Jess Houseparty - Albuquerque, NM

Big thanks to Jess for the lovely digs up in Albuquerque Heights... although not crowded, the party was super fun! With tremendous help from Red Ants Pants-clad Heidi & Casey helping us haul in the gear... we enjoyed meeting Jess' community & especially watching her pup Piper greet guests at the door! Thank you Jess!

Smothered in Christmas - Sofia's Restaurant

This meal deserves it's own post! Albuquerque tour host & LPO Farm Manager Casey Paul happily brought us to Sofia's Restaurant... where the salsa is hot and the food is BEYOND muy rico! The breakfast burrito (served all day) gave new meaning to Christmas for Emily... "smothered in Christmas" refers to the burrito being drenched in not just one, but two salsas!! Muy rico indeed!!! Muchas gracias to Casey... & Sofia!!

LPO - Los Poblanos Organics

Nothing like running around a breathtaking organic farm right in the heart of Albuquerque! With the Sandias displayed mightily to the east, we were given an incredible tour of the farm and B&B... certainly inspired us both to happily support local agriculture. We're huge fans of the LPO & are sure looking forward to spending the day at the Tuesday market tomorrow & partying with farm folks at Heidi & Casey's Albuquerque finale party - yahoo!!

For Show Low, AZ

Lesson of the day: Watch out for table creamers! AND fill up on gas long before you hit the 60 East stretch from Arizona to New Mexico. Sarah reenacted every western movie with a stroll down a dusty, empty main street in Datil, NM looking for a few gallons of gas to get us to Magdalena. We were in luck once the church emptied, and although Datil-local Pete couldn't give her a ride to the fuel (he rode is bicycle) we soon were filling up the Toyota outside of his barn. Big thanks to Pete! Don't drink it all at once!!

With the Superbowl in reach, and only an hour outside of Abuquerque, Sarah was called once again to test her flat tire blowout while cruising a swift 65 mph. KABOOM!!! The blown tire flailed, the Airstream dipped to the rim and sparks flew marking our entrance to the Land of Enchantment. A kind family (who witnessed Sarah's smooth curve to the edge of the highway) helped us out with an extra jack - thanks to New Mexico locals Rusty & family!!

Rolling into Albuquerque an hour late - we were greeted with cold Tecate's & hugs from Sarah's dear friends Casey, Heidi & lovely pooch Ethel. Late for the Superbowl (oh no!!) we raced to Kendra & Matt's house to a yummy spread of chips, dip, elk nachos, guacamole, pico de gallo, and lots & lots of cold beer & whisky. Oh my!! Ah... New Mexico.... yum!

"Another Day in Paradise ehh!??"

...says the plaid pants clad, cute old man walking his rat dog on the hot pavement of a swanky Phoenix RV Park. We opted out of the 10am shuffleboard game, avoided knife carving at 11am and instead basked in the 72 degree heat and relaxed a bit before heading east. Hot hot hot...

"Living the dream" and soaking up Vitamin D every minute we could, the crew drove Highway 60 East to Show Low, AZ. A trip down memory lane for Sarah... we were stoked (wicked hungry & SUPER thirsty for a cold BudLight) when a well-lit saloon caught our eye. Making quick friends with Cyndi the bartender, Ryan the local guitarist, & Jace the owner... thanks to all three for a grand time! After supper we hit the ACTUAL bar... and basically tore up the linoleum with jukebox tunes, two-step moves & a helluva lot of laughter. With our rig resting at a nearby church parking lot, the stumble was an easy one to our cozy beds.

Sarah to Phoenix, Em to Driggs!

With the Jackson Hole/Driggs region on the schedule to finale our tour - a subsequent beer & pants drop was deemed ABSOLUTELY necessary! So while Em took one Toyota to Driggs for a small layover, Sarah drove solo (with Nellie of course!) in the apt-named Little-Toyota-That-Could to the sunny southwest!! Watch out Cattlemen Convention - here she comes!!

Thank you to John & Terry Hansen for the exhibitor sponsorship at the Cattlemen Convention! We are oh so thankful for your goodness, support & friendship... sure look forward to seeing you there!

Working Girls UNITE - Port Angeles, WA

With blue skies & the Olympics with new snow - the Olympic Cellar's Winery opened their doors to the Red Ants Pants Roadshow! With two articles in the Peninsula Daily News, we estimate over 75 folks attended the Friday evening event! A record 17 pairs of pants were sold, along with a fabulous connection Olympic Cellar's signature Working Girl Red label ruling the evening festivities!! Thank you to Kathy, Libby & Molly for your inspiration & support!! We will be serving Working Girl Wine at our houseparties from here on out!! With Em's family representing the local scene - it was a family reunion of sorts as well, sending heaps of love to each of you for your hugs & support! Needless to say pulling out of town was bittersweet for both of us. xoxo