Yes, There Is A Song About This Place

You all know that Eagles song, so sing along...........

Well, I'm a standing on a corner
in Winslow, Arizona
and such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
gonna save me
We may lose and we may win though
we will never be here again
so open up, I'm climbin' in,
so take it easy...............

So, here we are. In Winslow, Arizona. We left Santa Fe and drove west on Hwy 40 along Old Route 66. What a blast from the past. I have been traveling this road since I was a kid back in the 60's, when it was really the old two lane 66. All the funky hotels and Indian tee pee trading posts were operating back then. Today, we passed many of the 'ruins' of those places along the new Hwy 40. Sad. There are a few of those old places still in operation, and we have found a real jewel to stay in at Winslow.

First, as we left Santa Fe, we needed breakfast. Our friend Josh recommended we eat at Tecolote (it means owl in Spanish). http://tecolotecafe.com/

My Breakfast

  Shirred Eggs Tecolote - Fried chicken livers with salsa fresca, fried eggs and fried potatoes. I will say it slowly....H-E-A-V-E-N! How many times can you find chicken livers on any menu for breakfast? I am in love and will continue to eat here when I pass through Santa Fe in the future.

Rowan's meal

 Huevos Yucatecos -

Corn tortilla layered with black beans, two scrambled eggs, green chile, swiss and feta cheese, pico de gallo, surrounded with fried bananas and pinto beans. Holy Mole!

This gave us the strength to carry on down the road.....

If you have never been down hwy 40, the landscape begins to change almost the minute you cross the border from New Mexico going west into Arizona. You can really feel the high desert changing as you cross through the Colorado Plateau and the Navajo Nation.

Geronimo's Trading Post, Holbrook, AZ

 I remember stopping here many times as we traveled back and forth from California to Kansas during summer vacations to see my cousins when I was just a kid. Luckily, this place has survived time. The tee pees are still here, and so is Geronimo and all of his pertrified wood (we are sitting on a stump of it) and the trading post. The petrified forest national park is just down the road from here.

 La Posada Historic Hotel, Winslow, AZ - A Masterpiece

I can only touch the surface of the long history of this stunning place in this post. I cannot express enough to anyone reading this how much you need to come here to experience its magnificence. 

La Posada is the masterpiece and favorite building of Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the greatest of all Southwestern architects. Today, it is a fully restored hotel, residence and private museum. 

A little history: Mary Coulter was hired by Fred Harvey Company in 1903 to design fine hotels, restaurants, and gift shops along the Santa Fe railway in the southwest: She became America's most influential designer. She blended Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival and Native American motifs and Rustic elements in her architecture throughout the southwest.

La Posada came on hard times during the depression in 1930 and never prospered. It closed to the public in 1957. In 1959 its museum-quality furnishings were auctioned off. It became offices for the Santa Fe railway (railway lines still pass just behind the hotel today). In 1993 the railway announced plans to dispose of the hotel. In 1994 the National Trust for Historic Preservation put La Posada on its endangered list.

Luckily, Allan Affeldt purchased the hotel in 1997. Restoration began immediately and continues today under daily care with a talented team of artisans and craftsmen.

Many famous people visited here during the early days. Rooms are named after them. Everyone from Einstein to Frank Sinatra, FDR to Jimmy Stewart, Jane Russel, Clark Gable, Amelia Earhart. We stayed in the Mary Pickford room.

Each room in the hotel has a plaque with photo and background info on the famous person the room is dedicated to. We learned so much about lots of people as we walked around the hotel.

  
Mary Pickford (1892-1979) was a Canadian-American motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Known as "America's Sweetheart", "Little Mary" and "The girl with the curls", she was one of the Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood and a significant figure in the development of film acting.

Our room was spectacular. Everything in there was high quality and thoughtfully done.

The tiled bathroom was fabulous too.

More history: La Posada was never for sale. Allen Affeldt purchased it from the Santa Fe Railway after learning through the National Trust that the property was in danger of being torn down. He first visited Winslow in 1994 and decided to help the local preservationists.

