Santa Barbara Idyll

Basically spent the day hanging out. The boys went for a road ride with Cielo Velo while I puttered. I did venture into Santa Barbara to visit AAA to obtain TourBooks. It would have been nice to have had them all along as they make finding pet friendly lodging much less stressful but these are the downsides to traveling spontaneously. At least, we'll have them for our last couple of nights.

The weather had cleared last night so we spent the afternoon sitting outside reading. Beautiful spot up here at Rancho Tres Gatitos on Shepard Mesa above Carpinteria.

I also helped Rachel get ready for prom from 970 miles away. She had been ambivalent about attending which is why after much back and forth, I did not fly home yesterday or today. But when the time came, she decided to attend. She got herself ready and sent me pictures of her progress for feedback. I accompanied her via telephone right up to the door and sent her in with love and pride. She called me when she got home and the consensus was that while it all seemed much ado about nothing, she was glad she went. She learned that people make prom way too stressful so next year, she'll treat it like just another dance; she learned that if prom starts at 8 pm, she shouldn't leave the house until at least 8:15 pm.

Mexican take out and a Lakers playoff game with Michael, Monty, Jeffrey, Siena and Steve finished out the day.

Canceled flight

So, I'm not spending a ridiculous amount of money to fly home for Rachel's junior prom which she's probably not even going to but boy do I feel like a bad mom.

No hot water

Deetjen's is a cool funky old place and has the potential to be a fun place to stay. But a contraband dog and no hot water make for a less than optimal exp.

Deetjen's

Tonight, we're at Deetjens', a historic inn in Big Sur, but I had to drive to the Fernwood Grill to poach wi-fi.

Doing it right

We're pondering returning to Yosemite next April with an RV and a stay at the Ahwahnee.

Upper Pines

So we're camping for 2 nites at Upper Pines in Yosemite Valley. But since we were just going to Moab for the night, we're not very well prepared.

Yosemite!?!

Exhausted.

Virginia City and Yosemite aren't that close together. Virginia City and Mariposa, California are even further apart.

Thanks to Ellie (who desperately needed to go out due to fajita leftovers), Steve and I got up early and took a wonderful walk around a very quiet Sunday morning Virginia City. We did a large loop and saw all kinds of wonderful old mining town architecture. We ended up at Cora's Coffee where we visited with a number of the locals.

Finally rolled out of VC around 11 am with plans to go as far as South Lake Tahoe and then figure it out. Did a drive by Lake Tahoe but opted not to stop. As we crossed into California, the friendly agent at the agricultural inspection station suggested the best route to Yosemite. We were going back and forth between Yosemite or San Francisco but with his suggestion, opted to skip the big city.

Beautiful drive through Angel's Camp and Chinese Camp and then on to Yosemite. My first time and Steve's first return in 30 years, especially momentous for him since he lived and worked there for a summer 31 years ago. No way I had any concept how big El Cap and Half Dome are. Due to the recent snows, the waterfalls are raging. We didn't get into the valley until 5:30 pm or so and most everything was closed for the day so after some half hearted attempts to find a camping spot, we opted to drive to El Portal where we got shot down due to the prevalent no pet policy.

Made me wish that we had just tried to sneak her in . . .

Drove on to Mariposa where we found a quite nice haven in the Mariposa Lodge where Ellie is legal. Had pizza delivered and now to bed, hopefully to arise early and make the trek back to Yosemite. We'll be very limited in what we can do due to the National Park Service's policies on dogs in National Parks but we knew that when we ventured out this way.

Just couldn't pass up the opportunity, even if it ends up being little more than a drive through.

Still trying to figure out how long we'll be here, where we're going next and whether I'm driving all the way home or flying home from somewhere between here and there.

Virginia City, Nevada

We didn't get too far today but it was a good decision.

After another late start, we decided to check out Virginia City which is only about 10 miles from Carson City but a world away in terms of vibe. When we arrived, it was a bit touristed out, even though it's technically still off season. But as the day progressed, the day trippers moved on and the city calmed. We opted to spend the night in the new, pet friendly Ramada Inn a block below the main drag and are glad we did.

