The last two weeks of the trip go by in a blur as we travel from Flagstaff, Arizona to Albuquerque, New Mexico and Denver, Colorado before setting our sites toward home.
Day 16: Flagstaff, Arizona to Albuquerque, New Mexico
On paper, it’s only 5 hours from Flagstaff to Albuquerque, but we took our time getting here. After checking out from mu AirBnB we headed east on I-40. I decided to get gas in Winslow, AZ, where it was a little cheaper. This yielded the wonderful photo above. Gotta love small towns grabbing any fame they can!
It was only a short trip down I-40 past Winslow that we came upon Petrified Forest National Park. I hadn’t even known about it before I saw the signs, but I’m all for another opportunity to use my National Parks Service pass!
We only stopped at the visitor’s center and a few of the Painted Desert overlooks, but it was a nice, quick detour.
From there it was a straight shot through several downpours to Albuquerque (with the exception of a quick stop in Gallup, NM for a regrettable hamburger. We shall pretend that never happened.)
The AirBnB in Albuquerque is…cozy. I hadn’t realized how nice the amenities in Flagstaff were, but I can make this work.
The biggest concern will be working remotely for four days on that table and stools. I’ve already scoped out some dog-friendly coffee shops that I may be leveraging this week. I expect to be grossly over-caffeinated!
Once settled, Charlie and I went for a walk only to find a dog-friendly brewery a few blocks away! Boxing Bear Brewing was pretty great, and their chocolate milk stout was fabulous. I’m filing them away as a useful place to hang out in the hot afternoons to come. Charlie was welcome indoors, and I granted him the nickname of “Brewery Carpet”.
For dinner we took a short walk up the road to Vinaigrette, which specialized in fancy salads. I got the “Asian Chopped Salad” (Chopped Napa & red cabbage and rice noodles, with julienned red bell peppers, scallions, shredded carrots, cilantro and peanuts. Tossed with a miso ginger vinaigrette and topped with crispy noodles.) and added duck confit to that.
I paired that with a lovely (non-alcoholic) strawberry-black pepper shrub. It was a delicious meal, but at those prices, um, maybe I’ll look for cheaper options for the rest of my stay. I considered going to find some dessert, but it’s been a long day of driving so I decided to stay in and make an early start of it tomorrow, since I have a 7 AM meeting (my time).
Days 17 and 18: Albuquerque, New Mexico
On Monday Charlie and I settled into the rhythm of working remotely during the day, then breaking for brewery-hopping and dinner later. Unfortunately the seating in my AirBnB leaves much to be desired for long-term working.
After 2 hours, I needed to move elsewhere due to back pain. Fortunately, we found an amazing alternative!
Villa Myriam Coffeehouse in downtown Albuquerque is a cute pseudo-industrial space that has one important quality: They allow dogs indoors!
We spent a couple of hours there on Monday morning before finishing off the day back at the AirBnB. I drove around a bit after finishing up and spotted some neat Transformers art pieces:
Albuquerque is full of neat random art. I hope to do a quick tour of the city to get some highlights before I leave.
Next it was on to my favorite part of road tripping: Brewery hopping! Yesterday and today were spent on breweries that allowed dogs indoors, which was good since the high temperatures each day were around 90 F. On Monday we visited Marble Brewery, Tractor Brewing, Rio Bravo Brewing, and Sidetrack Brewing (I didn’t get flights each time, believe me! Sometimes a half-pour is enough). Marble only allowed dogs on their patio, though it was nicely shaded. I took advantage of the birria truck to get a delicious lunch.
I honestly wasn’t sure if the large styrofoam container was support to be a sauce or a soup, so I shrugged and poured it over the tacos. (In hindsight, it was likely stew, but it was intensely salty so it was better I didn’t eat it all!) I added some of the spice red salsa and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and it was absolutely delicious!
