Travel: Souvenirs

I LOVE SOUVENIRS

I especially love: coffee mugs, magnets and post cards.  Post cards in particular because I never know if my photos will turn out.  The vast majority of this trip the pictures were taken from the car window while driving along.  A lot are blurry.  I love them anyway.  There are multiple blogs I am working on.  I hope to wrap them up this weekend and then begin publishing them next week.

I believe I have five pounds of post cards and brochures.  I have no shame in that either.  I will put those bad boys in my photo album right along with my blurry pictures and when I look back on this trip I will smile at the post cards just as much as the actual photos.

I had a layover at DFW (Dallas Ft Worth Airport).  It was the first time I stepped foot in Texas.  So…I bought a post card and a magnet to commemorate.  I would like to come back to Texas to explore a little (or a lot).

I bought the kids each a piece of pottery with the Navajo artist’s name engraved in the bottom.  Instead of pottery, I bought myself a colorful rooster and a terracotta plaque with a favorite saying of mine (both purchased in New Mexico).  Of course there would be a couple mugs and one shot glass along the way (NM, Rt 66 and LA/Hollywood).

 

There were buttons and key chains too.  Can’t forget those!

 

Roswell, NM was a bucket list item for me. I made sure to stop by the International UFO Museum and Research Facility.  I learned many things there.  And picked up some post cards.  🙂

 

I went out with high hopes of buying a blanket as a personal souvenir. Holy heck those things are expensive.  Maybe on the next trip, with a little more research (as there are all kinds).  Instead, I bought this little woven 6″x6″ tapestry of cool little dudes playing some flutes.

Next to that are the smooshed pennies (those are achieved by putting two quarters and one penny in a machine, pushing some levers and then cranking the penny through a flattener thingy that imprints the logo).

Winslow, AZ: La Posada hotel, The Turquoise Room, Standing on a Corner and Tina Mion.  It was like sensory overload in this city.  I have a blog coming about it.  For now, my brochures and post cards will have to suffice.

Did you know a meteor hit the earth out in the desert and left a giant crater??  Yep, stopped and took a gander.  Pretty impressive really.  I was able to get Bobby to try a fish taco at La Santisima.  A-mazing!

 

Next up was Lake Havasu AZ where the REAL London Bridge (the one that the nursery rhyme was about) now is used.  There was a great set of replica lighthouses too.  AND I saw our first palm tree as we turned to make our way to the lake.

SO MANY Nationa Parks!!  I would have stopped at all of them, had I the time!  A half dozen will have to suffice.

And what stop at a NPS would be complete without stamps in my passport???

  

The final stop on Rt 66 was Santa Monica Pier.  Met a cool dude there who was an expert on Rt 66 and who ran the shop with the end sign attached.

From Santa Monica (after staying in Hollywood – see cool LA mug above) we headed up the coast to Morro Bay.  We stayed at the Inn at Morro Bay.  LOVED LOVED LOVED!  I opened our balcony doors and was greeted by a gorgeous view of the bay.

After Morro Bay we made our way to Pacific Grove in the Monterrey area.  We stayed at Centrella Inn.  The next day we rode the loop around Pebble Beach (of the golfing world fame).

There is a nasty landslide along Hwy 1.  So we doubled back from Pacific Grove and made our way all the way until the road was blocked.  We took in Big Sur, Pigeon Point Lighthouse and a couple other little beach stops.  It was a great decision and the coast was stunning.

The last stop on our whirlwind road trip was San Francisco.  We walked out to Fisherman’s Wharf and took in the amazing scenery.  I was horribly sad that the trip was coming to an end.  There were so many things I wish I could have squeezed in.

 

Oh yeah, we cannot forget the magnets!

What kinds of souvenirs do you like to pick up?  I would love to hear about them!

More blogs to come this week on specific locations and hotels.