I Climbed A Real Live Mountain!

That's right! I climbed a real live mountain last week called Baldy! I thought, "Ten miles, I can do that!" It wasn't arrogance, it was ignorance. It was the curse of believing all things are possible. Half glass full. Beingthat kind of girl. Ten miles up a mountain? Sure! I've never walked ten miles in one setting in my entire life. Never. And I've never climbed a real mountain. So why couldn't I just up and do ten miles starting at 7,000 feet in one day?

Only took me five years of playing in Glorieta, New Mexico to finally talk someone into hiking the mountain at the back of the campground with me. Ten miles. 7 1/2 hours round trip. Final elevation of 10,990 feet. Only two Gatorade's and three bottles of water between the two of us. 2 granola bars, an apple, banana, two bags of cheezits and over 7,000 feet later... we conquered Baldy. To that end, my person of the day is our new drummer, Richard! My fearless mountain partner in crime! Thanks Richard!

(If I had any idea how to get these pics in order, this would be way more riveting. Oh well.)

This is the top of the mountain I climbed!

An old abandoned fire look-out station. Yes, we climbed it too. I mean, at that point, why not?

X marks the spot. That's where I had to stop and pee.

Sound of Music moment. The hills were definitely alive... with the sound of our huffing and puffing and groaning.

Mile three.

Mile one when I was still stupid and happy and my legs didn't tremble with death.

My partner Richard trying to quit on me. We took turns trying to quit on each other and trying to hate the other person for the horrible cramps and leg pain.

The sweet face of victory!

From one Foodie to Another

Friend and foodie in crime, Chelsie.

French toast and breakfast burrito at Flying Star.

Five Places You Must Try in Santa Fe, New Mexico:

1. Guadalupe Cafe

2. Coyote Cafe

3. Pasqual's

4. Tomasitas

5. Harry's Roadhouse

*Best coffee shop and dessert joint with free wi-fi*

Flying Star

the breakdown:

Guadalupe Cafe, located right next door to the capitol building, is a small, un-air conditioned restaurant that serves the best New Mexican food I have ever tasted. Salads are large enough to share between two, maybe three people, and are served in large wooden bowls. A bowl big enough to stick a newborn baby in. Everything is fresh and the specials change daily. My favorite is the chicken and guacamole enchiladas. Lunch and dinner run about $10 a plate and it's worth every penny. The outside patio is lively and there is always a wait. No matter how many times I visit the city, I always make a trip back to Guadalupe Cafe.

Coyote Cafe has a rooftop bar and dining area with blue twinkle lights and the prettiest people in the city. Enough said. The food is to die for. Yes, you can have amazing organic chicken and cheese enchiladas, but you can also have a flat iron steak, amazing burger, or prawns. Whatever you order, it will almost look too pretty to eat. Inside dining is business casual, but you feel like a million bucks. Outside dining, which overlooks the little streets winding in and out of Santa Fe's historic plaza, offers a club like atmosphere that makes you feel like you might be in New York or Cancun. If you're young and looking for a cool place to hang without totally breaking the bank, Coyote Cafe should be your first stop of the night.

Pasqual's- Rare. Perfect. Local. They have mastered the art of breakfast and serve the best homemade desserts. Every artist should eat here once. The intimate setting boasts a shared table and original paintings, twinkle lights, and local folk art. The line is long and the tab is high (breakfast starting at $14, dinner $25) but as you eat from their seasonal organic menu, you will see why the windows are lined with culinary awards and locals are faithful to this incredibly artsy establishment.

Tomasita's family owned, family operated restaurant sits right along the historic train station and boasts some pretty dang hot New Mexico chile. There are not only warning signs throughout the menu, but a sign on the wall as you walk in that suggests you try before you buy... their chile is the real deal. (FYI: In New Mexico they are actually referring to red and green chile's, not the stuff that Wendy's has on its dollar menu and not the red powder that is thoughtlessly thrown into most Tex-Mex dishes. These are bonafied chile's.) This traditional New Mexico restaurant wins this foodies heart for their amazing stuffed sopapillas, flour tortillas, and honey laced sopapillas for dessert.

