The ABCs of Starting Over- OR to KY Roadtrip + WDW 50th Ann. Trip 9/28-10/4; Day 6 and REPORT COMPLETE!

[Paulaparm]

The blankets are beautiful! I imagine it was hard to choose.

 

[pkondz]

When I was young(er, now I'm just old)

Nah. You're still young.

Not only is it a National Historic Site, but it’s also still very operational with skads and skads of Indian crafts and antiques for sale.

Oh, cool!

If browsing for turquoise,

nope

blankets,

nope

baskets,

nope

antique firearms

and... nope.

is your thing, this is your place!

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this isn't my place.

Why are the baskets hanging from the ceiling?
Tough to just grab one and go...

Actually, it's pretty ingenious. You can't see all the varieties if they're stacked on shelves.

We looked at the dozens of blankets for quite some time and learned that not all rugs are equal. By that, I mean some are made with all natural dyes and hand-carded wool, while others are made with artificial dyes rending brighter, more garish colors.

Huh. But... makes sense.

The Navajo seller explained that the symbolism the weaver captures in this particular design are the heat waves coming off of the desert and the reflective mirages against the darker hills.

Oh sure! I see that.

All told, it was around $800 that we plunked down- by far the most expensive souvenir for the entire trip.

But... I could see myself doing similarly if I saw something I really wanted.

we’d made arrangements to meet up with some long-lost friends with whom I’d recently re-connected with. They were very helpful in giving me some information and insights for my Capstone Project for my BSN degree

Nice! Not a DISmeet... but a friend meet. Almost as good.

we pulled into the historic El Charro Hotel where many, MANY old-timey movie stars have stayed while on set at nearby locations.

Really! That's pretty cool.

We were given the "James Cagney Room"

Did that include complimentary grapefruit?

Jerry’s, one of the most popular Gallup, NM greasy spoons specializing in New Mexico-style Mexican food.

mmmm.... that sounds like a good place.

And when in NM, the right thing to do is order tamales “Christmas-style”. That means, half red sauce, half green sauce.

Ah! Smart. Perfectly matches the description.

Both are very spicy and spectacularly delicious. I ate the whole order of pork tamales while Zach enjoyed some Albondigas soup which he loved.

Sounds like you guys had quite the feast.

Holy crap! That looks amazing! <drool>

then headed for our hotel for the night. Needless to say, it was vastly more comfortable, even if a bit dated, than what we’d endured the several nights before.

I sure hope so.

Up next, A Marriage Proposal

Congrats! Or... congrats to Zach. Either way.
When's the wedding? Where's the honeymoon?

 

[princessbelle2015]

Beautiful blankets! Your Mexican food looks delicious.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I can think of no better souvenir from your trip than one of those beautiful blankets. So glad you found something you loved at a price to suit.
Health to enjoy!

 

[Wood Nymph]

All told, it was around $800 that we plunked down- by far the most expensive souvenir for the entire trip.

I think that was a great purchase.

historic El Charro Hotel where many, MANY old-timey movie stars have stayed while on set at nearby locations.

That sounds like a very interesting place to stay. I assume you plan to post some pictures.

We piled in their car with their kids and drove to the kids' school for sports practice and then took off for Jerry’s, one of the most popular Gallup, NM greasy spoons specializing in New Mexico-style Mexican food. And when in NM, the right thing to do is order tamales “Christmas-style”.

That sounds like fun and kind of a normal activity for a very non-normal trip.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Before it was clear this was the wrong road, we came across a very poignant roadside memorial to the Navajo Code Talkers. If you are unfamiliar with this part of WWII history here is a brief bit of information:

Hey, I actually did know about them. Great story.

Again, I found an employee and told her I had been sent here to ask about any rugs for other handcrafts for sale.

<dramatic voice> “Ohhhh, you want to see… the room.”

<becoming giddy, but keeping my bargaining poker game face on> “Well, I’m interested in seeing handwoven rugs if you have any.”

This is how I imagine the exchange went down:

Simpsons illegal fireworks

Will Zach and Steppe find rugs before we leave this amazing portion of country?

Hopefully without needing another mortgage!

In no particular order, Canyon de Chelly:

Very nice! I never got to that part of Arizona.