We hung out at the newly re-opened Red Dog Saloon where they suggested we dine at Cafe Del Rio.

Cafe Del Rio is one of those great finds in a town of questionable dining choices. A few blocks past where the main business district seems to end, it's a jewel of a dining experience. Serving Southwest cuisine, the food was fabulous and the service great. I had the mushroom and spinach enchilada, with savory mushrooms and a roasted tomato sauce that was perfectly balanced. Steve had the skirt steak fajitas which he enjoyed immensely also. Steve and I both felt that it was one of the best meals we've had while traveling.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the place but for the sucker punch at the end of the meal when they present you with the check and a lovely note that if you chose to use a credit card, they will add on a 3% surcharge. Aside from the fact that this violates their merchant agreement with Mastercard and Visa, it's just a crappy little surprise at the end of a meal. I left a note on my credit card slip, expressing my displeasure. As I told the server, it's a shame that such an awesome experience had to end on such a negative note, all over $1.16 (in our case). I made it very clear to her that, as evidenced by the 20+% tip we left, we were very pleased with the food and the service, just quite annoyed with the management. She told me that she hated it too, it was the only place she'd ever served where the owners did so and that not only did they charge the customers the 3% but they also charged the staff 3% on any credit card tips.

My take would be that, as a business, either you take credit cards and suck up the fees or you don't take credit cards. It's a cost of doing business.

After dinner, we headed back to the Red Dog Saloon where we listened to a bit of the Nevada Hazzurds. I then called it a night while Steve stayed out a bit longer to soak up the atmosphere (and a few beers).

Road Trip

Made it from Salina, Utah all the way to Carson City, Nevada today with only a bit of ill humor towards the end of the day. Woke up to snow and rain in Salina but the further west we got, the more glorious the weather became. Traveled through some beautiful country. So glad we didn't stop in Austin which is quite the sh*thole but ended up in Carson City which is reminiscent of Prescott, Arizona. We had a nice dinner at the Firkin and Fox after a stroll through the historic district.

Again, tomorrow, who knows. Hopefully, not as much driving, though.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Consolation Road Trip

We finally roused ourselves enough to pile in the car with the damn dog and our Hawaiian luggage (so practical). Originally we thought we'd go to Moab for a few days and then maybe on to Vegas but we kinda didn't turn south at 191.

So tonight, we're in the lovely town of Salina, Utah. We had dinner at Mom's cafe which once graced the cover of National Geographic.

Tomorrow, who knows?
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Salvage work

What to do when you cancel your trip but you still have vacation time booked?

Go back to work? Hmmm.

Check other destinations? Cabo or PV, $300 RT from Denver. Possible. (Begs the question: why can I fly to Cabo tomorrow for $300 but it's >$1000 to rebook to Maui?)

Road trip? Never been to Mesa Verde. Las Vegas is within striking distance. A play in Denver? Just get in the car and drive?

Or just spend two days wallowing. Yeah, that's it. (but, in my defense, it turns out that I'm sick too. Same damn virus that's been making the rounds among all my co-workers. I think my closing week parties lowered my normally bomber resistance. Of course, I'd much rather be sick laying on a beach in Maui.)

Wahhhhh.

Cosmic Dissonance or Why I didn’t go to Hawaii

Maybe our first mistake was planning a vacation after two bottles of wine. At the time, it just seemed so spontaneous, so adventurous. We were sitting with our friends from Maui in early March, considering our options for Steve’s upcoming big birthday. The offer of free lodging in Lahaina came up and presto, I was online checking airfares. $579 roundtrip from Aspen to Kahalui, it doesn’t get much better than that. In fact, the only time I’ve seen it lower was just after 9/11 when Steve got a $375 roundtrip ticket.

Logistically, we were squeezing this trip in between two trips that were already planned and I didn’t have the itineraries. So I guessed. I made our return to arrive in Aspen at 1 pm on Thursday, April 30 only to find out that Steve was scheduled to depart Aspen for his 8 day backpacking trip in Utah at 6 am on Thursday, April 30.

Oops.

A quick (? 25 minute hold time) call to United and the original itinerary was refunded and the tickets were rebooked with a return a day earlier. Great. Now Steve had a 17 hour turn-around, at best, assuming our return trip went smoothly.