Allan and his artist wife Tina Mion took on the enormous risk and complexity of the $12 million project. They moved into the hotel in 1997 and still live in the east wing today. They have transformed the place into a living museum, and revived the legacy of Mary Colter.

A photo tour of this magnificent place

There is a large eclectic collection of art, furniture, tapestries, lamps and antiques throughout the hotel

The sculpture hall

Sculptor Shing Yin Khor

I just loved this little creature below made from a gourd. 

Shing Yin's statement regarding her art:

I sculpt awkward, charming, and awkwardly charming creatures trapped in a world of human fallibility. My themes are inspired by historical hoaxes, old museums, cabinets of curiosities, cryptozoology, early scientific illustration, medieval monster design and pre-Linnaean taxonomy; my palettes are inspired by the more obnoxiously colorful parts of nature, especially invertebrates.

 If this were a real creature, I would have one :o)

Lots of American Indian art everywhere

Tina Mion-Artist

 Tina is a renowned artist who paints in her studio at the hotel. La Posada has become her principal gallery, and her art is now an integral part of the experience at the hotel. Tina's work has shown in museums around the country and is in the permanent collection at The Smithsonian. 

She has a large collection of paintings here all about the old route 66. Here are just a few.  

You can learn more about Tina at http://www.tinamion.com

Here is the gallery in the hotel where Tina shows her art.

She currently has her Ladies First exhibit showing in the gallery. This is a study of the lives of the American Presidents' wives. You can learn more about these paintings if you go to her website: http://www.tinamion.com/ladies_first.htmlI  I will show you only my favorite 4 paintings here: 

Stop-Action Reaction - Jackie Kennedy, King of Hearts (that is Jack's face on the king of hearts.)

 Fishbowl - Hillary Clinton, Seven Of Diamonds. This one, painted in 2000, really nails what has just happened!

Eyes Only For You -Nancy Reagan, Ten of Diamonds.

 Of course her eyes are portraits of Ronnie

Leaving The Emerald City. We thought this one was just inspired! I have included the description below.

Here is the ballroom filled with beautiful art and collectibles.

My favorite rusty metal sculpture out in the Well Garden

You can just hear the loud Heeeeee-Hawwwwww!

There are no photos of the exterior gardens at the hotel as it was raining cats and dogs the whole time we were there. Good thing there was so much to look at and take in inside the hotel. We will make this a destination again when we come through Winslow. What a gem!

Go here for more information on the hotel: http://www.laposada.org/

  Hoover Dam and Las Vegas are next!

IZANAMI

Food, Food.......Fabulous Food!

Once we collected ourselves after our spa experience, we walked over to the on site restaurant, Izanami, for some Japanese izakaya (small plates). There were so many delicious options on the menu, we decided to go for the Omakase Tasting Menu and the Omakase Flight sake tasting menu. Go here to check out the menu: https://tenthousandwaves.com/food/menus 

There were a few things we had that were not on the menu as the chef has the freedom to create anything he wants to give you from fresh ingredients that are available to him on a daily basis.

Tofu and sticky rice

 This was super delicious. Homemade tofu, sticky rice, garlic chili sauce, burdock root, carrots, sesame soy dressing.

Omakase Flight Sake Tasting

 The great thing about tasting this many is you can really tell the difference between them and how they pair with the food.

Monk Fish Liver

 I'm sure lots of you are saying, EWE! Believe it or not, this is really delicious. It tastes just like the ocean. It's very light and fresh - served with grated pickled daikon radish and cucumber/seaweed salad

Ahi Tuna Roll and Brussel Sprouts

 The tuna roll was gently seared and rolled in wasabi and crushed pistachios. The brussel sprouts were our favorite thing. They are crispy grilled with house sweet chili sauce and bonito flakes on top. I will most certainly be trying to make this when I get home. YUM!

