Bucket List
Many people have a bucket list. This is a list of all the things a person wants to do before they "kick the bucket". Skydiving, climbing Mt. Everest, throwing out the first pitch at an MLB game.....those sorts of dreams fill most people's bucket list. Mine is pretty short and simple. I (Tina) just want to step foot in all 50 states. Joe has been given strict instructions that, should I kick the bucket before I make it to all 50, he has to take my cremated ashes and sprinkle them in the states I haven't yet crossed off my list. Before you mention that it's against the law to sprinkle cremated ashes, save your breath. I know. But I'm pretty sure no one will notice. Especially if he is slick about how and where he sprinkles me.
Anywho. We recently took an adventure to cross off some states from my list. Joe was already in Arizona for a conference so I joined him and we made a long, windy road trip back to our Missouri home. We started out the adventure in Phoenix with some shopping, eating at our favorite restaurant chain (Raising Canes) and a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. After that we drove north through Flagstaff to Cameron, AZ where we stayed at the Cameron Lodge in Navajo Nation. We made a quick jaunt from the lodge to Grand Canyon National Park to freeze our fannies off trying to get a snowy view of the canyon. It is definitely more amazing and, well, grand than I ever imagined it would be. Even with the snow. After some chilly time at the edge of the canyon, we headed back to warmth. Cameron Lodge was truly a joy. In the midst of the poverty of the reservation, here was this delightful little mecca of kitschy Native American souveniers and an unbelievably wonderful food. We ordered the Navajo Taco and Navajo Roast Beef. Both were served atop a huge slab of fry bread. The reason fry bread is so wonderful has something to do with the lard it's fried in. Shhh...Don't tell my cardiologist. All I can say is this: get in your car, drive to Cameron, Arizona and try the Navajo Taco. You will NOT regret it.
From there we drove to Four Corners where I got to be in four places at once and then had lunch at a little Main Street restaurant in Cortez, CO. Driving on down the road we passed through Durango and into the mountains to our next stop, Purgatory. I have to admit I selected that hotel stay entirely based on the name of the town. What person (other than maybe my Catholic friends) doesn't want to be able to say they've spent the night in Purgatory? We ate at a sketchy little restaurant called "The Old Schoolhouse" that was clearly the place where locals spent their time drinking. The pizza there was unique, too. The next day we continued on into the mountains and stopped for breakfast in Silverton, CO. Apparently Silverton hybernates for the winter and no one opens their shops or restaurants until the tourist season starts in May. We were the only tourists silly enough to venture into Silverton in April. The one restaurant that was open AND had food to serve was "Mother Cluckers". We ate in a room that was empty except for some local miners who looked skeptical of our presence. Joe ordered the special: a french toast, sauteed banana and bacon sandwich served with warm honey. It sounds strange but was actually quite wonderful.
With our bellies full we continued north through the mountains toward Grand Junction, CO to catch the interstate. While driving through the Rocky Mountains was one of the most magnificant, gorgeous experiences I have ever had (yay God!), I must also say the drive was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. Did you know that very few of those windy mountain roads have guard rails? All that seperates you from a horrible death is about 6 inches of shoulder and, if you're really lucky, a few pine trees. Eventually we made it to Denver for some deeply wonderful laughter with good friends -- and a trip to IKEA that almost ruined our marriage -- before returning to our old Missouri home. All in all, it was a fantastic adventure and I'm glad we got to knock off some states from the bucket list.
Anywho. We recently took an adventure to cross off some states from my list. Joe was already in Arizona for a conference so I joined him and we made a long, windy road trip back to our Missouri home. We started out the adventure in Phoenix with some shopping, eating at our favorite restaurant chain (Raising Canes) and a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. After that we drove north through Flagstaff to Cameron, AZ where we stayed at the Cameron Lodge in Navajo Nation. We made a quick jaunt from the lodge to Grand Canyon National Park to freeze our fannies off trying to get a snowy view of the canyon. It is definitely more amazing and, well, grand than I ever imagined it would be. Even with the snow. After some chilly time at the edge of the canyon, we headed back to warmth. Cameron Lodge was truly a joy. In the midst of the poverty of the reservation, here was this delightful little mecca of kitschy Native American souveniers and an unbelievably wonderful food. We ordered the Navajo Taco and Navajo Roast Beef. Both were served atop a huge slab of fry bread. The reason fry bread is so wonderful has something to do with the lard it's fried in. Shhh...Don't tell my cardiologist. All I can say is this: get in your car, drive to Cameron, Arizona and try the Navajo Taco. You will NOT regret it.
From there we drove to Four Corners where I got to be in four places at once and then had lunch at a little Main Street restaurant in Cortez, CO. Driving on down the road we passed through Durango and into the mountains to our next stop, Purgatory. I have to admit I selected that hotel stay entirely based on the name of the town. What person (other than maybe my Catholic friends) doesn't want to be able to say they've spent the night in Purgatory? We ate at a sketchy little restaurant called "The Old Schoolhouse" that was clearly the place where locals spent their time drinking. The pizza there was unique, too. The next day we continued on into the mountains and stopped for breakfast in Silverton, CO. Apparently Silverton hybernates for the winter and no one opens their shops or restaurants until the tourist season starts in May. We were the only tourists silly enough to venture into Silverton in April. The one restaurant that was open AND had food to serve was "Mother Cluckers". We ate in a room that was empty except for some local miners who looked skeptical of our presence. Joe ordered the special: a french toast, sauteed banana and bacon sandwich served with warm honey. It sounds strange but was actually quite wonderful.
With our bellies full we continued north through the mountains toward Grand Junction, CO to catch the interstate. While driving through the Rocky Mountains was one of the most magnificant, gorgeous experiences I have ever had (yay God!), I must also say the drive was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. Did you know that very few of those windy mountain roads have guard rails? All that seperates you from a horrible death is about 6 inches of shoulder and, if you're really lucky, a few pine trees. Eventually we made it to Denver for some deeply wonderful laughter with good friends -- and a trip to IKEA that almost ruined our marriage -- before returning to our old Missouri home. All in all, it was a fantastic adventure and I'm glad we got to knock off some states from the bucket list.
Comments