We were so proud of our purchases which the staff carefully rolled and wrapped for us in paper tucking the receipts inside along with an informational pamphlet on how to care for our new treasures. All told, it was around $800 that we plunked down- by far the most expensive souvenir for the entire trip.

Worth it, to support the artists and hear their stories!

 

[pkondz]

This is how I imagine the exchange went down:

Simpsons illegal fireworks

 

[Steppesister]

The blankets are beautiful! I imagine it was hard to choose.

They are so pretty! And I certainly appreciate the hard work and craftsmanship that goes into each one. There are so many styles (and each region has a name) that it's hard to pick one favorite, or even type!

 

[Steppesister]

Nah. You're still young.

My body would tell me otherwise.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this isn't my place.

There was also history and antiques.

Why are the baskets hanging from the ceiling?
Tough to just grab one and go...

Actually, it's pretty ingenious. You can't see all the varieties if they're stacked on shelves.

Correct. And they're worth a LOT of $$. Harder to steal that way.

But... I could see myself doing similarly if I saw something I really wanted.

I didn't buy much of anything else other than tours (which aren't hard goods) and a couple pieces of jewelry.

Nice! Not a DISmeet... but a friend meet. Almost as good.

Did that include complimentary grapefruit?

Those were the days of really good movies.

mmmm.... that sounds like a good place.

Sooo good!

Ah! Smart. Perfectly matches the description.

Clever for sure!

Sounds like you guys had quite the feast.

I was so stuffed! I just couldn't stop myself.

Holy crap! That looks amazing! <drool>

See...?!

Congrats! Or... congrats to Zach. Either way.
When's the wedding? Where's the honeymoon?

You'll have to wait!

 

[Steppesister]

Beautiful blankets! Your Mexican food looks delicious.

Thank you! And thank you for chiming in and joining the fun! I hope to see you often... well, as often as I post, which I admit, sadly isn't often right now.

 

[Steppesister]

I can think of no better souvenir from your trip than one of those beautiful blankets. So glad you found something you loved at a price to suit.
Health to enjoy!

It will be nice to see it decorating my home for quite a while. I just love it!

 

[Steppesister]

I think that was a great purchase.

I agree!

That sounds like a very interesting place to stay. I assume you plan to post some pictures.

I certainly will! In the next update which I hope will be this weekend!

That sounds like fun and kind of a normal activity for a very non-normal trip.

LOL!! I had to throw in some normal since we'd been roughing it for long enough. The car was taking it's toll. And yet our worst night BY FAR is still coming up.

 

[Steppesister]

Hey, I actually did know about them. Great story.

This is how I imagine the exchange went down:

Simpsons illegal fireworks

Hopefully without needing another mortgage!

At that point, I didn't have one. Now I do... and juuuust in time too. I don't have an extra leg to pay for the interest rates now.

Very nice! I never got to that part of Arizona.

Time to hit the road then!

Worth it, to support the artists and hear their stories!

Exactly!

 

[pkondz]

My body would tell me otherwise.

I will reserve comment.
I have a feeling if I start commenting on women's bodies I will either get romantic proposals... or banned from the DIS! Or both!

There was also history and antiques.

Okay, so maybe this is my kind of place!

Correct. And they're worth a LOT of $$. Harder to steal that way.

Define "a LOT of $$"? What are we talking here for a single basket?

Those were the days of really good movies.

While I agree with you to some degree... there are also some amazing movies that are more contemporary.
Just today I was looking through some Netflix suggestions and I saw
Unforgiven (1992 and possibly the best western ever made)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994 can watch that again and again and again)
The Last Samurai (2003 great epic that I've seen at least 3 times)
Those are just 3 that I noticed. So many more out there.

I was so stuffed! I just couldn't stop myself.

Having seen that plate... I'm not surprised!

You'll have to wait!

 

[Steppesister]

A is for: A Near Engagement and An Emotional Day​

As I previously wrote, Zach and I had had a beautiful dinner with newly re-acquainted friends and checked into the historic El Rancho Hotel for a night of re-living the glory days of old Western films, the glitz and glitter of Hollywood with a New Mexican twist.

