Category: Road Trip

This morning I had one last walk down to Cherry Creek behind the hotel, packed up and went to the Denver Botanic Gardens for a few hours. What an extraordinarily beautiful place, with a little forest trail, fountains and streams, and formal gardens. I’ll be posting lots of flower photos…

Part of my trip will be devoted to visiting public gardens in my path. As a member of the Desert Botanical Gardens, I get free admission to dozens of gardens around the country. It gives me a fun little project to do on the way.

I’m going to get off the freeway tomorrow and take my time going across Kansas. Today I went about 270 miles and spent 4 hours driving.

• Aperture: ƒ/11
• Caption: Cherry Creek in Denver outside my hotel
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• Title: Cherry Creek in Denver outside my hotel

I am staying at a lovely Staybridge hotel in Denver. The hotel is right next to Cherry Creek and a great park. I’ve gone on some nice walks in my free time. Glad to have had the chance to stay for 2 days

I attended DrupalCamp Colorado. It was wonderful! I met some great people and got a little overwhelmed. And maybe a little intimidated. Tomorrow I continue east.

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Drove about 450 miles again today on Interstate 25. If the only parts of New Mexico you’ve ever seen are from I-40 or I-10, then turn around and go back! If you’re going to stay on a freeway, at least see the state from I-25. Beautiful, all the way from Las Cruces to the Colorado Line! I’ve never been north of Santa Fe before. I had a lovely day, with all sorts of clouds cluttering up the sky.

The road north:

Of course there was construction and after-lunch-time rush hour in Colorado Springs, but I got to my hotel in Denver around 4:00.

• Aperture: ƒ/16
• Caption: Highway heading north from Madrid, New Mexico
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• Title: Highway heading north from Madrid, New Mexico

Got a good start and stopped in Flagstaff for lunch with Joel DiBartolo. We went to Pita Jungle, which was great food. On the way out of town, I got some coffee at the Campus Coffee Bean, my old hangout from the Flagstaff Music Festival and Arizona Opera’s productions of Wagner’s Ring cycle.

On route 40 in Arizona, I learned that you should not trust that rest areas will be open, especially when you need them.

Approaching Albuquerque there was a construction zone. Traffic was slow and in the east a thunder storm was forming. I pulled off and parked in a lot overlooking the city, and found this photo to make. All my camera gear was packed in the trunk and I barely had time to get a few things together before the rainbow went away. For the rest of my trip, I’ll keep the basic camera stuff in front with me.

I have Ben’s saxophone and bass guitar, cookbooks and other things he couldn’t get on the plane when he moved to Ohio. The hotel I’m staying at says it is in a high crime area so I lugged most of the stuff that’s in the car into my room, in the pouring down rain.

About 455 miles today.

 

• Caption: Rainbow over Albuquerque with old faded For Sale sign in the foreground
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• Title: Rainbow over Albuquerque with old faded For Sale sign in the foreground