Harry's Roadhouse is last because it is taking everything within me to share this restaurant. If it were up to me, this place would simply exist for my own happiness... no one else invited! I always get the RoadHouse tostada. I am ok getting the same thing over and over again, because in the course of a week spent at Glorieta, I eat there at least three times, so there is ample opportunity to try other things. The outside patio spills over onto three levels of garden and tables are nestled in between trees, flowers, and yes of course, twinkle lights. The sangria is scrumptious. The mostly organic menu is seasonal, changes weekly, and always includes fresh seafood as well as the most fresh vegetables and fruits available on the market. They make homemade cakes, pie, and ice cream sandwiches daily. Breakfast is to die for. Locals are fiercely loyal. And tucked away on an access road overlooking the mountains makes for a nice change of pace from the tourist heavy Plaza. If God tells me to pick one restaurant to eat at for the rest of my life, I'll tell him Harry's. I'll invite Him to join me too :)

One more stop?

Lisa Kristine's photography gallery.

I learned about this place from a local, Dan D., who road his bike from North Carolina to Santa Fe in 1980 and never looked back. Dan D. and his dog Butterball spent a good long while sharing a bench with me this week and we got to talking. He said that if a picture can cause deep introspection and bring you to a place of 'higher consciousness' than you knew it was good. I took his word for it. You should too. Even if you can't go to the gallery, you can check our her website. These photographs capture something rare and beautiful about humanity.

Wet my Whistle Wednesday

Though there is no food on this table, you can see the remnants of the food in our satisfied smiles! We just got through woofing down milkshakes, onion rings, and chili cheese dogs in Nassau, Bahamas. Here's the deal though; I can't stand it when I am in other countries and hear Americans talk about their disdain for the food options. They turn up their noses and search desperately for a McDonald's and I feel the urge to apologize to the people around me for their ungracious behavior. If you don't like their food, don't go to their country. So as a rule, I try to eat true to the culture that I am in. I'm not very adventurous, but if I have to eat it, I while try and do so with an open mind and a smile on my face. And if I can, I'd much rather eat local than any chair restaurant, much less chain restaurant. This rule, of course, doesn't apply to any country that might have a Johnny Rocket's. It's sort of a tradition. Ryan and I have an uncanny knack for finding Johnny Rocket's on our international escapades.

Dessert at The Coffee District in Delray Beach, Florida with my friend Jillian. OK, this is one of the best carrot cakes I have ever had. It is seven layers of heaven! This coffee shop specializes in imported, quirky, rare and locally brewed beers and wine as well as homemade desserts and, oh yeah, really amazing coffee! With a cute table on a wide sidewalk outside, a great breeze, and people walking their dogs, this posh neighborhood coffee shop is one of my new favorites. (And I do mean posh: I saw two brand-new Bentley's. Enough said.)

While we were in Delray, Florida playing for Spirit Festival, one of the supporters of the event let me try his TO DIE FOR, international award winning ribs. Please forgive the tragic looking picture with the girl who is way too excited to be eating the dead carcass of an animal... but oh my gosh, if you love ribs, this man caters. I told him from the get go that I was a Texas girl with a pretty high standard for BBQ. He later asked if it was OK for a Texas girl. Um, yes. can you please bring your little BBQ truck here? Please? You can check him out at www.celiotsbbq.com where he says his guiding principle is, "Barbeque is happiness."

As I write down these descriptions, it is truly astounding that I am not 1200 pounds. Man, I promise it just sounds like I eat a lot. Surely I don't really love food this much, do I? Anyways, this is a perfect french pastry (with a big price tag: $7.00) that I found in Louisville, Kentucky at the Uptown Cafe on Bardstown street. I went from the Kentucky flea market which was, um... special; to this really cool, eclectic crazy street called Bardstown. It was like a different world. Vintage record and clothes stores. Cafes. Old houses. Book stores. And meditation centers. Wow. So Ryan and I ended up here, and their dessert table was all the motivation I needed to skip lunch and go straight to dessert.

How can you resist something like that? And, I'd like to point out that the bottom right corner that is missing from the Napoleon pastry was ALL mine. And yes, I ate every bite.

Wet my Whistle Wednesday

So as I come across amazing restaurants or special culinary creations (chosen by a girl who still thinks Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is a perfectly classy side dish for almost any meal) I will try and pass them your way. And while we are talking about food, what started out to be a funny blog my friend Bryan wrote about a slice of chocolate cake quickly left me deeply, achingly, tenderly moved to tears. It is perhaps one of the best things I have read, ever. So if you want to read something beautiful and funny and witty and you need a good cry... click here and head his way. And as always, make sure you leave him a comment!

Happy Hump Day from your friend, the foodie