Last night, I received an email saying that our boarding would be delayed due to “technical difficulties.” Holland America instructed us to arrive mid-afternoon. Fine. We still left early, but we went to he Sawgrass Mills mall to shop and have lunch @ Matchbox in Sunrise before driving to the port.

The port–on a random Wednesday–was very quite compared to the bustle that’s more typical of a Thanksgiving cruise weekend departure. Our fellow guests–mostly retirees–seemed to have ignored the instructions from HAL re: boarding. I have to imagine that there were delays earlier in the day when boarding was denied, but we waltzed at our appointed time from the parking lot, thru the terminal, and onto to the ship without any delays.

We have an aft balcony cabin (#7145) on Zuiderdam. Our cabin is typical of this class of ship (we’d sailed on a sister ship, Westerdam, with the entire family a few years back), although the balcony is extra deep. Mom and Emerson have an inside cabin opposite us, though their door is around the corner.

Zuiderdam, Cabin 7145

View of balcony, Zuiderdam Cabin 7145

The rest of the first day was typical. We did the requisite muster drill. We made speciality dining reservations (limited on this ship). We ate dinner in the main dining room (generally decent or better with fairly good service for a first night aboard).

Although I think of this as a “two week vacation,” we’ve actually been traveling for 18 days. It feels like it. We’ve covered a lot of ground in those days: 3,978 miles, 11 states, and 7 national parks (but who’s counting?). 

We also completed our 157×50 project. 

Now what? I’m not entirely sure. I think we’re going to make a point of visiting every national park in the lower 48 (plus a few others). We’re probably also going to continue “collecting countries” as there are certainly places we’ve not yet gone that we’d like to go (and probably some places that we don’t want to go but will find ourselves in and enjoy even more). We’ll certainly return to some favorites… though that’s not exactly a small list for us to define. Maybe we’ll buy an RV and/or a boat and/or a vacation home (we’ve talked about all three but have never managed to pull the trigger yet on any of them). 

In any case, while this trip is ending and we’ve reached a milestone, the journey continues onward for as long, far, wide, and deep as we’re able to go.

Once in the park, we took the road less taken–called the Old Fall River Road–up to the Alpine Visitor Center (which is the highest visitor center in the NP system at nearly 12,000 ft). It’s an unpaved one lane, one way road that was the first automobile path into the interior of the park. It’s a slow and spectacular, though slightly “ass puckering” at certain points, drive up the mountains. 

The view from the Alpine Visitor Center speaks for itself (this is the valley we drove up):

Here’s a view of the snow fields (which is still fairly deep) and tundra at this elevation:

The drive down via the Trail Ridge Road actually more spectacular with grand vistas and much wild life (especially elk) along the way. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos of it on my mobile and only a few on my Nikon due to the amount of traffic on the road and in the turn offs. 

In the late afternoon on our way back from RMNP, we drove down to Boulder, which we’d hoped to walk around in. But, by the time we got there afternoon rains had arrived and disrupted our plans. It looked like a cool town with a small but vibrant downtown. We’ll have to check it out on another visit. 

We spent the night at a Marriott out near the airport and had dinner at Ted’s Montana, which isn’t great dining but is pretty good for a chain. 

We arrived at the Garden of the Gods around lunchtime for what will likely be our last picnic of the trip. After lunch, we hiked around the various rock formations and managed to avoid the rain. 

Another view:

Overall, I liked the park, but it would have been better on a clear day and earlier in the morning (due to lots of crowds and inadequate parking). 

In the mid-afternoon, we drove up to Denver in fairly heavy stop-and-go traffic. As when we arrived two weeks ago, Denver has really provided the only traffic jams of this trip. 

For dinner, we ate some pretty good BBQ at a place called Boney’s BBQ near our hotel. Emerson especially surprised us by ordering and eating the pulled pork, a first for her. 

We’re staying downtown at a Marriott for the next two nights before we transfer out to another hotel closer to the airport. Our plan is to visit some museums tomorrow and then maybe head up to Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday. 

Arriving in Ranchos de Taos, we attempted to visit the San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church, but there was a funeral going on that we didn’t want to crash. So, we drove on to the Harwood Museum in Taos that was featuring a show about Mable Dodge Luhan, a patron of the arts predominately associated with Taos. 

Overall, we found her life and associations with artists to be more interesting than the art on display itself. Of course, neither Libby nor I are especially fond of the American modernist period. We did enjoy the Agnes Martin (one of our favorite artists and another painter based in Taos) works from their permanent collection on display:

I would have liked to explore Tao more, but we were afraid of getting rained out at Great Sand Dunes NP later in the day. So, we picked up lunch to eat on the road and headed north to Colorado with dark skies and rain in our rear view mirror. 

