dezarnez

One summer a friend and I drove from Seattle to Minneapolis. We took a lot of detours along the way and spent a lot of time (for some reason) in Idaho. Anyhow, we drove to Jackpot from southern Idaho based on the recommendations of my friend’s cousin. As we made our way into the desert, our minds ran wild with images of a mini Vegas like oasis. Finally, we crossed the state line and within a short while we came up over a hill that overlooked the trailer park that is Jackpot.

Undaunted we decided to give it a chance. That’s when we made our next mistake. We decided to skip the only two high rise hotels on the “strip” and pulled into a roadside motel. As my friend went into the lobby to check us in, I became a little worried after a rough looking local decided he wanted a closer look at the contents of our jeep (even with me in it).

Still, we were tired (after days on the road) so we made our way to our room and settled in. As I lay upon my musty mattress, I decided our dingy room could use some sunlight, so I opened our drapes. That’s when we noticed that everyone walking passed our room would peer in at us. Worse yet, this motel, with the exception of us, only seemed to have male guests…and they all seemed to be living at the motel instead of just visiting.

Feeling a little bit like we might not make it through the night without being devoured by locals (or robbed and raped at gunpoint), we decided to check out and head back into Idaho. We did however, close the drapes and take showers before checking out…afterall we had already paid for the room.

I once had the opportunity to go to a conference in Albuquerque, and it ended up being a great visit. I drove up to the top of Sandia Peak at sunset. It was beautiful…on the way up there were deer by the side of the road. I also had an opportunity to go the Pueblo Indian Cultural Center —-it is a MUSTVISIT!!! While there, I met some people who invited me to a Joanne Shenandoah concert at the Isleta Pueblo. That ended up being a moving experience. The Pueblo people welcomed us as visitors and honored us by giving us each a loaf of bread (made in the horno ovens).

Lots of traffic, but wonderful to visit! Shopping, dining, and hanging with friends…rain or shine, I have never had a bad time in Seattle.

I’ve never been in the Space Needle. Not sure why, but I haven’t. I have a friend who lives in Seattle and she recently went there. She said it was pricey, but a neat experience.

When I’m in Seattle, I always eat at Cutters and I always find a place to eat Eastern Indian food too. Yum! I like to check out The Market and see all the fresh flowers and produce.

I once had a great time sailing on Pudget Sound…despite a “near” collision with a barge. I think the Captain yelled at me over the loud speaker, “Go back to Greenlake!” Not sure what that was all about, but WHATEVER! I still had fun.

I think I would one day like to live there if it wasn’t for all that damn traffic!