Ok, I'm back!

Well, as I suspected would happen, I cannot find my early notes on the Canadian Odyssey that was my trip from Austin to Armstrong, BC. So what does that mean? Well, I'll just have to write what I can remember (going to use my receipts as a guide). First, as I mentioned, the Hawthorn Suites in Lubbock was simply THE best hotel of the trip, although we did stay at some other really good places too (and some not so good - more on that later). It's too bad I never have a reason to go Lubbock, otherwise, I would definitely stay there on a regular basis - good job!
We were referred to a restaurant called Zoo-kini's in Lubbock - a buffet place and so not my usual choice for a healthy option, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh and varied salad bar.

Next thing that sticks in my mind is crossing over the TX border into New Mexico - for most of the trip up to BC, we hardly saw any traffic at all and that includes this stretch of the trip - it was snowing! There was some on the ground already but none on the road, thankfully and we bounced along without incident. As I also mentioned, I found NM to be extremely depressing with lots of abandoned and decaying buildings and TOWNS - yes, entire abandoned towns. I was fascinated by the who, what, and why of it all. We did stop at Billy the Kid's grave site which is under lock and key - literally, as the tombstone had been stolen on at least two occasions prior. Very curious.
For lunch, we stopped at Casa de Benevidez in Albuquerque - YUM! They did a nice job; excellent hot sauce and tamales!

Besides hardly any traffic, we saw at least one prison every day and traveled through many Native Tribe Reservations. I am trying not to use the term "Indian" as this is not a correct title for the first people that lived here in the US - Canada refers to these people as First Nations and I like that; much more appropriate.

Our next overnight stop was in Durango - I love, love, love Colorado! That is one place that my husband and I have agreed on as a potential place to live in the past and I was not disappointed by this adorable, progressive community. The hotel - Hampton Inn - had a great hotel service, a hot tub, computer access, AND a decent breakfast (most of these hotels do not, including I'm afraid the Hawthorn in Lubbock) AND they have an arrangement with the community rec center there for the exercise gym. George and I took advantage of that! While there, I met a cute couple in the hot tub from Tulsa (also a cute little town) - she was going to school in Durango and he was going to med school in Oklahoma. High school sweethearts with plans to be together - best of luck to them! Dinner that night was YUMMY! Sizzling Siam - awesome Thai food in the mountains - highly recommended!

The next day, we headed out towards Moab, UT - wow, what beautiful country! After hearing about it all these years, it was wonderful to see it in person! We stopped in town at a restaurant called the Moab Brewery where we received excellent service. There was a mistake made on my order (dairy allergy) and the staff made sure to bring me a good substitute and comp'ed a dessert (which I couldn't have anyway), however, I was very happy with their response to the issue and wish every place I visited was that attentive. They have great beer by the way! Definitely worth a stop.

That night, we stayed in Provo at the LaQuinta Inn Town Center - this one was a bit disappointing - the room really needed renovation, the HEATED pool was closed "for the season" and there was no hot tub, and the workout room was a shoebox with 3 machines in it. And this, this is what got me - the next morning as I went to get breakfast (which was disappointing), I saw a small cockroach climbing the wall nearby - eew! That said, though, the staff were friendly and there was computer access in the nice lobby. Fortunately, dinner was fantastic - Bombay House - we found it online but there was not much info there, we just took a gamble. When we got there, they had several "Best Of Provo" articles hanging up, beautiful Indian artwork in the reception area, and some of the best food of the trip. Although Salt Lake and the surrounding area is beautiful, I must admit, it has never been a place that appealed to me even though they are trying to sell themselves as a modern urban center - I was glad to be moving on.

We now move into Idaho - according to my receipts, we stopped at a place called the Wayside Cafe for lunch - I don't remember a thing about this place which means it was not that special. Boise is the first and only time we actually run into traffic and construction - I was quite surprised - what is going on in Boise, ID? If anyone knows, I am quite curious, so please comment. We land in Ontario, Oregon right on the OR-ID border at the Holiday Inn Express. I highly recommend this hotel, too - BUT do not, I repeat do not go to the Holiday Inn (standard) - they charge the same price as the Express but with no breakfast and below-par furnishings by comparison. This was also the first hotel I encountered on this trip that did not offer the same price found online - keep that in mind when booking. That said, they had friendly staff, a great breakfast, AND the maintenance man jumped the Element battery that had died unknowingly the night before - THANK YOU!!
For dinner that night, we went to a great little sushi place called "Ogawa's" - next door is a martini bar where you can order all sorts of flavored martinis from the restaurant to have with your meal. The prices were reasonable too!

So, I also love, love, love Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - Erik and I were engaged at Montnomah Falls while traveling with Cirque/2001 and it just holds a special place in my heart :) Anyway, we stopped in Hermiston, OR for lunch - right on the OR/WA border - at a local place called Farmer's Kitchen. I can't say enough about the healthy menu made with locally produced food and good beer! The service was great and friendly, too with good vibes through out.

Ok, my adopted family has just arrived, so the rest of this will have to wait....
Hope you enjoy reading this!
Arlene