rest stop

I saw a sign for the Red Rock Park and it looked too good not to stop. It's amazing how few people i ever find on a hiking trail, not that i mind. We didn't see one person along our hike but were entertained all the while...here are some pics.

still in the car...

The drive through the rest of New Mexico was uneventful. It reminded me of Oklahoma- flat and boring but this time a little more green, and the occasional plateau to make things interesting. Gorilla slept a lot today

adios casita...

I have to say goodbye to the casita and it makes me sad. Today I'm heading to my last stop over, Flagstaff, Arizona. Even though i wasn't ready to leave for another half hour, the dogs jumped in the car as i was packing it, just in case i'd leave without them. I couldn't get them to come out. Logan, the resident dog saw us off...

desert

another hike

We start our last day in Santa Fe with another hike. You can't visit Santa Fe and not spend a lot of time outdoors, it's too beautiful. We didn't see any animals again but enjoyed the hike just the same...

DAY FIVE...

For those following this journey, you'll remember that Gorilla threw up in the car after I gave him a bone to chew on...so this is what i woke up to on Day five...more throw up, but this was all Sid. I think it's a dish towel. Sid eats a lot of non-edible items, such as underwear, plastic, socks, tank tops, aluminum foil and the like...I'm not sure of his family background but there may be some inbreeding in there. He's not that smart.
So, i'm not sure if he just did this for the blog time or just for the novelty of it, but there it is...usually it comes out the other end so i actually look at this event as a step forward.

chef's bar

As the dogs relax back at the casita, i go out for drinks and food. My friend and executive chef of Woodfire Grill in Atlanta, Michael Tuohy told me to visit his cousin's restaurant in downtown Santa Fe called Coyote Cafe. His cousin and restaurant owner, Mark Miller was more than welcoming to me...He sat me at the Chef's Bar and told the waiter, the maitre 'd and the executive chef to take good care of me tonight. The chef asked me how hungry i was and what i didn't like and then said 'mind if i play with this?...I'm gonna start you off with a cold plate and we'll go from there." So no joke, this is all the food the chef served me last night...(and i ate it all)

shrimp tostada
beef carpaccio
goat cheese crouton
steak tartare
shrimp on corn cake
scallop wrapped in serrano ham
crab pancake
pork tenderloin
quail
ny strip steak
asparagus

and per Michael's suggestion, mango margaritas to wash it all down...
What can i say, he was a cute chef and i felt like i'd insult him if i didn't eat all that he was preparing for me. i did feel overwhelmed and quite sick by the end of the night but that's beside the point...well worth it!