About two hours later, we arrived at GSDNP. From afar, I have to say that the dunes didn’t look that imposing:

But, as you get closer to them, you realize just how massive they are. Unlike other parks with designated trails, you can climb all over the sand dunes in whatever direction you wish. That said, they are quite the slog to climb given that you’re going uphill (a rise of nearly 700 ft), in sand (obviously) and at this altitude (from about 8,000 ft at the base of the dune). 

This photo gives a bit of perspective from one of the ridges. Note the people in the “valley” below us:

With the approaching rain and darking skies, we also cut our hike on the dunes short (a wise decision as the rain reached us just as we were driving a couple of miles south). 

Since it was only a little after 3pm, we would have ordinarily driven further in the day. However, I already had our hotel booked in nearby Alamosa and couldn’t cancel this late without a fee. So, we checked into the Fairfield Inn and opted to just relax this evening by catching an early movie (Finding Dory) at a tiny, old-school (for us) movie theater next to our hotel and then had dinner at the Chili’s nearby. I felt like an Almasoa local out for a big night on the town!

Like yesterday, we started the day with breakfast at one of the local eateries, The French Pastry Shop. After this, we returned to the hotel and took Emerson back to the pool, which she really enjoys. 

By late morning, we’d changed for the day and picked up the car from the valet to drive to Museum Hill, which houses (unsurprisingly) a number of museums. 

We started by visiting the Museum of International Folk Art. Wow! Talk about eclectic. Here’s a sample of what we saw on display…

An exquisitely detailed miniature circus:

A Spanish heritage exhibition dedicated to Flamenco:

An exploration of sacred blessings and good fortune across Asia:

And, Alexander Girard’s vast collection and purpose-built display of over 100,000 toys, dolls, icons, and other forms of ethnic expressions from around the world:

We then had lunch at the Museum Hill Cafe before heading the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens, which was enjoyable though still a bit of a work-in-progress:

We then returned to the historical downtown, dropped off our car, and explored more on foot. 

First, we visited the Cathedral Basilica of Santa Fe:

Here is its surprisingly light interior:

Then we visited the Loretto Chapel, which is most famous for its “miraculous” spiral staircase (that didn’t originally have the handrail you now see attached to it):

From there, we window shopped a bit and found a lovely independent bookshop with an attached coffee shop, where I tried a “Bullet Proof” coffee for first time. What’s that? Basically, it’s a regular cup of drip coffee blended with butter and (I think the barista said) “honey.” It was alright… though I didn’t completely love the texture. 

We continued strolling around downtown and popped into unusual, arty shops along the way. Eventually, we made our way to the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, which was also hosting an exhibition on the designer, artist, and educator Lloyd Kiva New in commemoration of his 100th birthday (he died in 2002). 

These are some of my favorite paintings of his:

For dinner, we ate at the very popular restaurant called The Shed. Once again, we enjoyed traditional New Mexican fare, which is certainty one of the joys of this city. Here’s Libby drinking a prickly pear margarita:

Santa Fe is an interesting town that I really like (and want to love). The weather, food, and culture here are all pretty much ideal from my perspective. Yet, I’m not completely enamored of it, and I’m not really sure why. I think we need to see more of it, especially away from the historical / tourist district new our hotel. That said, we like it well enough that I’m sure we’ll return and might opt to spend some extended time here in our retirement. 
 
 

For lunch we went to Tia Sophia’s and ate a scrumptious meal of Northern New Mexican specialities. I had a flavorful chicken stew with blue corn cheese enchiladas and pinto beans:

We’ve also noticed all of the New Mexican places around here tend to serve a basket of sopapillas with every meal. What are sopapillas? They’re a fried quick bread that are served warm that you eat with honey (and I happen to like sprinkled with cinnamon sugar too). Delicious! 

After lunch, we visited the Georgia O’Keefe Museum and the New Mexico Museum of Art. 

I’ve never been a huge fan of O’Keefe’s work. I realize its art historical importance, but it just doesn’t “speak to me” as they say. That said, I came away with a new appreciation for her as she was deeply thoughtful about her practice (including having custom frames made for her work) and seemed to be compelled (like Matisse) to go on making art despite physical limitations (in her case macular degeneration). I also learned that she was an extensive, worldwide traveler. All of this makes me relate to her more. 

Here’s a painting based on her view from above the clouds in an airplane:

The New Mexico Museum of Art was a bit more uneven and kind of a limited collection. It had one awesome Agnes Martin on display, some interesting contemporary works in alcoves (I especially liked Tom Joyce’s work), and a couple of interesting small exhibitions (one dedicated to the work of artists from the Institute of American Indian Arts and another based on lowrider cars). 

Here’s the Martin that I liked:

Here’s some work by Tom Joyce (note the rings burnt into the wood fiberboard):

Lowrider inspired art:

What was also nice about both of these museums is that they furnished Emerson with art supplies to engage more actively in her visit. This is a really good idea that other museums should adopt. 