I only had two weeks after my return from London to regroup and prepare for another absence. 10 days in London, one week to recover, one week to prepare and then 15 days in Hawaii. And one of those two weeks in Aspen was closing week at Highlands. Party Sunday, party Monday, party Wednesday. Not very conducive to nose to the grindstone but somehow I managed. More than managed, I basically worked my butt off for 14 days straight so that everything would be done. And done, it was.

But, this past Tuesday, I received a letter from the high school discussing the logistics for prom. You know, prom. That thing that Rachel’s been planning on attending for weeks, nay, months. That thing that was a focal point of our trip to London, resulting in us importing a unique prom dress from the UK for which I paid pounds at $1.45 to the pound.

Yep, prom. Which is scheduled for April 25. (Please see our return date above.)

So now, all of the sudden, I’m going to miss prom. Who’s going to help her get ready? Who’s going to take pictures? Who’s going to drive her to prom? Who’s going to be the chaperone so she can have her friend spend the night, her friend who likely can’t go to prom if I’m not home so that she can spend the night? And it’s $500 to change our itinerary to come back in time for prom. And even then, we’d only be back in time if there are no travel issues.

Oh, but we’re not done yet. Sunday night I sit down to finally do taxes (one of the myriad tasks on my pre-trip to do list) and, oh shit, we’re not getting a refund. Not only are we not getting a refund but, we owe. A lot.

WTF? I always get a refund. I didn’t really mind the no refund part. I really minded the paying a lot part.

Never mind. Once again, I rally, crunch numbers and get it all figured out. Yes, we can pay Uncle Sam and still go to Hawaii.

Or not.

This morning, as we’re getting ready to walk out the door at 6 am for our 7 am flight, the dog just isn’t right. She’s favoring her left rear leg and basically won’t move. She was fine last night, but this morning, not so much. A huge part of me wants to just put my blinders on, leave for the airport and cross my fingers.

The responsible part of me (ugh) can’t do it. So I call United and try to rebook our tickets for tomorrow. $3000. NFW. Amanda from India does tell me that if we show up to the airport today, saying that we missed our flight, they’d likely rebook us for tomorrow for free. Or we have until midnight to cancel our tickets and have a credit to use with United before next March.

Having bought ourselves some time, we hang out until 8 am when Steve takes Ellie to the vet. They can’t see her then, so he has to go back at 11. Turns out she either has a pinched nerve or a slipped disc and needs to be kept quiet until she’s seen again tomorrow at 2 pm.

So, finally, I admit defeat. It just isn’t going to happen. I called United again and Vidya courteously cancelled my tickets.

Unpacking is going to suck.

Today's PostSecret favorite

On back: "We can survive. Tell everyone you know."
Choosing a favorite was hard today.

