On the Road - Littleton CO

September 5, 2023 - Littleton, Colorado 

 

This is something of a late start on an informal blog we will be keeping, if for no other reason, to have our own record of our summer trip around the country.  We left Tucson on Sunday, September 3 for the first stop – Albuquerque.  The rest of the itinerary: Littleton, CO; Deadwood, SD; Sioux Falls, SD; Madison, WI; Oak Park, IL; Traverse City; MI; Marquette, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Kansas City, KS; Oklahoma City, OK; Albuquerque, NM; Farmington, NM; Winslow, AZ; Home!

 

One reason for the trip is to visit Sandy, Margaret’s friend from Saint Clair Shores, who has been having a rough time (health-wise) lately.  And, of course, it gets us back on the road again – doing what we do best – peddle to the metal.  Besides, it has been pretty hot in Tucson for some weeks now, with only minimal monsoon, so heading north will bring a nice change (we hope!).  We have a good collection of mysteries loaded into the cell phone for entertainment as we go.

 

Yesterday, September 4 (Labor Day) was an uneventful jaunt to Albuquerque, via Hatch.  We were both a bit tired, so we switched drivers a bit more than usual but had no problems otherwise.  We have a cooler full of water and miscellaneous goodies, including two Rotolo, which we tapped into at Caballo Lake (just off I-25, just south of Truth or Consequences) for a nice lunch.  Temps were in the mid-90’s, but there was a lovely breeze blowing, which made things very pleasant.  

 

Checked in at Homewood Suites – Albuquerque Uptown (room 625), relaxed a bit, then out to dinner at Takumi Restaurant, a place we visited the last time we were in the area with Burt Jones.  Then we ate a table with a built-in barbeque; this time, we time we opted for Teppanyaki – filet and shrimp comb.  Excellent!  In fact, unlike any places we have ever visited, we had the complete table to ourselves, which was wonderful! We both ordered the combination dinner of filet and shrimp.  M’s only complaint was that she missed the traditional “Thousand Island” sauce, which she likes for her steak (and everything else) but they did have a nice ginger sauce that was pretty good.  Back to the hotel about 7:30 pm and M was so tired that she went right to bed.  (Also, M has been dealing with a very stiff neck, so we brought the heating pad along with us; seems to be working well, so that between the heating pad and Advil, things are loosening up nicely.) 

 

Up this morning and down for breakfast – serviceable but not great.  Then, on the road (I-25) about 7:30 am to Littleton, Colorado – a suburb south of Denver.  We decided to drive up the front range, avoiding I-70 like the plague that it is.  And, according to the traffic maps, our decision was completely confirmed.  We did detour through the main plaza of Las Vegas, NM; very quaint place; looked nice.  In fact, we prefer it to the “other” Las Vegas, for sure!  Neither of us can remember going this particular route before, although I (M) am sure I must have done the drive at some point over the years.  The front range along the Rockies basically looks out across the plain – according to R, one can see Kansas from here!  It is very flat!  However, once we hit the area around Colorado Springs and Pike’s Peak, things got much more scenic, at least on the western side of the road!  Got to the hotel about 3 pm, and fortunately, our room was ready.

 

Into Littleton’s Homewood Suites – is there a pattern here? – (room 419), organized our stuff and searched for a restaurant for an early (4:00) dinner.  Margaret found Los Dos Potrillos, a nearby Mexican restaurant with very good ratings and an interesting menu.  So, off we went.  Margaret had Pollo en Mole, I had Camarones Picosos, seven shrimp in a very spicy sauce, with beans and rice (oh yes, with a Margarita).  Excellent!  Also, great chips and nice and spicy salsa; a real find!

 





Back to the hotel to relax and watch some tennis (U.S. Open).  The suite is OK – bedroom, bath, kitchenette and sitting room, but only one desk chair and one sofa – a bit too sparse.  Also, the A/C sounds like a jet engine ready to take off!!  We’ve managed to get the windows open a couple of inches each, and there is a lovely breeze coming in.  Hopefully we can keep the A/C to a minimum tonight, just to keep the noise level down!!  And we’re on the top floor!!  Oh well!

 

Tomorrow, on to Deadwood, South Dakota and Cactus Jack’s Resort and Casino!  Oh my!!


Beautiful country between Denver and Deadwood, SD






Robots delivering to hotel rooms!

Entering Deadwood, South Dakota















Amazing blue cheese wedge salad!

Fabulous steak dinner!

Cactus Jack Casino!

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