Here she is drawing buffalo: 

For dinner, we went to Draft Station for pizza and craft beer — both were excellent. 

I found driving through the Black Hills enjoyable and surprisingly picturesque (not really knowing what to expect). This is a fairly typical view:

Our first stop was Mt. Rushmore. It had far too many Trump supporters. And, overall: meh… like most major yet familiar sights, I’m left somewhere south of whelmed. I’m glad to have seen it, but I don’t have to go back. 

Our next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial. I hadn’t even planned to come here until it was suggested by Libby before we left. But, I’m glad that we visited the site. To me, it’s far more appropriate in the Black Hills (a land sacred to the native people) than Mt. Rushmore as an icon to our (white) chiefs of the “commander-in” variety. I also found the personal story of the sculptor and his family far more inspiring. Plus, it’s a work-in-progress. Thus, I’d like to return here and (hopefully) see it done one day. 

After grabbing lunch at Crazy Horse, we drove down to Wind Cave NP, which is famous for its windy caves (surprise! –caused by the air pressure variation between inside the cave and the outside atmosphere) and boxwork (think uneven “brickwork” in which the brick has melted away leaving paper-thin mortar patterns). Here’s a view of the boxwork:

After Wind Cave NP, we drove go Wall, SD. We’re staying in a Best Western (again, a surprisingly good motel). We ate dinner at one of the few restaurants in town (Badlands Saloon & Grill — also exceeded expectations) and then visted the famous yet enjoyable tourist-trap (what else can you really call it?) Wall Drugs. 

Tomorrow, we’re visiting Badlands NP before we make the extended drive across South Dakota to reach Iowa (really the only significant driving we’re doing just to “get a state” for no other meaningful purpose). 

Here’s s sense of what the trails are like:

This is a view from the Ridgeline Trail:

And, this one is from Wind Canyon Trail:

TRNP is less “spectacular” than that of Yellowstone or Grand Teton. But, it’s much less crowded and feels more intimate — thereby more easily allowing you to become part of nature and the environment. 

Here’s a good vista of the park that I took from an overlook off of I-94:

We’d happily return for a longer visit…

After TRNP, we returned to Medora for lunch and then drove about 3.5 hours to Deadwood, SD. This should be a better jumping off point for our plans tomorrow, including Mt. Rushmore.

Deadwood itself is kind of like a Wild West-themed version of Gatlinburg, TN for bikers. The architecture in the historic district (and the history itself) is interesting. But, it’s basically a tourist trap for bikers and gamblers. We ate dinner at the best place in town (according to Yelp), and it was fairly pedestrian (though Emerson really liked her Mac and Cheese, which I think may have been Kraft). So, unlike Medora, I wouldn’t put Deadwood on my “must return” list. But, we’re glad to have seen it. 

Today’s box score: +1 state (South Dakota)

But, we eventually got out act together and drove up to Bozeman via Big Sky following (more or less) the Gallatin River through one of the most picturesque sections of road we’ve seen on this trip. Big Sky is also clearly “big dollars.” I can see why though: the location and real estate both look pretty breathtaking. 

In Bozeman, we stopped at the Museum of the Rockies, which has an impressive dinosaur collection.

This guy is especially impressive, as it isn’t merely a casting (as most dinosaur skeletons are) but the real fossil:

The museum also had some interesting exhibits on Montana history and culture, as well as a hands-on, interpretive history site that demonstrated daily life in 1890s Montana:

I should also mention that the town of Bozeman itself was fairly appealing.  Maybe not a great place to visit (not a lot of touristic interest), but it seems like a good place to live if you can accept the climate. 

The drive across the rest of Montana to Medora, ND was rather pleasant and interesting enough. Eastern Montana certainly isn’t as arrestingly beautiful as Western Montana’s mountains. However, it was a nice change of pace from Florida. 

We arrived in Medora, ND around 6pm and checked into our fairly “old school” motel. I didn’t expect much of the town or accommodations — we were just coming for the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. But, we were shocked by what we found: a pristine, quaint, well cared for town and a modest but very nice (and newly renovated) motel. 

We were utterly smitten.

How did this come to pass? It turns out the town was founded by a French aristocratic (using his wealthy American in-laws money), who’s business there ultimately failed (though his “chateau” remains). Teddy Roosevelt, of course, loved the area and helped to make it famous. But, Medora kind of languished until it was bolstered by the vision and finances of the inventor of Mr. Bubbles (among other things).  Today, it thrives, supported by a well-endowed, non-profit foundation and hundreds of volunteers each summer. I could go on, but I suggest you just read about it at Medora’s web site. 

Here’s a couple of photos of the town, including an awesome playground:

Today’s box score: +1 state (North Dakota)