Shopping Day - part two

Downsizing? Here's a house with
a great yard and shady porch.

Or rather day two.   Things are happening fast. Two houses that I wanted to see were taken off market before I could see them.  That makes me a little more anxious because it limits my options if my first choice falls through.

Today I saw a house that I had not seen before....and don't want to see again. From what I could see, the owners must have locked up a large animal inside the house and it wanted to get out. Must have been a large dog but the claw marks are pretty far up the wall.  Looks like someone will have to refinish the kitchen cabinets, too, because it got hungry.

I went back to see a couple houses for the second time. I will make an offer on one so keep your fingers crossed.  I expect a back and forth negotiation.  I like the house and it is in the right location.

A Fixer-Upper, Great ventilation

I went to the Corrales Brewery this evening and had a nice porter and a red rye beer. The rye was interesting...you could tell they used a bunch of rye...not just an adjunct or specialty grain added to the barley.  Also had a hot pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese on grilled rye bread....yum. They had the TV on -- Mariners vs White Sox (16 innings!!) Chicago won. They also had live music...one-man-band guy and a woman singing Adele, Fleetwood Mac, John Lennon and Alison Krauss songs...they were pretty good.

Relaxing now.

Shopping Day - part one

Not much to report other than I went house shopping today and saw - in person - some houses that I've been looking at on-line.  Expectations from Internet photos and descriptions don't match the reality of actually seeing things. One house that I was just marginally interested in  moved up toward the top of the list. One house that was at the top fell way down once I saw it.   I'll go back and see some others tomorrow and maybe take a second look at some I saw today.

I need to go back and remember that I'm down sizing. I need to remember that I wanted to be in an uncrowded neighborhood with a little bit of land.  Right now, prices are not a big problem based on what I've seen. I'm being picky so there aren't a lot to choose from.

I drove up to see the neighborhoods this evening after dark and was OK with what I saw.  You can find the places after dark. And they are really dark.

I had plans to go to an Isotopes minor league game tonight but...surprise...it was a day game so I missed it.  Maybe next trip.

Two days on a train - but glad not to be driving through Oklahoma.

As I left town the Missouri River was still rising but the tracks were still dry. The route west from Jefferson City only follows the river for a few miles and then heads into farm land but the eastbound route stays close to the river for close to 100 miles so flooding could be a problem.  It has in the past.

We were 45 minutes late getting out of Jefferson City and the Southwest Chief was already at the station when we got there.  I climbed aboard and got the nickel tour of the sleeper and then retired to my roomette. I read for a while and then tried to sleep as we rumbled and tooted through Kansas.

I "woke up" at about 6:15 Monday to a sunny morning. Once again, it was difficult sleeping.  If you can sleep while someone is jumping on the bed and blowing a horn you should be able to sleep on the train.  I'm not good at that. They say the 2nd night is easier but I only have one night. The sleeper car attendant is Peggy --  a nice lady who keeps everyone happy. She says she sees it like a family.  There were fresh flowers in the rest rooms....thanks Peggy, nice touch.  The train is running late. Had breakfast with a mom and daughter out of southeast Kansas (an hour west of Ft. Scott) going to see relatives in the San Joachim valley of California.  A farm family --Dad stayed home to work the farm. Breakfast was scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage patties, whole wheat biscuit/jelly, coffee and OJ.

We were already seeing deer and antelope near Lamar CO plus geese and some huge hawks.  Morning scenery is flat alfalfa fields and the creeks and rivers have water. The jack rabbits are about 4 foot tall and look like kangaroos...maybe they are jackalopes.   Los Animas looks like an oasis in the desert - it's greener here near the junction of the Purgatory River and Arkansas River.  The town looks bigger than when we were stranded there way back in 2002...more substantial.

La Junta was our first smoking stop and crew change.  La junta smells like Russian Olive trees.  In Kansas City they picked up three private cars at the rear of our train. These are privately owned rail cars ...owned by individuals who use them like a private yacht only on the rails. I talked to Peggy and she said they are all refurbished like homes. Some have grand pianos. They have their own staff and don't mingle with us riffraff on the Southwest Chief.  Peggy said she had an offer once to serve as private car staff person but turned it down in favor of steady Amtrak work. Private cars might sit idle for months.

If you ever get to La Junta with time on your hands, visit Bent's Fort NHS...old trading post and way station on the Santa Fe Trail.  Go early when they just open up...they have peacocks on guard duty.  Reenacters man the fort...trader and his wife...so they have to do the morning chores...get fires started, tend the fur presses, etc. It is an impressive place...restored to what it was like 150 years ago.

