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By Mim Swartz News Travel Editor
Last year, my editor chided me for the picks I made for my year-in-review travel wrapup. "You copped out," she told me, because I had chosen all the museums I visited — 10 of them — for the honor of Best Museum. I, of course, didn't view it as a cop-out. It was impossible to pick one — they all were great museums, for different reasons. Well, I have a similar problem this year with my series on great American drives — although not quite the same. I'm not choosing all eight road trips as the best drive, but I'm choosing three: most interesting, most scenic and most nostalgic — in addition to other categories. So, this Chrismas Eve, let me reflect on another good year for travel. And happy travels to all of you. Most Interesting Drive U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys, from Florida City to Key West. Called the Overseas Highway, this mostly two-lane historic ribbon of road is an engineering phenomenon, built on the bones of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway that was destroyed in a 1935 hurricane. It skims the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. The 113-mile-long highway boasts 42 bridges — the longest is 7 miles — that connect a chain of 40-plus inhabited islands in the southernmost region of the continental United States. Among many high points, the drive offers natural wonders (the only living barrier coral reef in the continental U.S., plus a national marine sanctuary); animal encounters (Wild Bird Center at Tavernier; dolphin and sea lion shows at Theater of the Sea in Islamorada; Dolphin Research Center at Grassy Key; and the diminutive key deer, found only in the Lower Keys and most friendly on No Name Key); and quirkiness (Fat Albert near Cudjoe Key, an electronically equipped, ground-tethered "Big Brother" blimp supposedly keeping an eye out on druggies; the abandoned Bat Tower on Lower Sugar Key, built to house bats to eat mosquitoes, but the bats flew the coop; and Woody's bar on Islamorada, featuring the band Big Dick and the Extenders.) There is so much to see and do along the way that you need to take three days to do the drive justice. Most Scenic Drive Colorado in summer, on all sides. There's just no place that beats Colorado's scenery, from the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway between Copper Mountain and Leadville, to Twin Lakes at the foot of towering Mount Elbert, to the 12,095-foot summit of Independence Pass, to the majestic Maroon Bells in Aspen, to the dazzling Crystal River Valley with splendid Mount Sopris looking like a mountain should, to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison's spellbinding spires, to the blue waters of the Curecanti National Recreation Area. Most Nostalgic Drive Route 66 in New Mexico. What a trip back in time for kicks and kitsch: old-time diners with comfort food and swiveling counter stools; motels dressed in neon; curious Southwestern curios; Indian moccasins; ash trays in the shape of a highway shield; classic cars. Highway officials may have decommissioned the road in 1985, but Route 66 lives on. Best Sunset Key West, Fla. The southernmost city in the continental United States celebrates old sol's nightly descent below the horizon at Mallory Square. The sun's sinking almost takes second billing, what with all the action on the dock. My favorite act: Dominique, the cat man, whose half-dozen trained felines will jump through hoops for him — literally. Have you ever seen a cat jump through a flaming ring? Only in Key West. Best Entertainment The Ultimate Taxi in Aspen. John Barnes takes visitors on the ride of a lifetime in his yellow Checker cab. He's a one-man show — singing jazz, fingering a Yamaha keyboard, banging on digital drums and tooting an electronic sax — all the while driving with at least his left elbow while dry-ice fog pours from the floor and a silver disco mirror ball spins from the ceiling. Never mind the $125 for a half-hour ride; it's worth every cent. I still chuckle when I think about that evening in the taxi. Best Faded Tourist Trap A faded yellow concrete snake pit outside Moriarty, N.M. Snake pits once attracted tourists who wended their way along Route 66 through the great Southwest. This one near Moriarty is surrounded by weeds, but there it stands on wooden blocks, with peeling paint spelling out the words SNAKE PIT. A wire cage-like top is a reminder of how they kept the critters in. Biggest Disappointment Not seeing Mount McKinley. The 20,320-foot mountain in Alaska's Denali National Park was nowhere to be seen on my visit in August. Only about 10 percent of park visitors ever