Crab and Shrimp Salad with Crispy Root Chips

Comfort food at its best. 

 Grilled Shrimp Skewers

....with Japanese aoli

 Grilled Halibut Collar

 This halibut was cooked to perfection. It was marinated in the most delicious secret sauce. Served with daikon.

 House made Coconut Sorbet and Hazelnut Truffle

 The chef just knew the perfect way to end this meal.......the dark chocolate hazelnut truffle was covered in grated coconut. It just melted away in our mouths.

One architectural note:

 

All of the architecture here at the spa is very Japanese (except for the adobe used for the lodging buildings). I was taken by the framing of the ceiling in the restaurant. Notice they used entire tree trunks for the cross bracing, no matter if they had a bend in them or not. Notice also the use of the pegs between the cross braces and all of the counterbalance stuff going on. We noticed that they have an impressive wood shop here at the spa. We were told they do all of their own woodworking and building. Really impressive. 

We both would highly recommend a visit to Ten Thousand Waves. You won't regret it.

Next Stop, Winslow, Arizona.

Our Message To You On This Inauguration Day 

This is a real time post

 

The sign in our front yard

Go here to listen to a song written just for today from one of our favorite Bay Area bands:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67j3v13-zjo&feature=youtu.be 

Peace!

We pick up on our adventure tomorrow. 

Santa Fe and Houses of the Moon

Our trip north to Santa Fe took us up Hwy 25 North through Sierra County and past the Cibola National Forest and San Mateo Mountains. We noticed on our map that we were approaching the Sevilleta Wildlife Refuge so we decided to take a stop to stretch our legs. It is so great to be able to make spontaneous stops like this to check out things we would normally pass by when travel time is a factor.

The refuge is located in the Chihuahuan desert 20 miles north of Socorro, New Mexico.

The refuge currently hosts the Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program, conducted by the University of New Mexico. Our hike took us out the back of the welcome center (pictured) and out into the desert.

There is just something about the sky out here in the desert. It is so BIG and so BLUE!

There is so much life out in this seemingly desolate place. We saw many birds and lots of desert plants that were very happy about the recent rains that have come through.

So, right away I need to mention that IS NOT my ass in this shadow photo! It is my bum bag. Sure, all those tacos, beans, ribs and chicken we have been eating have to go somewhere........that is why we stop in the middle of nowhere to take a hike!
Keep it movin! :o)

After our hike we continued north on Hwy. 25 to Albequerque. There we hopped on Interstate 40 for a short hop to get to scenic route 14 to go north to Santa Fe. This highway is only two lanes. It took us through beautiful back country. Little towns like Golden and Madrid (an artists' town).

 

The moon was out early as we approached Santa Fe. It should be full for us tomorrow night.

Oops! Looks like the aliens are still following us. We turned a corner on the road and saw this alien spaceship cloud ahead of us. Hopefully, we won't have a close encounter of the third kind when we get to the spa. Nano, Nano!

Ten Thousand Waves Japanese Spa and Houses of the Moon
This is very exciting, indeed! We have reserved a few nights at this spa in Santa Fe. Rowan has been working herself to death for the last seven years, so I figured this is exactly what she needs to get rid of those knots in her neck from all of those years of stress and endless hours of work (and I kinda like it too :o) ). Lots of R and R, hot tubs, saunas, massages, salt rubs, Japanese food and of course a nice glass of saki now and then should be just the ticket.

The spa is located in the mountains just above the center of town. This is our room.

Our Townsman room is called Luna, after the ancient Roman goddess personifying the moon.

The room has a wood burning kiva fireplace. It will be in the 20's tonight so the first order of business for me was to get that fire going, for Rowan, checking her email!

The whole Japanese theme with a southwestern twist is done just beautifully throughout the entire room and complex.

Just when we were starting to kick back and relax, Rowan went to use the toilet. There was a sudden, 'what the heck'? coming from the bathroom. I went in there and found Rowan trying to figure out why the toilet seat was warm. Had someone else just gotten up from there, and if so, where the heck were they? To our surprise, the toilet seat was heated. But wait......................