Tractor Brewing was a nice, chill space. It was notable that as I was enjoying my flight a fellow come over to say he saw that I was having a flight which likely meant I was from out of town, so the car with the Illinois license plates in the parking lot was probably mine, and since he collects license plates he had some questions. Honestly. it was a great bit of deduction and I happily explained I had a “Save the Environment” plate (and that “it’s Togo like the sled dog”). Rio Bravo was a sports bar, basically, and I was amazed they allowed dogs inside but sure, why not? I got a green chile quesadilla intending for it to be a snack but it was so big it wound up being dinner (and I left some behind, at that!). I wrapped up the day at Sidetrack, which was an adorable little hole-in-the-wall downtown that I found very charming.
Today started with meetings and some more working from home, then I spent a couple of hours over at Villa Myriam Coffeehouse. After wrapping up for the day I took Charlie over to Roosevelt Park to walk around a bit (hey, when you’re blind a quarter-acre is as good as a whole dog park!). The view from the park over downtown and the western edge of Albuquerque was really quite pretty.
Next came the brewery-hopping! La Cumbre (nice little place hidden in an industrial park), High and Dry (SUPER queer-friendly, really good beers too), and then finishing out the day at Gravity Bound.
The watermelon-basil sour with Fresno pepper was surprisingly good! I usually shy away from pepper-containing beers as the heat tends to mask all of the other flavors, but this was a really nice balance. High and Dry was a pleasant enough place that I wound up spending a couple of hours just hanging out and chatting on my phone.
We wrapped up the night with dinner at Sixty-Six Acres. The New Mexico Shrimp and Grits was just OK, but view of Sandia Crest from the patio was lovely. And then there was the dessert.
This was their Baked Apple & Green Chile Empanada: “Apples + hatch green chile + pecans + caramel sauce vanilla ice cream + powder sugar & cinnamon dusting” It was sweet and spicy and although I felt I should somehow object it was simply delicious. It was a great way to wrap up the day.
Days 19 and 20: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Yesterday was another boring workday, though once again after a couple of hours working at the AirBnb we adjourned to Villa Myriam Coffeehouse. Charlie was getting to be a regular, and appreciated by both the staff and the customers.
One neat thing is that right next to Villa Myriam is the beginnings of the Neon Park, featuring a ton of old random neon signs. I wish it was open to the public because they are amassing some great pieces there.
For lunch Charlie and I adjourned to Holy Burger, where I ordered the half order of fries and the Fried Avocado Burger. Both were…large. Very large.
They were quite tasty, though! From there we retired back to the Airbnb where I caught up on work and enjoyed the cool, dark room in the heat of the day. One bit of strangeness: The studio I am in is part of a larger house, and the three-bedroom bungalow is also rented out. Mid-afternoon I heard a group come into the bungalow and they tried to open the locked door between the bungalow and studio a couple of times. I ignored them A short time later, as I was in the rest room, I heard someone punching in the lock code on the studio door (which I had left unlocked since it’s pretty secure), and then they walked in. I asked if I could help them and they apologized and left quickly. What the hell? If I hadn’t been here would they have taken anything? The more I thought about it the more annoyed I got, and I wound up sending a note to the Airbnb owner explaining what happened. They apologized profusely and said they would speak to the renters.
Eventually, I headed over to Ponderosa Brewing to kill some time with a beer. Eh, it’s a sports-bar type place and the beer was meh, but you can’t win ’em all. Fortunately, it was quickly time to meet up with Gat, and friend I’ve known off and on for years and last saw in San Diego a few years ago. We had dinner at Sawmill Market food hall, and it was a grand time. They had a lovely courtyard and we found a secluded table to chat and enjoy our dinners. Charlie, of course, was his always-charming self and made a new friend. It was a lovely evening and it’s always so great to catch up.
Today was more of the usual pattern – work at the Airbnb then adjourn to Villa Miryam. As this was last time there I made sure to thank the staff for allowing Charlie to be there (though he always quickly settled down and went to sleep every time I took him there).
