Thursday, June 13, 2013 I dropped Hubby off at his new favorite fishing hole at the crack of dawn. Over the last couple of years, Leta and I had formed a habit of having coffee together each morning, and this was no different. Except that we were in the same room instead of at our computers two time zones apart. At 9:00 AM, I picked up Hubby so he could spend the day with us. The three of us set off to town. Our first stop: the Aztec Ruins , a 900 year old Pueblo Great House. This is Leta and me at the ruins. We wandered through the remains of what was 400 rooms. The Great Kiva, a reproduction of the original, which had been destroyed when the inhabitants moved on. Next, we hit the road north, back to Colorado , to explore the town of Durango . We had lunch at the historic Strater Hotel 's dining room loaded with Old West atmosphere and a ghost or two. I had a stuffed Poblano pepper that was to die for. Leta raved over the Green ...

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 This was Hubby's big day. He headed out early to hit the San Juan River for his full day of fly fishing. Leta and I hopped in my Ford Edge and set out to do some sightseeing. Our first stop was the McDonald's in Aztec so I could check my email. Abe's Fly Shop and Motel was pretty much a dead zone for cell service, and while they had wi-fi, my little travel-sized Chromebook couldn't get a signal. But, hey, I was on vacation. We also met up with Leta's son. He's a local police officer, and I think he wanted to meet this weird friend of his mother's who would fly all the way from Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania to hang out. I also think I passed inspection because I'm not in jail. With Leta navigating, we headed into the Navajo Reservation and drove to Shiprock, a well known rock formation. The scenery in the opposite direction was pretty cool, too. On our way back, we stopped at Hog Back Trading Post , situated a...

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 We woke up early (as I had been doing nearly every morning—I never did completely accept that two-hour time difference), had a quick breakfast, and loaded our stuff into Donnell’s truck for the trip back to the airport. This time we weren’t catching a plane. We were picking up a rental car. Note to those in charge at Colorado Springs Airport : You need better signage directing folks to Rental Car PICK-UPs. All the signs said Rental Car Returns. In case you haven’t figured it out, I am not a frequent flyer, so I didn’t know you had to go inside the terminal for that. After we finally concluded we needed to do just that, Donnell dropped me off at the door and made a loop while I went inside to get my keys. Then she picked me up, and we headed back to the Rental Car Returns lot. At home, both Hubby and I drive Saturns. Old Saturns. With manual transmissions and cranks for the windows. On this vacation, I decided to travel through the mountains and ...

Monday, June 10, 2013 We enjoyed another lazy morning. Donnell’s husband had to go to work and miss the fun. But Donnell, Hubby, and I headed out to the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park . The views were stunning. We wandered across the bridge, snapping photos as we went. Poor Donnell. Her post-surgery foot was swelling by the time we reached the far side, so she found a shady spot to sit while Hubby and I explored a mountain man village I’d dubbed Fort Tourist Trap . The trading post had some surprisingly nice stuff, though, and Hubby (who is well known as a tightwad) spent some money. When we returned to Donnell, we ambled farther up the hill to see the animals they kept there. Donnell was thrilled to see a real, live Big Horn Sheep. And the two white buffalos were gorgeous. By the time we made our way back across the bridge, the heat had wiped Donnell out. I drove her truck back to her house, so she could put her foot up....

Sunday, June 9, 2013 Sunday started with a much needed lazy morning, as jet lag was kicking my butt! Donnell and I enjoyed some relaxing yoga stretches and an easy lunch before heading to Manitou Springs . Our hubbies had plans of their own that involved a visit to a local fly shop. Manitou Springs is a lovely little town nestled in the mountains. Lots of great shops and restaurants to visit. Donnell had a writing group meeting at Black Cat Book s, and I had made arrangements months earlier to meet up with a Facebook friend, Gail Thompson. Gail arrived at the bookstore just minutes before us. Once again I found myself meeting an old friend for the first time! I love Facebook! Gail and I wandered the streets, checking out the shops, and picking up a few gifts along the way. Mostly, though, we gabbed and giggled. There were street musicians everywhere. Most were quite good. The crowds and the entertainment reminded me of some local festivals back home. Except this...

Saturday, June 8, 2013 Hubby and I both had one request each of our trip to the West. For him it was a day out fly fishing. We had made arrangements for that once we got to New Mexico . Anyone who knows anything about me, won’t be the least bit surprised to hear that for me it was riding a horse. I’d done some online research in the weeks before our departure, and thanks to Donnell, who took care of the legwork, I got my wish. I had reservations for a two-hour guided trail ride at the Garden of the Gods early Saturday afternoon. Thanks to Donnell’s hubby, we found the stable. After signing more paperwork than it takes to buy a house, I was assigned a lovely bay gelding named Zeke. And off we went. In  Colorado , horses and riders have the right-of-way over EVERYONE else. Our lead wrangler Pete told us this repeatedly at all road crossings. I just hoped the tourists driving those roads knew the law! The views of the mountains were spectacular, as wer...