The toilet literally has a life of its own!

I noticed this control panel on the wall next to the toilet. This is when I started losing it.
The toilet is like a car wash. You can rear cleanse - low or high volume - and front cleanse all while oscillating or pulsating and of course blow dry everything when you are done. Naturally, Rowan was HORRIFIED to try any of it. Me, well, if any of you know me.........well, thank god I was sitting on the toilet when I tried all of them (Yes, all of them) because I started laughing so hard I leaked. Thank god our room is not connected to any other because I'm sure the paramedics would have shown up at our door thinking someone was having an attack of some sort! It was absolutely hilarious. Now, of course, I want one at home because it is so fabulous. I started calling the bloody thing Honey!

Rowan found a story on the BBC about the Japanese toilets that is just too funny considering we just had our first experience with one. For your further enjoyment, go here:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38660860 

A few photos from around the grounds of the spa

The waterfall outside the restaurant had been frozen by the snow

Inside the spa grounds there is a big koi pond with gigantic koi

We spent one day kicking around Santa Fe and went to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.
Can't take photos inside, so you just need to go there. It is fantastic and you will learn things about Georgia and see photos of her you have never seen. The photos of her working in her vegetable garden at Ghost Ranch and her very early drawings/watercolors of architecture at the University of Virginia where she began her work as an artist are just outstanding. Go here for more information: https://www.okeeffemuseum.org/collections/okeeffes-art/

Entrance to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

Santa Fe is just dripping in art. 

My pet mountain lion. This is an enameled bronze art work that looks so real it needs to be petted.

One side of the New Mexico Museum of Art. There is something about this southwestern architectural style that is so soft and inviting.

FOOD ALERT!

Viewing art makes me just ravenous, so we popped in to a tequila cafe and I had an emergency buffalo burger with mexican cheese, guacamole, chiles and crispy chips. We skipped the tequila since it was only 3pm.

Looks like we will need another hike tomorrow :o)

The sunset was breathtaking on our way back up to the spa.

And, we get a full moon tonight!

We got back to the spa and decided to take a late hot tub so we could enjoy that full moon in a relaxing environment.

Here we are after the tub, all rosie-faced and very relaxed. The spa provides kimonos for their guests who lodge with them. You see folks all over the grounds walking around in these so you really feel like you are in Japan.

The next day we decided to go on a hike to work off that burger from yesterday. There are a series of hiking trails all through these mountains around the spa, called the Dale Ball system (22 miles of interconnected and well signed/maintained trails).

Santa Fe behind us

The desert Yucca plant. Local Indians use the very fibrous Yucca leaves to make rope, baskets, and sandals.You can see the strings curling up on the leaves. Just pull them off the leaves and their strength will amaze you. The things you can learn in the desert!

We found this great example of the yucca strings on our hike.

There was still some snow from the last storm in them thar hills.

Beautiful mossy red rock with fungus (not the view from a plane window of the landscape below!)

We are so lucky to have this brisk, bright and sunny day for our hike.

We finished our hike and got back to the spa for our Ooooo-la-la 3 hour session of hot tubs, massage and salt rubs. Hopefully this will not only get that alien out of us, but will keep us human for some time on down the road.

Rowan continues to be horrified about me bringing the camera everywhere. I pulled it out as we sat down for our pre-treatment hot foot bath and of course she was horrified. "Put it away, put it away" she whispered. OK, FINE!

........until, of course, we got to our private hot tub. I promised no more photos after that. You will just have to come here to experience this place for yourselves to see how wonderful it is.

When we were all finished being pampered, we stumbled back to our place for a glass of saki. Our next task is to attempt to walk over to the spa restaurant Izanami for some Japanese tasty bites.

Next post is all about our dinner at Izanami.
There are courses. Can you say 'Omakase'?