get a full view of North America's highest peak, known in Athabaskan simply as Denali, "the Great One" or "High One." Clouds shroud the Great One most of the time. Meteorologists say that because of its massive size and location, it makes its own weather — mostly clouds. I am still living with the memory of several years ago, when I did see the mountain in all its glory — twice. It's not a sight soon forgotten. Most Bizarre Spectacle The Bubblegum Wall, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Thousands of pieces of chewed bubble gum are plastered on the wall in an alleyway near Mother's Tavern. Locals say the yucky wall probably got started when the town became nonsmoking. Patrons went outside for a smoke and stuck their gum on the wall. Kitchiest Hotel The Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo. The landmark central California hotel has 109 rooms, each with a different theme, from Barrel of Fun to Canary Cottage, from the Caveman Room to Jungle Rock, from the Matterhorn to Sugar and Spice. Most of the rooms feature a lot of rock. It's pure kitsch — but well done. Best Best Western The Best Western Pow Wow Inn, Tucumcari, N.M. The 92-room motel on Tucumcari Boulevard — once Route 66 — incorporates four of the nine original tourist-court units built in 1939 (they rent for $39 and $49). Quality American Indian art is displayed throughout the hotel, and some is for sale in the gift shop. The suites are particularly attractive, with reasonable rates — $125 a night. An adjoining restaurant and lounge add to the appeal. Best Coastline Big Sur in California. The 90-mile stretch of rugged Big Sur coast, snaking along California 1 from San Simeon to Carmel, is the most dramatic part of the drive along California's central coast. Once mostly inaccessible pristine wilderness, this segment is still unspoiled, thanks to strict development regulation. Best Place to See Grizzlies Denali National Park, Alaska. Everyone expects to see wildlife when they're in Alaska, but, of course, that's not guaranteed. However, there's a pretty good chance you'll see grizzlies, among other animals, in this remote, prized park. Wildlife tours are conducted via buses; private vehicles are restricted beyond a certain point to control the impact on wildlife. Although I didn't see The Mountain when I was in Denali this summer, I did have 15 grizzly sightings, including a sow scampering across the tundra gathering berries, with two cubs frolicking behind her. Most Colorful Drive The Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina. The spectacular fall color show is equal to that in New England. Trees and shrubs burst with reds, oranges, golds and purples all along the 470-mile-long parkway the third week of October. Contact travel editor Mim Swartz at (303) 892-2552 or e-mail swartzm@RockyMountainNews.com. December 24, 2000
Last year, my editor chided me for the picks I made for my year-in-review travel wrapup. "You copped out," she told me, because I had chosen all the museums I visited — 10 of them — for the honor of Best Museum.
I, of course, didn't view it as a cop-out. It was impossible to pick one — they all were great museums, for different reasons.
Well, I have a similar problem this year with my series on great American drives — although not quite the same. I'm not choosing all eight road trips as the best drive, but I'm choosing three: most interesting, most scenic and most nostalgic — in addition to other categories.
So, this Chrismas Eve, let me reflect on another good year for travel. And happy travels to all of you.
The 113-mile-long highway boasts 42 bridges — the longest is 7 miles — that connect a chain of 40-plus inhabited islands in the southernmost region of the continental United States.
Among many high points, the drive offers natural wonders (the only living barrier coral reef in the continental U.S., plus a national marine sanctuary); animal encounters (Wild Bird Center at Tavernier; dolphin and sea lion shows at Theater of the Sea in Islamorada; Dolphin Research Center at Grassy Key; and the diminutive key deer, found only in the Lower Keys and most friendly on No Name Key); and quirkiness (Fat Albert near Cudjoe Key, an electronically equipped, ground-tethered "Big Brother" blimp supposedly keeping an eye out on druggies; the abandoned Bat Tower on Lower Sugar Key, built to house bats to eat mosquitoes, but the bats flew the coop; and Woody's bar on Islamorada, featuring the band Big Dick and the Extenders.)
There is so much to see and do along the way that you need to take three days to do the drive justice.
Contact travel editor Mim Swartz at (303) 892-2552 or e-mail swartzm@RockyMountainNews.com.
December 24, 2000