For lunch…well, let’s not talk about lunch. I tried a fast food chain that new to me and every single thing about it was execrable. I was annoyed that I wasted the calories on such terrible food.
On a happier note, it was off to do some mountain driving! Albuquerque sits at 4,900 feet (1,500 meters), but Sandia Crest towers over the city. Seeing how it was 93 F (34 C) I was looking forward to some natural cooling at the top of the mountain. It’s a surprisingly quick drive, less than hour, to circle around the back of the mountain then drive up (there’s a tram that goes up from the city side, but no dogs allowed). It’s a fun drive with lots of switchbacks, and soon we were at the top at 10, 678 feet (3,255 m)! Charlie had no problem with the altitude but man – I was feeling the altitude even in the short walk up to the top or the observation area! The temperature was 20 degrees cooler than down in the city, and the change was welcome.
Then it was time for the drive down. I was heading to a brewery north of Albuquerque, but Waze told me to drive back the way I came and circle around the mountain. But Route 165 looked shorter so I thought I’d take that. Well, it turns out that there was a reason Waze didn’t send me that way. It was rough, rocky drive but I really enjoyed it. Dang it, I have a Subaru Outback, let’s put it to good use! I had some lovely views along the way, too.
It only added 40 minutes to the trip so I figured it was fun detour. I wound up at Brew Labs 101 in Rio Rancho.
I adored their chemistry-themed decor (likely leaning into Breaking Bad theming, but I ignored that part). The staff was very friendly, and they welcomed Charlie inside and made sure he had dog treats. I hung out there for a while, and decided to get dinner from the sopapilla truck outside. It was good, though although it was stuffed with pulled pork, everything else in there outshone the pork (it was kind of dry). Still quite delicious!
And now we’re back at the Airbnb, Charlie has had his dinner and is dozing happily, and here I am putting a cap on our experiences in Albuquerque. This is a really fun city and I have barely scratched the surface. I would love to come back again sometime soon, perhaps even in the winter!
Days 21 and 22: Albuquerque, New Mexico to Denver, Colorado
Friday was spent mostly driving from Albuquerque, NM to Denver, CO. If you take the shortest route (I-25) it’s a little under 5 hours. I didn’t take the shortest route. Instead, I followed US 285 through Santa Fe, then worked my way north to Alamosa, CO. The drive to that point is most flat, but the topography of the area as you edge along the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is lovely. Once you get into the San Luis Closed Basin you have the Sangre de Cristos to the east and, in the far distance, the San Juan Mountains to the west. At Alamosa we turned east and drove over the La Veta Pass at 9,380 ft (2,860 m), though not without first stopping for a photo of Charlie with Blanca Peak, shown above.
We stopped for a lovely late lunch/early dinner with Snowie and Nicona in Colorado Springs, CO. I had a great time and it was such a pleasure to meet Snowie face-to-face, as we have been chatting off and on for the last six years. Charlie was a little overwhelmed by their dogs initially, but settled down nicely (second photo courtesy of Snowie).
After an all-too-short visit it was time to get back on the road up to Denver. Fortunately the pre-Labor Day traffic wasn’t too bad, and we got to my AirBnB with time to settle in and wind down for the night.
On Saturday I wanted to spend the morning exploring the neighborhood here in Berkeley. Charlie and I walked down to Tennyson Street and found some really amazing places. Breakfast was courtesy of Bakery Four, which, despite the 15-minute wait in line, was a wonderful find. (Anyplace that stocks some very smart books is aces in my book anyway!).
I picked up a pain au chocolate and a pain au jambon (croissant with ham and Gruyere cheese), and oh my heavens they were incredible. The lamination of the dough was perfect, and between the two I’m pretty sure I had half a pound of butter. Totally worth it! Just some really amazing pastries.
Next up, I had realized that Charlie had been getting to be a bit stinky, so it was time to find a local self-serve dog washing place. Charlie, predictably, did not enjoy the experience on bit, but was so clean and pretty once we were done! He even got some new yummy (but pricey) treats!
