WiFi=weefee

Just a quickie....Someone I met recently (no names in order to protect the computer illiterate) told me a little story about a WiFi experience they had. It goes something like this....they walked into a McDonald's to grab a bite to eat. While placing there order they noticed a 'Free WiFi' sign. They asked the employee "what is Wi Fi (pronounced weefee). Cute.
I have to admit I now call WiFi weefee.

Current Location: Rest Stop

I still have to catch up on some blogs from the past week or so. This blog is out of order....sorry. On my way from Beeville, TX back up to San Antonio to pick up my mom and sisters for a visit back down in the Mission, TX area. Running early so I pulled off at a rest stop about 60 miles south of San Antonio and lookie there....they have wifi. I will give the GPS coordinates on the Roadtripjunkie.com website for all those geocashers out there that may need to nip to the loo and catch up on some internet at the same time.
The weather out here is pleasantly cool, especially since I have been dealing with 95+ temps the past week. Crazy to me that Southern Texas it saucy hot from March-November.
Anyway, better take the Bean Dog for a spin around this high class rest stop. Miss. Bean has been eating strange bones that she finds the past day or two and spent the am puking in front of Best Value Inn. Bet y'all wanted to know that eh.

Three Rivers and Choke Canyon State Park (TEXAS)

After busting out of Pecos we kept rolling south past San Antonio and into Three Rivers. Three Rivers is a small town that wouldn't have a motel if not for Choke Canyon Recreation Area in fact, the area often fills up on weekends because of the great fishing.

Bean Dog and I did hit up the park for a bit of exercise. There is loads of camping here and the ranger said that it's empty during the week but fills up on weekends. Very strange concept for a girl from Colorado and Southern California where you have to book well in advance to camp during the summer months. Looking forward to camping here when my sister arrives.

Roswell, New Mexico to Pecos, Texas

I forgot to mention in my last post that when I drove into Roswell my XM was playing "The Freaks Come Out at Night" by Whodini. I thought it quite fitting while rolling into Roswell.

Anywho. Only drove a handful of hours down to Pecos, Texas....'Home of the First Rodeo'.

There was actually a bit to do in this agricultural town off the 285. They have a museum showing the history of the area. There is of course the rodeo each year in June and a zoo that I never did see. Apparently the zoo is home to two dozen types of animals....by the way....the leaflet of Pecos shows a long horn for the pic of the zoo.

If you do find yourself passing through this sleeping little town make sure you stop at La Nortena. La Nortena is housed in an old warehouse building and makes a damn tasty tamale. There is a menu and you can either dine in or take out your food. The staff informed me that the tamales are made from scratch. They weren't kidding....they even grind there our corn in the back. To date this is the best tamale I have ever had.

Golden to Roswell 04/08

Tried to leave Golden on Monday but the snow decided I should stay. Actually it wasn't enough to stop me from leaving but lunch happened then a big home cooked meal was dangled in front of me. I must say that meal was worth leaving a day later.

I pushed it down to Roswell, only about 7-8 hours if you don't go by map quest. My gut and then my GPS told me the directions I got where wrong. Had to do a bit of a 45 minute back track.....no big deal. The turn off to head on down to Roswell was at Santa Rosa, a Route 66 classic. I was very tempted to stay and wish I would have. It would have only been a two hour drive the next morning and there were adorable little Route 66 motels for only $25.00 and free wi-fi.

Finally got down to Roswell around 8:30PM and just about all the rooms in town where gone. Made the rounds of about five motels with no luck. Finally got a room at Motel 6, don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Motel 6 but this one was not my bag and no wi-fi. All Motel 6's take pets without charge (cool) but this was a three story enter through the main lobby motel. They only let pets on the third floor. Took a few trips to get my gear up and I wasn't a fan of the room to boot.

Woke up the next day and the aliens where a callin'. Before heading out of town I of course had to check out the UFO Museum and Research Center. It was pretty cool and It is a must if you are in the hood'. Check out the photos! After my 'out of this world' experience at the museum I was in need of a cup of coffee, so I headed over to the 'Out of this World Coffee Shop' and had a latte and a yummy bagel with eggs, ham, and green chilies. Soooo good. Bean Dog and I hung out at the cafe for a while before taking a driving tour of Roswell and finally heading out of town.

Oh, I bought a bumper sticker that says: Buckle Up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out!

Off to Texas. Yeeeehaa!!!!!

Quick Thoughts on Golden, CO

Finally made it to Golden, CO after quite the long drive. Golden is such a great little town to hang out in. It was the first capital of Colorado and with Coors as a major player in the town it is kept up quite well. Plenty of locally owned shops to check out. You can grab a cup of joe and one of several local coffee shops, grab a pizza and beer at Woody's Woodfired Pizza, and finish off at one of several bars (from a wine bar to a biker bar).

My family lives here so accommodation has been a breeze. I try and get up early and head down to central Golden to walk Bean Dog along the creek. On our walks this week we have been checking out the bulldozers in the creek getting ready for the summer rush to Golden. The creek area and all of Golden come alive with tourists and outdoor enthusiasts every summer. At any given time you can watch kayakers navigating the creek (designed for kayaking). On weekends the Farmer's Market is a buzz with amazing local goodies. I always shoot down and grab a breakfast burrito before heading to either Noah Noah's or Higher Grounds for my coffee fix.

I will try and write an article on all there is to do in Golden in the next week or so.

Don't miss Golden next time you visit Denver!

Colorado Springs & Manitou Springs

Spent an amazing weekend in Colorado Spring. It was a bit of a last minute decision but a good one....any side trip is a good one...what was I thinking. Anywho! We had thought about doing the Broadmoor (famous five star resort), but room were starting at $375 and that's the off season. Decided to check out the next best...still a five star resort and with a room rate of $119 we couldn't say no. The Cheyenne Mountain Resort was crazy cheap. Honestly it can be hard to find a three star for that price. Click here to read more about the resort on roadtripjunkie.com.

I plan to write an article on the side trip to Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs in the next week so I will give a few must sees that we managed to get to. All of us (including two little kids) loved the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings. Not a big site but right in the middle of the action, affordable, and well maintained. My sister and I did the Cave of the Winds tour as well. I hadn't been there since I was a kid...still an amazing site to see. This is an absolute if you are in Colorado Springs. We also spent a few hours in crazy, whacked out Manitou Springs. This is one of the stranger little towns I have been to in quite some time. A little hippy, a little art community, a bit of punk throw back...you will just have to go and experience it for yourself.

Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas have so much to offer that a week will give you a good feel of just how fantastic this little gem is. Instead of a day in Denver then a week in the mountains; on your next vacation head for the Springs....I promise you will have a great time.

more photos of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs

PS Detailed article on Colorado Springs and Surrounds coming soon!