They say you can see the mountains from La Junta.....I can't. I have to wait about a half hour and then there they are...a gray ridge on the horizon...the front range. First the steep-sided foothills of the Sangre de Cristo's then the outlier Spanish Peaks appear to the north and behind them there is plenty of snow on the higher peaks.  Pikes's Peak is up there somewhere.


We kept getting higher and our ears started popping. You start to see some substantial hills and broken topography west of La Junta...and more trees...scrubby junipers.  Pretty soon everything is much greener and we are pulling in to Trinidad. This coal mining town always looked like it had one foot in the grave but it is looking better. They even have a greenway/bike path alongside the river.

I went to sit in the observation car as we crossed Raton Pass. I took some pictures and chatted with a young woman on her way to CA and then to Las Vegas for grad school. She spoke of plans to open a counseling and rehabilitation center in Europe...maybe Italy...once she gets her masters in Criminal  Justice. She is in the military and was based in Italy while on a NATO security assignment...about a half hour from Venice.  She wants to go back.

Lunch was salad and a bowl of clam chowder with blood orange sorbet and a dinner roll.   I feel that I eat my way across country....my blog title should be  "Ken Eats  Across America".  Lunch companions were from Connecticut and Washington DC. A lady was on her way from CT to CA for a graduation. The young man was just out enjoying the trip and taking pictures.  Those are long trips.

For some reason we (the train) seem to be the center of attention. I counted no less than seven individuals or groups stopped along the route taking pictures of the train. I didn't know we were celebrities. Maybe that's Bill Gates in the private cars.

We have  helpful Amtrak narrator that points out things we should see. He has been spot on most of the time but the three buffalo near Lamy were camera shy today.  I know they are there because I've seen them before.  I have seen more wildlife on this trip than on earlier trips.

There is a large forest fire burning out of control in the Pecos National Forest and the smoke is clearly visible as we went by.  Apache Canyon is another interesting spot with rock walls close to the tracks on both sides. It is slow going because they have to watch for fallen rocks on the tracks.


The train is full with people climbing on and off at each stop. Lamy, the station for Santa Fe was very busy.  On this trip I saw more people plugged in to their electronic devises than before.  It seemed more like an airplane trip with fewer people making an effort to visit or talk.  I hope that's not the way of the future for train travel. In the end, we picked up all of our lost time and reached Albuquerque ahead of schedule.

I picked up my car (Dodge Avenger) and checked into my hotel. The rest of my day was supper and a couple beers at Kelley's and grocery shopping at Walmart.  I'm beat.

Riding the Rails....Again

Well, here I go again.  I need to get back down to Albuquerque to do some serious house hunting. I was thinking about driving but decided to take the train again. I enjoyed the Amtrak trip in March and the cost comparison between taking the train and driving is a reasonable trade off. The train costs a little more but takes less than a day while driving...at my pace...is a lengthy trip with two nights on the road.  The food is better than highway food and the accommodations are not bad. The  cost of renting a car is the main added expense but that still runs less than $200 for the week and I get to drive a new car.  I enjoy the road trip down to NM but if I get this house bought I'll be making a lot of highway trips later this year.

So, on Sunday I catch the local train in Jefferson City at 6:22 in the evening and head to Kansas City where I climb on board the Southwest Chief and we head west at about 11 PM and I'll be in Albuquerque by 4 PM the next day.


I just made this trip in March so my postings might be a little abbreviated unless something comes up.  I have about a half-dozen houses to look at so I might have news on that topic....I hope.

There have been so many storms and tornadoes out in the plains I'm beginning to wonder what Amtrak does under extreme storm conditions.  I'd rather not find out.

In Praise of Old Hotels #7

ROUTE 66 -- THE MOTHER ROAD

There is nothing quite like it -- an east-west highway running 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles...or actually Santa Monica.  America's own Silk Road connects the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean and laces together a bazillion points along the way. The iconic highway existed in a variety different local configurations for over fifty years until it was finally replaced by the interstate highway system.

If you want to find it today, look for the "Historic Route 66" signs and the relics of once thriving roadside businesses, like Lucille's gas station and tourist court near Hydro, Oklahoma. Lucille's is one of the many places that have been at least partially preserved along the old highway. Some places are tourist icons while others are living on in a second or third life long after the highway surrendered to the interstate.

THE BLUE SWALLOW MOTEL, TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO

You can't stay at Lucille's anymore but in Tucumcari, NM you can stay at the Blue Swallow Motel, one of many Mother Road era motels that still exist in this town at the junction of old Route 66 and US Highway 54. I understand that it may be under new management since I was there but I'm sure the old owners were very careful in selecting a buyer when they finally decided to sell.  It looks like room reservations can be made online at their website, which is a change from the former owners

The Blue Swallow Court opened in 1941 on Route 66 as it passed through Tucumcari. It has been modernized ...a little, but mostly it is much the way it was back in the 1940s and 1950s. Rooms are small but big enough. Decor is 1950s including the vintage television. The telephone is a 1940s era Bakelite rotary phone.

