Jake and I took off early Friday morning, with two goals and the thought of some sightseeing in mind. We headed out on 518 towards Mora and then on to Taos, where we stopped for lunch at a little brew-pub called Eske. Nice little place with friendly atmosphere, fast service and good food. Onward towards the north we passed the Earthship biotecture settlement. The houses look fantastic, and I'm determined to go and check them out someday, when time permits. Our first goal was Buena Vista, Colorado, where Jake wanted to check out the sister brew pub to the Socorro Springs pub (our favorite dining spot in Socorro, home of New Mexico Tech, Jake's college). The only motel room I'd been able to get was at the Topaz Lodge in Buena Vista (this was a hastily planned trip and it's full tourist season in scenic Colorado). The motel was, at best, adequate, but the pub, called the Eddyline was quite good. We headed out in the morning towards our other objective, Betcey's Beyond Beadery open house.
Betcey lives way up in the northern Colorado Rockies, above the little town of Rollinsville and the trip was gorgeous and exciting, winding through countless switchbacks and through charming little towns onto a series of well kept dirt roads until we reached Betcey's house. For a beader, the place is paradise. More beads than I've seen in most beadstores packed into the lower portion of Betcey's house. On the drive up, I told Jake "I don't see how she can get anyone to come up here a SECOND time, but after being in the shop for only a few minutes I was already planning how to make the trip and be able to spend way more time and money next year. I was amazed at the endless rows and racks of beads, all numbered and organized by type and color. The amount of work that goes into this business is mind boggling.
Let's not forget Betcey's specialty, Swarovski's. There was a whole section of them, from the newest to the cool old vintage ones. I deliberately stayed away from them, as I have a lot I need to use up before I allow myself to buy more....
Nikia Angel was there with a selection of her kits from Buy the Kit and let me tell you, the pictures you see of the finished projects don't do them enough justice. Each one is a little work of art! The only picture I got of Nikia's work that turned out even a little non-blurry is a side view, but let me tell you, the kits are well worth the price!
We enjoyed a bit of shopping and some snacks and then hit the road for home, a long 6 hour drive, the 'non-scenic' route. I had been planning to go home a slower, more scenic way if we had been able to score a motel room along the way, but everything was booked solid.
Anyone who has ever considered going to Betcey's open house, do it! It's a fun way to see some gorgeous country. I feel as refreshed from this two day flying trip as I have from some more lengthy vacations! Now I just have to figure out how to talk my buddy Mary into making the trip with me next year.....
