Rooftop Pizza

 

 Rooftop Pizza in Santa Fe. 

 Great food. Great company.

And a spectacular view.

Santa Fe

 Chad and I had the day off. So we got out of Philmont and headed south to Santa Fe. First stop, Santa Fe Brewing Company. We sampled the local brews and had a nice chat before heading off into town.

 Lunch was at The Burrito Co.-- chicken fajitas.

 

 We checked out the shops and found some memorable merchandise. 

 

While we were walking around the Santa Fe rail yard, a train passed by right before we walked into REI. We stopped there to get merchandising ideas for the store.

Columbia Bag

This is a shipping bag I got my Columbia order in. I thought it was pretty funny.

Ute Gulch, Sawmill

I went with the film crew for one of the last video filming sessions of the summer. At Ute Gulch (above) we filmed a segment about backcountry trading posts. It should be done soon.

 

And at Sawmill (above) we filmed a staff recruitment video. There, we were caught in a wicked storm, and stayed for lunch. The ride home was very slow-- the backcountry road consistency was like whipped cream and peanut butter.

Supersized

Casey and I found a pair of 54" "Action" shorts. I don't know many 54" waist people who are "active", but it's big enough for two people.

And if that wasn't enough, we put on a 6x fleece. There was still room to spare.

Staff Photo

This describes our staff photo day. We were serious as long as we had to be, then broke into chaos. The all staff photo itself hasn't been published yet.

Kilt Night

 
As with most snack bar theme nights, this one was particularly ridiculous. Some of our staff have kilts and wanted to wear them to work. It quickly turned into "Braveheart" night.

Taos and a Deer

 

A trip to Taos, New Mexico to pick up a special order for my friend Matt-- he drove. And we had an excellent Mexican dinner at Michael's Kitchen. Authentic, fresh, and excellent service. It made all of its baked goods fresh-- breads, and most importantly, sopapillas (fried dough Mexican things you put honey on).

 

It wouldn't be Taos without a Wal-Mart fashion show. They always have something ridiculous to try on. Henry, on the far left, hadn't been away from Philmont all summer. He's from Erie too. We showed him around town and stopped by the Rio Grande Gorge bridge. Too dark for good pictures.

 

On the way home, the four of us stopped at the New Mexico State Vietnam War Memorial before heading back to Philmont. Moments later, we hit a deer as it tried to turn back and run away. The buck scampered off, but the right front fender of the car was smashed up pretty good. We were all fine. What an unpleasant surprise.

Dining Services

This PhilCast was my favorite to film. I spent a morning working in the dining hall-- cooking, prepping, cleaning, and baking-- and got to see first hand what these guys do every day. There's a reason dining hall staff gets more days off than the other departments on the ranch: they never stop working.

The Hungry Farmer

It was late. Many restaurants were closing for the night. But The Hungry Farmer Steakhouse in Alamosa was open until 10 p.m.  

So I had a scrumptious meal: steak medallions, vegetables, and a cup of hearty chicken soup. Great way to end the day (and begin the 2.5 hour drive back to Philmont).