After a bit back in the AirBnB, it was time to venture out for lunch, and wow did Tennyson Street deliver again. I stopped at il porcellino salumi (sic) and realized it’s a good thing that I do not live nearby because I would give them so much money for all of the tasty things in their display cases. I ordered The Hoggie sandwich: “Capicola, Soppressetta, Berkeley Ham, Aioli, Pickled Peppers, Local Greens & Red Wine Vinaigrette on Ciabatta Roll.” It was delicious! I enjoyed my sandwich while at The Empourium Brewing Company, which had great beer and allowed dogs in the taproom, which I appreciated as the temperature approached 90 F (32 C).
I even picked up a four-pack of their beer to bring to my next destination, a surprise birthday party for my friend Rusty Sabrewuff. That was so much fun, and I got to meet a bunch of really nice folks (most of whom I will never remember their names, unfortunately). Charlie did really well with the five (!) other dogs that were there too. It was really a delightful evening.
Days 23 and 24: Denver, Colorado
This was Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend so things were pretty low-key in general.
On Sunday I started off with a stroll down to Tennyson Street (5 blocks away from my AirBnB) to get some coffee and breakfast. Coffee was easily procured, and for breakfast I decided to try Call Your Mother Deli (“A Jew-ish Deli”). I opted for the “Sun City”: Bacon, egg, cheeses, and honey on an everything bagel. It was absolutely delicious!
Later on I decided to stroll the area a bit more. I came across Feral, a local outdoors store. I love their ethos so much, and I really wish they had something I wanted to buy because…damn.
In case you can’t read what is on their front door: “This is a safe place. Need to use the restroom? Help yourself. Need a drink of water? The fountain is in the back. Need a snack? Just ask, we keep them on hand. Need a place to rest for a bit? We have hammocks upstairs. You don’t have to be a customer to make yourself right at home. Welcome to FERAL.” There is preaching your principles and then there is living them. I hope to go by later any maybe pick up a shirt or something from them because that is just awesome.
A little further walk led me to FlyteCo Brewing Company, which had a cute aviation theme, including a pseudo-airplane fuselage in the taproom. The beer was OK, and I was a little cranky about dogs being limited to the patio with no shade available, but it’s their decision to make. This stop was notable because when I shared it to a chat with friends (that I knew included beer nerds and AvGeeks), my friend Tavvy realized I was in Denver. This paid off later…
There was storm rolling in, so I decided to duck back into The Empourium, which I had visited the day before. Man, I love the vibe of this place. The staff is super-friendly and adored Charlie. There was some fun chat back and forth with other customers, and we found the the group next to me was from Grayslake, Illinois – 5 miles from where I live! The fact that the taproom has a huge pride flag hanging as you walk in, and are supporting an amazing charity only added to why I liked the place.
Later in the afternoon Charlie and I drove back out to visit Rusty, Togo, Aven, and JD. These guys are great, and I really enjoyed the evening of great food and conversation. They were so kind to welcome Charlie into their home, and he got along with their dogs amazingly well, including Mira the schipperke (black), Tundra the schipperke (tan), Rune the German shepherd, and Oliver the corgi. It’s always nice to see everyone settle down comfortably with each other.
Labor Day was a nice, slow start. Charlie and I walked down to Huckleberry Roasters, where I got a latte and an amazing avocado tostada, which I enjoyed out on the patio. I was amused by this very intent girl who was watching her dad buy coffee inside, making a periodic tiny awoo of displeasure. She was adorable.
In the afternoon we drove out to 4 Noses Brewing in Broomfield to meet up with Loran, a friend who I have not seen in many years. We spent a couple of enjoyable hours chatting over lunch and beers and he did a fine job of selling me on why I need to move from Chicago to Denver.
Later on, it was over to Bruz Beers, a brewery which specializes in Belgian-style beers. Holy heck, this may be my favorite brewery in Denver (so far). Poomie and Tavvy joined me and we spent a couple of hours talking about Midwest FurFest, living in Denver, and why I need to move to Denver (are you sensing a theme here?). It was a lovely evening!