Each room has a garage where you could park your Hudson or Studebaker back in the day. Today, there are murals painted on the interior walls of the garages and the doors are often kept open to show them off. Mine was a scene from the movie "Easy Rider" but there were others including some from "Cars".  Outside you can sit and relax in the lawn chairs on your porch or maybe even the glider.  When I stayed I spent about an hour chatting with the owner out on the porch chairs. The two guys in the room next door cam out and talked for a while. They were from Denmark and were on a cross-country trip on rented Harleys. They said there is a regular travel business catering to Europeans for one-way Harley trips along old Route 66.  They picked them up in Chicago and would turn them in in Los Angeles and fly back home from there.

Under the former owners,  an added perk was a free breakfast if you checked out and were on your way at 7 AM. The free breakfast wasn't at the motel...no, it was down the road a little at the Pow Wow Restaurant and Lounge. The 7 AM exit was to allow the owners to get the rooms ready for the next guests...this is a "mom and pop" operation.

Tucumcari is a struggling place but probably the biggest town between Amarillo and Albuquerque. It has quite a collection of Mother Road era motels and tourist shops.

Next: ??? maybe a trip

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In Praise of Old Hotels #6

A COUPLE OF FINE TOURIST COURTS

Santa Fe and Cody Wyoming both thrive on the tourist trade. Santa Fe has a long history of travelers coming and going and Cody is a popular stopover for travelers heading to Yellowstone National Park.

THE IRMA HOTEL, CODY, WYOMING

The Irma Hotel was built by Buffalo Bill Cody and named for his daughter: that would be Irma. It was opened in 1902 and has been a local landmark ever since. The saloon on the ground floor is famous for the cherry wood back bar which was a gift from Queen Victoria...who died in 1901 and never visited the saloon.  The place is popular with bikers on their way to Sturgis or other western motorcycle rallies.

Buffalo Bill's ownership ended in 1913 when he sold it to his wife to keep creditors from taking it. Eventually the hotel passed into other hands and was expanded. Apparently some rooms are restored and furnished with antiques but we stayed in a more "modern" room that was spacious but looked like an old Howard Johnson's room.  I wasn't impressed with the room.

The place is as theatrical as Buffalo Bill. It could be described as a saloon with a hotel attached. The saloon was crowded and seemed to take up most of the ground floor of the building. we were hard pressed to find a place to sit but everyone was having a good time and the beer was cold.

One of the features of the hotel is the theatrical reenactment of a wild west gunfight out in the street. Tourists take their places on the covered sidewalk as the lawmen and outlaws face off and eventually shoot each other.  This is quite a cliche' but the hotel guests seem to eat it up.

We also went out to Stampede Park to see the Cody Night Rodeo, a nightly rodeo during the summer months. I've been to a few rodeos and this one was pretty good but, like everything else in Cody, it was a little over the top...but the real thing.


HOTEL ST. FRANCIS, SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

In the heart of Santa Fe, down by the plaza, sits the 1920-era Hotel St. Francis. It is reputed to be the oldest hotel in Santa Fe, which surprises me a little considering the long history of travelers coming to this place and the fact that Santa Fe was the seat of government way back under Spanish and Mexican rule.  Hotel St. Francis is about a block away from the city plaza and the Palace of the Governors and a similar distance from the basilica of St. Francis.

The hotel is more Mediterranean in style than southwestern or pueblo but the color scheme seems to fit in with the local buildings and the Santa Fe ambiance. There are other hotels that feature the pueblo style if that is what the traveler wants. The hotel furnishings are sparse in comparison to some other historic inns or hotels. A lot of the furnishings seem to be made by local craftsmen.

Rooms are small but comfortable -- one doesn't come to Santa Fe to sit in their room so the size isn't a problem and is a reflection on the era when the hotel was built. We stayed a couple days and the room was adequate. We spent almost all of our time out walking around town and I don't recall eating at the hotel. There are great restaurants and pubs within walking distance.  We did have a few Irish Coffees in the hotel bar one evening and it was very nice and an intimate place to just relax and reflect on the day's activities.


The hotel is a little "upscale" and I had the feeling that the staff felt that they were, too. They were polite but not exactly friendly. I came away with a mildly negative impression of the place but I think it was mainly due to the staff because the accommodations were fine and the location was perfect for exploring downtown Santa Fe.

If you are wanting more of a traditional Santa Fe (Spanish Revival) style, the La Fonda is a block or so away. The La Fonda also dates to the 1920s and was owned by the Santa Fe Railroad and operated by Fred Harvey. We had lunch there and it was very nice.

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