Sorry for the hiatus. I just wasn't sure what I was going for with these updates. I think that I wanted to incorporate some sort of business into my blog--which may still happen--but for now I just need to write.
I am still going to write about cool places that I've gone, but I think I'll relax on pimping out products just for the hell of it. Now, if anyone wants to pay me for it, that's a different story.
Once again, my main objective for writing this blog is to continue to keep inspiring myself. Selfish? Maybe. But it's similar to looking at old photos from a trip you took. It keeps the memories fresh and inspires you (or me, at least) to keep traveling, keep seeing new things, and to keep having fun.
Since my "time out", which was around three months ago, I have done my fair share of rambling. For someone who works a full time job, I've been getting out a pretty good amount. Ideally, one day I would like to somehow ramble for a living...or at least be able to work from the road while on a ramble. That's a work in progress.
Back in April my wife and I road tripped to Taos, New Mexico and then on to Santa Fe. If you ever get the chance to visit Santa Fe, I highly recommend it. The art, the food, and the drink is fantastic! There are so many art galleries and great restaurants that it would be almost impossible to fit them all in during one trip.
I do have to mention one particular place that we visited on our way to Taos: The Colfax Tavern...or their more popular name, Cold Beer. Cold Beer is a roadhouse bar in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico (actually on Kit Carson Hwy in Cimarron, NM). Roger, the proprietor of Cold Beer, slings a mean beer. He asked why April and I didn't take the more scenic route to Taos. I explained to him that we had some time to make up due to getting stuck in a snow storm. Roger replied, "Good thing you decided to take this route...'cause you found Cold Beer!" Yes we did.
After arriving in Taos and grabbing some surprisingly good food at the Alley Tavern we ended up finding a bar stool at Eske's Brewery. Be sure to find this place when you go, and order a 10,000 Foot Stout. I've read the Taos Green Chili Beer is tasty too, just wasn't in a chili beer mood.
The next morning, after a delicious breakfast at Michael's Cafe and some gallery perusing, we headed towards Santa Fe. On the way, we ran across a sweet little winery called the Black Mesa Winery. Snag a bottle of Antelope '07 if you like a peppery cab.
We rolled into Santa Fe and immediately began exploring.
One sweet-ass place that we hit twice was the Coyote Cantina. This is a rooftop bar/restaurant that is a little trendy, but is solid when it comes to their menu. Be sure to order the Lava Lamp...it's a pint of Dos Equis with a frozen margarita dumped in it. Yea, that's right.
There are also several places that have been showcased on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". We hit one of them, Harry's Roadhouse, which was as Guy would describe it, "Out of bounds" or "Legit" or some other catch phrase that he's getting a million dollars for every time he says it. But it was. A blue corn, bacon waffle is most definitely legit.
I could go on about which restaurants we hit, what bars we frequented, and so on...but the main thing that I took away from Santa Fe and Taos was inspiration. For anyone who is passionate, or at least moderately intrigued, by various styles of art, food, drink, and culture, the trip that I took definitely stirred those interests and made me want more. It made me want to slow down and grab hold of my artistic side. That side used to be my more prominent side, but since has been overshadowed by 9 to 5's, rush hour traffic, suburbia, and way-too-far-inside-the-box thinking. Sure, that's my own fault, but it's really refreshing to visit that artistic, cultural mindset once again.
Upon coming home from New Mexico, I immediately wanted to purchase canvases and paints, inspired to leap feet first back into the world of expression. I wanted to study Southwestern cooking and perfect a green chili recipe. Hell, I was ready to buy a little casita on Canyon Road and sell my paintings for $10,000 a pop...
Immediately though, I realized that I had to be up at 6am, fight traffic for an hour, and be at work the next day. The rest is predictable...
I did buy a waffle iron, though! Mmmmm, blue corn, bacon waffles...
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