(Photos are from both evening and the following morning.)​

Here is a write up about the El Rancho that goes into the history far better than I could:

https://newmexiconomad.com/el-rancho-hotel-motel-gallup/

As the article says, the Wild West vibe is real as is the glamour days of movie stars who came for both R&R and to use as lodging during filming on nearby locations. Zach and I thoroughly enjoyed walking around the building and seeing the old photographs of lavish costume parties with elegant catering and portraits of the stars on set. There was tons of memorabilia as well that were fun to see.

​

Our room was very basic with a decidedly retro décor throughout. I couldn’t help but to wonder what kind of naughty, secret soirees happened upstairs after the parties wound down. Here are the photos from the “James Cagney Room” we had.

​

The hotel houses a terrific gift shop with all kinds of Indian crafts from jewelry to pottery, blankets to baskets.

(A sample of what some of the turquoise looked like in the gift shop.)​

Zach was set on sleeping in, but I woke early and wanted to find a souvenir and some breakfast. I settled on this lovely pot and the clerk, who was listening to the local Navajo radio station, wrapped it up carefully and placed it in a box to keep it safe on our travels. ** A side note about the pottery technique: The clay is "mined" on Navajo Lands from special clay pits. It is then mixed with horsehair for that unique spalted look you can see near her hand at the top. She told me that these pots are pretty rare right now as the clay pits were shut down to collection during Covid and at the time I bought the pot, no new ones were being made. I have since stayed at the El Rancho again (for a very specific reason that I'll save for my very last chapter) and was told that the clay pits are open again and the artists are now able to gather. Here is an article to the very time-consuming, exacting process of Navajo Horsehair Pottery.

https://nativoart.com/navajo-horse-hair-pottery/

​

Happy with my pot, I got a table in the café and perused the menu.

​

A few other tables were occupied by early risers, including the one next to me at which a gentleman of about 70 sat sipping coffee and reading the morning paper. He seemed to be familiar with the waitress and it became obvious he was a frequent flyer… and had been for some time.

Before my breakfast of Huevos Rancheros arrived, another older gentleman arrived and the two picked up right where they left off the day before. It was easy to overhear their conversation which consisted of stories of days gone by, politics, the coffee… I am a pretty outgoing kind of gal and injected a few sentences here and there and as they continued to banter, with the occasional thought of my own thrown in, a third older man joined the table. Greetings were exchanged and the conversation carried on. When the waitress came to refill my coffee, she leaned over and quietly whispered in my ear that "(your) tab has been taken care of by the table next to you." I was both surprised and pleased, and said thank you to them after she had left. At that point, I tossed in a comment and the first gentleman says, “You know, you may as well join us over here. We could use a bit of beauty and youth at our table.” I laughed and made a joke about being neither, but happily picked up my plate and cup and moved to the empty spot. It wasn’t long before a 4th friend joined us. As I sat down, one of them said with a heavy wink, “The first rule of the table is: Don’t believe ONE word of what you hear here!” We all laughed and laughed. And I had the distinct feeling that whatever they were saying was probably both true but perhaps inflated with the passage of time and age.

Over the next hour or so we just shared stories, talked about where life had taken us, and generally bull$hitted our way through the morning. We became fast friends and I think there was a mutual amusement of how an unexpected guest at the table gave a freshness to their morning ritual. Each revealed a colorful past: one was 3rd generation immigrant who ran a very successful ranch, one was the former Chief of Police of Gallup, one a former elected County Sheriff, and the last, the first gentlemen at the table (I didn’t find this out until later), was a former owner of…. The El Rancho Hotel. As our breakfast wore on, the first gentleman quite abruptly and with a deadpan tone looked straight me and blurts out, “Hey wanna marry me?” The other 3 burst out laughing and the one to my right retorts, “I wish I could say he’s joking.”. For the next 20 minutes he tried in vain to convince me to stay in Gallup and live out my days married to a stranger: “I have a lot of money.”, “I like sex every day.” “I can cook a mean steak and have a nice house.” “Wanna Porsche?” My neighbor quickly reminded me that the first rule of the table was to not believe a word any of them said. There was laughter, and cheer, and this morning reminded me of all that is still good in this world- the way things used to be that is hard to find these days.

​

Sadly, Zach and I needed to get on the road and start making our way to Las Cruces, so we packed up our things into the car and hit the highway.

About 4 hours into our drive, Zach nearly yells out, “MOM!!! Where are the rugs?!?!”