I had to finish out the day with this amazing photo of Charlie in front of Lakeside Amusement Park’s The Cyclone Roller Coaster. If you know how much Takaza loved roller coasters, you’ll understand why this was an important photo for me to take.
Days 25 to 28: Denver, Colorado to Volo, Illinois
A note about Charlie’s eating habits: Charlie is always a bit of a fussy eater when we are on the road. I had packed some wet food to mix into his dry kibble (what he usually has at home) but half-open containers need to be refrigerated, which wasn’t always easy. I discovered that he will happily eat his dry kibble…if it is directly out of my hand. How much do I love this boy? Yeah, every meal time was like this.
Part of my taking such a long trip included working remotely some of the time, and that is what I did on Tuesday and Wednesday. It wasn’t too great of a burden, though, since the AirBnb in Denver came with a very nice office setup, including a Dell Thunderbolt dock that worked perfectly with my work laptop, and was attached to two monitors, a keyboard and a mouse. Heck, it even had a fill light for video conferencing! Charlie took it all in stride, of course, and chilled out in the kitchen next to the desk.
After work on Tuesday I drove up into the mountains to visit Tango and Iberian for dinner, joined by MFF 2023’s guest of honor Wild Acai. It was a lovely dinner and great conversation. I had a lovely time, and the hospitality was impeccable.
After work on Wednesday I took it easy, doing some cleanup and packing. After having a tasty vegetarian bowl for lunch that was surprisingly filling, I decided that I was an adult and if I wanted ice cream and beer for dinner then I bloody well could have it!
It was great to walk into The Empourium and have the bartender recognize me (and Charlie) and ask how our trip was going. That was really cool, and marks them as one of my favorite breweries of the trip!
Thursday morning Charlie and I got back on the road, heading toward home. As I watched the mountains recede in my rear view mirror I had a pang in my heart. I have decided that I truly am not built for the flatlands.
I suspect that eventually I will live somewhere where mountains are at least in sight. No timeline or immediate plans for that, but it’s something worth remembering.
We stopped for lunch at Pals Brewing Company in North Platte, Nebraska. It’s outside of town and the whole area is pretty rural, but it was a delightful find! I feel like I should have objected to the cheeseburger quesadilla (hamburger, onions, pickles, and cheddar cheese, served with a side of “secret sauce”) but it really was delicious and hit the spot. I paired that with their Trompe Le Monde Belgian Strong Golden Ale, which was really good. Pair that with a lovely dog-friendly patio and the place was a real winner.
We stopped for the night in Lincoln, Nebraska. I hadn’t realized that the Hyatt Place is literally in the shadow of the University of Nebraska’s football stadium. If there had been a home game that weekend I’m pretty sure the whole area would have been crazy, but luckily it was an away game. Charlie chilled in his bed while I caught up on work and convention business, then we ventured out to explore the area. There was a brewery right by the hotel, which was OK but had a great train on display right next to it. We wandered a bit more and found a “craft” cocktail bar that wasn’t particularly craft-y, but the black walnut Manhattan was pretty good, plus they allowed dogs inside.
Eventually we found dinner at a local place with a nice patio, then called it an early night.
Friday, it was time to get back on the road for the final time! I continued listening to an audiobook (A Gilded Iron Blade by Kai Butler, performed by Greg Tremblay) that made the miles fly by. We stopped for lunch in Coralville, Iowa in a development called “Iowa Landing”, one of those new “We’re going to build a mixed-use development and pretend that everyone has been here for years” kind of places that always ring a bit fake to me. I mean, I still would move there to have so much within walking distance, I admit! Lunch was on the patio of Backpocket Brewing, which had some solid beers.
From there it was a marathon drive home (except for a brief gas/rest stop in Rock Falls, Illinois). We got home and pulled into the driveway. I turned the car off and relaxed. The trip was over.
