The Blue Lagoon

We spent the last day at Iceland's famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. The milky blue waters are loaded with minerals that are supposed to rejuvenate your body and soul. I was shocked by how warm and clean the water was, which apparently gets cycled out every two days to keep it fresh. With a 7 hour flight home ahead of me, I was pretty concerned with keeping my hair dry which proved to be impossible! After my 20 minute massage, my hair was soaked, but I have never felt so relaxed in my life! The Blue Lagoon should be on everyone's bucket list. I hope to come back to this beautiful country to see what it looks like in the summer time. Sunrise was at about 11:30AM and sunset was at about 3:30PM which limited what we could do/see during the day. Nightlife doesn't really get going in Reykjavik until midnight. A beer runs about $1000 krona, which is about $8.25 US, so its not exactly cheap to drink/eat/sight see but there are ways to stretch your dollar. I think I have turned into an international happy hour hunter!

Iceland is a Frigid Beast!

Reykjavik is an interesting little city with a lot of character. We spent an entire day walking the icy streets looking at Viking stuff and trying to pronounce signs. Icelandic is unlike any language I have ever heard and most of their words look like someone key mashed their keyboard. I have yes (ja) no (nei) and thank you (tak) down so far and that is probably going to be the extent of it. The food here is pretty gnarly! They actually serve quite a bit of whale and puffin, but its so pricey here that I haven't been very adventurous. We took an amazing tour of the lava fields while riding Icelandic Horses. My mini-horse (ear and hair pictured in the corner above) was very friendly...it only went crazy on me once.

Idaho Falls, possibly the most uninteresting place EVER

A work trip landed me in Idaho Falls, ID. As the largest city in eastern Idaho I was expecting alot more than what I got. Its a pretty depressed little community. From what I could tell, the "falls" are essentially rapids that drop about 10 feet. The locals were friendly, Mormon, and wholesome so no complaints there, but Mitt Romney was a favorite topic and 5 out of the 10 people I asked named Olive Garden as their favorite restaurant in town.

The Town Too Tough to Die

We made our way from New Mexico back into Arizona with a stop in Tombstone. The whole town is a bit of a tourist trap, but its still essential for anyone who appreciates history. Apparently the real gem in the area is the old mining town Bisbee. After putting over 1500 miles on my rental car, I was ready to get back to Tucson to lay by the pool for our last day. It was 84 degrees with a light breeze, book, pool... perfect end to a fantastic trip!

Truth or Consequences and Chile...Boo!

The plan was to spend Halloween in Truth or Consequences, NM so we drove from Taos south, through Santa Fe and Albuquerque (which I can finally spell), and landed in T or C. We quickly realized that Truth or Consequences wouldn't be a good resting place. The town changed its name from Hot Springs to Truth or Consequences in 1950 after a game show. The place is pretty depressed so we cruised on down to Hatch, NM so I could check out the chile capital of the world. I was in heaven! We stopped at Sparky's for some BBQ pork and green chilies and we were not disappointed! We wanted to cover a little more ground so we decided to spend the night in Deming, NM which is a popular rock and mineral collecting area near the southern border. A roadrunner that looked just like "Roadrunner" crossed in front of my car on the way there which made me smirk.

Taos Mountain Balloon Rally

As it happened we landed in Taos during the 29th annual Mountain Balloon Rally. At sunrise (between 7-8AM) they had their "mass ascension" so I had to get up early, but it was worth it. After coffee and the balloon viewing, we went to the San Francisco de Asis Mission which was built between 1772 and 1815. The church was a popular subject for Georgia O'Keeffe so it felt oddly familiar. We tried to get Bloody Mary's and watch football after our busy morning, but they aren't allowed to serve alcohol until after noon on Sundays...apparently its an old Catholic thing. Taos is probably one of the coolest towns I have ever been to. Its bohemian culture is charming and inviting and the food is incredible!

No big deal, I was just in 4 States at the same time!

So far I have driven a Mitsubishi Galant from Tucson, AZ to Gallup, NM to Taos, NM. My mother hides her eyes every time I pass a semi-truck, which never fails to make me laugh. Ridiculous! Northern New Mexico is breathtaking! It was a little out of the way, but no Southwest road trip would be complete without a trip to the Four Corners! Its maintained by the Navajo tribe, and its kind of a tourist trap, but I figured I had to do it once. I took highway 64 from the Four Corners Monument to Taos and witnessed some of the most beautiful scenery ever. I wanted to stop at a "Trail of Fear" haunted house on a Navajo reservation but my mom said just reading the sign scared her to death so it was "out of the question!". I had an amazing dinner at my uncle's restaurant in Taos and then went to a bar to listen to soul music and check out all of the Halloween costumes. New Mexico takes Halloween very seriously...I like it here!