“They’re in the back, we put them in there when we were packing stuff in the car.”

“I didn’t, did you?”

​

I sent gravel flying as I skidded off to the side of the road slamming on the brakes. We both flew out and threw the back open and pulled everything out. I nearly vomited in grief. We were both absolutely gutted and heartbroken. We’d each thought the other had put the rugs in the car after putting them on the roof as we made room and arranged things. The best we could guess was that somewhere in the first mile or so, they’d rolled off and someone scored $800 worth of Navajo rugs. There was nothing to do but continue our journey. The next morning, I filed a police report with no hope whatsoever of seeing those beautiful, loved rugs again.

I can say, the drive was a pretty one, albeit not the best way for getting from Point A to Point B quickly. Not knowing what to expect, I chose to take the scenic route which ended up being a twisty, winding, slow, 2-lane highway and the driving was tedious and tiring. We landed in Las Cruces far later than I’d hoped, frustrated, upset, and exhausted. But… that’s for picking up in the next chapter. Stay tuned…

 

[Steppesister]

I will reserve comment.
I have a feeling if I start commenting on women's bodies I will either get romantic proposals... or banned from the DIS! Or both!

Okay, so maybe this is my kind of place!

I think there'd be something for everyone. If Indian stuff doesn't appeal, they sell ice cream.

Define "a LOT of $$"? What are we talking here for a single basket?

I didn't price them at Hubbels, but on Etsy and other sites that I just looked at, from $450 up to $50,000.

While I agree with you to some degree... there are also some amazing movies that are more contemporary.
Just today I was looking through some Netflix suggestions and I saw
Unforgiven (1992 and possibly the best western ever made)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994 can watch that again and again and again)
The Last Samurai (2003 great epic that I've seen at least 3 times)
Those are just 3 that I noticed. So many more out there.

Admittedly I very rarely watch tv at all. But with recommendations like that I might just have to make time. Might have a whole lot less of that though for the next while. More on that I hope soon...

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Oh dear goodness I cannot believe you’ve lost the rugs!!! I really hope this has a happy ending and some kind soul has handed them in to the police for you. After such a lovely morning laughing and chatting I’m sure you were both sick to your stomachs.

 

[buzzrelly]

Well, congratulations on your engagement! You must've made quite the impression!

Sorry about your rugs, that's a kick in the pants, isn't it

 

[Wood Nymph]

I love the hotel you stayed up. It would be fascinating just to visit it. The old telephone in the room is a classic.

Breakfast sounds like so much fun. I bet the men enjoyed it as much as you did.

I didn't know that Navajo pottery was made with horsehair, but it probably makes it stronger.

So sad about the Navajo rugs. I'm hoping for a miracle here.

 

[suse66]

Over the next hour or so we just shared stories, talked about where life had taken us, and generally bull$hitted our way through the morning. We became fast friends and I think there was a mutual amusement of how an unexpected guest at the table gave a freshness to their morning ritual. Each revealed a colorful past: one was 3rd generation immigrant who ran a very successful ranch, one was the former Chief of Police of Gallup, one a former elected County Sheriff, and the last, the first gentlemen at the table (I didn’t find this out until later), was a former owner of…. The El Rancho Hotel. As our breakfast wore on, the first gentleman quite abruptly and with a deadpan tone looked straight me and blurts out, “Hey wanna marry me?” The other 3 burst out laughing and the one to my right retorts, “I wish I could say he’s joking.”. For the next 20 minutes he tried in vain to convince me to stay in Gallup and live out my days married to a stranger: “I have a lot of money.”, “I like sex every day.” “I can cook a mean steak and have a nice house.” “Wanna Porsche?” My neighbor quickly reminded me that the first rule of the table was to not believe a word any of them said. There was laughter, and cheer, and this morning reminded me of all that is still good in this world- the way things used to be that is hard to find these days.

Hands down the best story ever. Sounds like a perfect morning!

The best we could guess was that somewhere in the first mile or so, they’d rolled off and someone scored $800 worth of Navajo rugs. There was nothing to do but continue our journey. The next morning, I filed a police report with no hope whatsoever of seeing those beautiful, loved rugs again.

This is SO sad! Liesa I am heartbroken that those beautiful rugs were lost.