Yellowstone and Geezer VII - Geezer VII, Arroyo Seco, NM

October 7 – Day 1

This morning was pretty leisurely as everyone drifted in at different times during the morning.  Nothing was really planned so not much was actually done except talking and working on a puzzle that Val brought.  It was an interesting puzzle as she got all the group pictures that we had taken over the years, created a collage and then had a puzzle made of it.  I didn’t even know you could do that, but it turned out really well, everyone was really surprised.

John and Val working on the puzzle.

They were soon joined by Jack and Steph.

After lunch we went into the little town of Arroyo Seco to look around and have some ice cream at Taos Cow that Bon Appetit magazine named one of the top 10 ice cream places in the country.  Jack and I decided to get some exercise and walk into town, which didn’t seem that far.  It was a little further than we thought, but a pretty easy walk as it was all downhill.  We met with the others and walked around and looked at the shops before heading to the ice cream shop.  I’m not a big ice cream eater so I didn’t have any, but everyone reported that it was indeed excellent.

It was a nice walk into town with plenty of fall color.

We finally made it into town.

Everyone (except me) couldn't wait for ice cream.

Inside Taos Cow, a very busy place.

When it was time to go back to the house Jack and I decided to walk back and let the others drive back.  It was a bit more difficult going back because it was an uphill walk all the way.  We made it and found that John had measured the distance as they drove and it was 1.7 miles so we had a good 3.5 mile walk with half of it being a pretty good workout.  After that, it was more puzzle work and then dinner.  Greg was due to come in later that night as he finally resolved the issues at his office.  He eventually showed up around 9:00 PM and we spent some time catching up with him before calling it a night.  It was a really nice day and we all really enjoyed being together again.

October 8 – Day 2

Today got off to a slow start even by geezer standards.  It seemed like everyone slept in but John and I.  Jack and Steph had gotten up at 4:00 AM to watch the lunar eclipse so they had an excuse, but everyone else was just enjoying a leisurely morning.  After everyone was up and had breakfast it was time to initiate Steph into geezerhood as she had turned 60 this year.  She is the last of our group of six to graduate.  Every year Val designs a t-shirt for the occasion so after the initiation Val distributed those.  After that we decided we would drive the Enchanted Circle, a loop of local scenic roads.

We were on the road just before noon and headed north out of Arroyo Seco to the beginning of the drive.  We started at around 7000 feet and the highest point would be just under 10,000 feet at the Bobcat Pass.  It was a beautiful drive with lots of fall color, especially as we gained altitude.  About halfway through the drive was the town of Red River where we stopped for lunch.  We read about a restaurant called Mountain Treasures Bistro and Gallery and decided to eat there.  They were said to have very good muffalettas and since they are one of my favorite sandwiches, I lobbied to eat there.  Val, John and I had muffalettas and Jack and Steph had beef stew.  Everything was very good and we were glad we stopped there.

Mountain Treasures Bistro and Gallery

The geezers (minus Greg) enjoying lunch at Mountain Treasures.

We continued our drive and climbed higher and higher into the mountains.  The scenery and fall colors were even better at the higher elevations, but as we descended into the Moreno Valley the landscape became more arid and void of vegetation.  As we came out of the valley and started our final descent back towards the city of Taos the scenery and fall color again became very beautiful.  Before returning to Arroyo Seco we stopped in Taos and walked around the plaza.  It was a great drive today, especially all the fall color.

 

No one was real hungry for dinner so we fended for ourselves eating leftovers or whatever we could find.  After eating, Jack showed us a video he put together of his last two motorcycle trips.  We spent the rest of the evening chatting before calling it a night.  We have no plans for tomorrow as it is supposed to rain so we’ll just play it by ear.

October 9 – Day 3

It rained pretty hard during the night, but by the time everybody got up it had started to clear.  Jack and Steph had gotten a new metal detector and brought it with them, and Val brought hers too so we spent the morning seeing what we could find around the house.  It turned out – not much.  Our biggest finds were a toy car and an old Pepsi can buried pretty deep in the ground.  We also found quite a few nails and some pieces of the metal roof.

Val and Jack are busy looking for treasure as Steph stands by ready to help.

Val thought she had really found something, but it turned out to an old Pepsi can.

As part of her initiation, Steph had to wear a button all week
proclaiming she was now an official geezer.

After lunch we spent the afternoon hanging out around the house.  Tonight Greg and John took us all out to dinner at Doc Martin’s Restaurant at the historic Taos Inn.  The restaurant had great atmosphere and we really enjoyed a leisurely dinner with excellent food.  All in all, a great night, thanks John and Greg!  By the time we got home it was after 10:00 and we all tired so we made it an early evening.

We all had a great meal and a great time at Doc Martin's.  Thanks John and Greg.

October 10 – Day 4

The rain is back and the skies are dark.  As usual everyone got up at different times and it was mid-morning before everyone was together.  We decided we were going to visit the Taos Pueblo today. Steph decided to stay home and relax.  The skies were very dark and overcast, but no rain so we stayed dry.  Our visit to the pueblo was very interesting and we all really enjoyed it.  After having a tasty lunch of freshly made fry bread we headed back to the house and were home by mid-afternoon.

Our fry bread being made.

Very tasty.

I enjoyed my fry bread so much, I split another with Jack.

We did make one more stop on our way home at Taos Cow. 
Greg, John and Jack enjoying their ice cream.

Once we got home we relaxed for a while and then did a little packing in anticipation of leaving tomorrow.  We had an early dinner and then spent the evening talking in front of a warm fire.  This was our last night together and it's always sad to know we will be saying good-bye soon. 

Our last dinner together and the end of Geezer VII.