Really important off-season information

2009 Spring Restaurant Openings (and Closings)

Aspen Daily News Staff Report

Friday, April 3, 2009

39 Degrees Lounge @ Sky Hotel, Closed 4/13 - 5/22, 925-6760

Asie, Open, 920-9988

Aspen Brewery, Open, 920-2739

Bentley’s, Open, 920-2240

Big Wrap, Closed 4/25 - Open 5/17, 544-1700

Boogie’s Diner, Open, 925-6610

Brexi, Open, 925-2838

Brunelleschi’s Dome Pizza, Open, 544-4644

Buenos Aires Fusion, Closed 4/12 - Opens 6/6, 920-7722

Butcher’s Block, Open, 925-7554

Butch’s Lobster Bar (SM), Snowmass, 923-7311

Cache Cache, Closed 4/12 -, 925-3835

Campo de Fiori, Open, 920-7717

Cantina, Open, 925-3663

Caribou Club, Closed 4/11 - Opens 6/1, 925-2929

Cecily’s, Open, 920-9090

Century Room (Hotel Jerome), Closed 5/2 - Opens 5/22, 920-1000

D-19, Open Wed. - Sat., 925-6019

Dish, Closed 4/12 - Open 5/30, 925-7119

Domino’s, Open, 925-3230

Double Dog Pub, Closed Sundays & Mondays, 925-3459

Elevation, Open *bar only, 544-5166

Elkhorn Bar and Grill, Closed 3/28 - Open 6/?, 925-1500

Explore Bistro, Closed 4/1 - Open 6/1, 925-5338

Frank Thirion French Pastry Café, Open Mon - Fri, 925-3569

Garnish Café, Closed May Open 6/1, 920-5833

Grateful Deli, Open, 925-6647

Gusto Ristorante, Closed - Open 6/4, 925-8222

Hickory House, Closed Monday & Tuesdays, 925-2313

Highlands Pizza Co., Open, 920-3088

Ink Coffee, Open, 544-0588

J Bar @ the Hotel Jerome, Open, 429-7674

Jimmy’s, Open, 925-6020

Johnny McGuire’s Deli, Open, 920-9255

Jour De Fete,Open Monday - Friday breakfast & lunch, 925-5055

Kenichi, Open (Closed on Mondays), 920-2212

Krabloonik, Closed 4/12 (reopen early June), 923-3953

L’Hostaria, Open (Closed Sundays & Mondays), 925-9022

Little Annie’s, Open, 925-1098

Little Nell (Montagna), Closed 4/12 - 5/20, 920-6330

Louis’ Swiss Pastry, Open, 925-8592

Lulu Wilson, Open, 920-1893

Main Street Bakery & Café, Closed 5/1 - 5/10, 925-6446

Matsuhisa, Open: lounge -*downstairs Open Thurs-Sat, 544-6628

Mezzaluna, Open (Closed on Sundays), 925-5882

New York Pizza, Open, 920-3088

Pacifica, Closed 4/11 - 6/1, 920-9775

Paradise Bakery, Open, 925-7585

Parallell 15, Open, 309-6883

Plato’s @ Aspen Meadows, 4/14 - 6/1, 925-4240

Pine Creek Cookhouse, Closed 4/5 - Open 6/19, 925-1044

Pinons, Closed 4/5 - Open 6/15, 920-2021

Poppycocks, Open, 925-1245

Poppies, Open, 925-2333

Red Mountain Grill, Closed, 544-6336

Rustique, Open, 920-2555

Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Open, 925-1167

Sabra’s Deli, Closed 1 week mid-April, 920-3489

Sage, Snowmass, 923-0923

Social, Open upstairs Closed Sun - Mon, 925-7900

Specialty Foods of Aspen, Open 7 days incl. Sun 11AM - 4PM, 544-6656

Starbucks, Open, 544-6830

Steak Pit, Closed 4/18 - 5/8, 925-3459

The Restaurant @ the St. Regis, Open *formerly Olive’s, 920-3300

Su Casa, Closed 5/3 - 5/19, 920-1488

Syzygy, Closed, 925-3700

Tang, Open, 544-9888

Taqueria Sayulita, Open, 920-0066

Takah Sushi, Closed 4/12 - Open 5/28, 925-8588

Taster’s, Open 4/1, 925-1952

Tavern @ the Little Nell, Open, 920-6334

Toppers, Open, 920-0069

Victoria’s Espresso & Wine Bar, Open, 920-3001

Wienerstube, Open, 925-3357

Wild Fig, Open, 925-5160

Willow Creek Bistro, Closed 4/5 - Open 5/20, 429-2327

The Wine Spot, Closed 4/12 - mid June, 920-9463

Woody Creek Tavern, Open, 923-4585

World Link Café, Open, 544-0001

Zane’s Tavern, Closed 4/14 - Open 5/1, 544-9263

Zele Coffee, Closed April 12 for good, 925-5745

ZG Grill, Closed 4/5 - June, 920-9449

Zocalito, Open, 920-1991

Courtesy of Aspen Chamber Resort Association; dates and times are subject to change

This week's PostSecret favorite

Last Week's PostSecret favorite

Today's my birthday!!

Happy Birthday to me.

Went to Takah Sushi last night with Steve and am going again tonight with Rachel.

That's all good by me.

Unfortunately, my work ethic forced me into the office today on my usual day off, due to missing work on Monday, just having returned from vacation and going on vacation again in less than two weeks.

Again, it's all good.