Taqueria Navarro, Sanford *CO Travel Notes

I tried this taqueria on 17-92 near 46A today at lunch. It opened ten days ago. They said the style was Jalisco and another region I didn't compute. I had a barbacoa sopes, lengua tostada and a canrintas and asada tacos. All were $3 except the $4 lengua. They were mostly good. I would prefer that they grill the taco tortillas. They were rushing things. The barbacoa that they list as head had more connective parts than meat. That's the luck of the draw I guess. The asada was very diced. The lengua didn't seem like lengua. Maybe they confused the barbacoa and that. Came with a green salsa. They have a salsa bar. They sell: tacos, sopes, quesadillas, gorditas, tortas, tostadas, burritos, tacos grandes, quesadilla chicas and drinks. The top price is $10. The other types are: pollo, chicharron, desbrada, chorizo, pastor, carne molida, jamon and camaron. The place is basic. Maybe ten tables and a few outside. Order at the counter. It was pretty full. Came out quickly. Parking. Open 7D 9a-9p. I found this place by accident. I was returning from downtown Sanford (because the lazy bitches at this new bao place still have a food truck work ethic and only open after 4pm and only five days a week) after a miscue. I'm almost glad it happened. I'll bet this is the better option.

*Travel Notes - Colorado: I flew at night to Denver on Frontier for $68. I rented a car (my choice) from Hertz for the week at $324. Got a brand new one with Sat radio. I slept the first night at a Sleep Inn (Booking 8.1) at the airport for $96. In the morning I drove to Grand Junction. Lunch at McD in Vail. I took the road to Powderhorn and bought my lift ticket for the next day (no dynamic pricing) for $104 and rented skis for $62. That road is very pretty. I then drove back to 70 and Grand Junction. I stopped two exits further on in Palisade because they were touting wineries and I had time to kill. I stopped at the closest one (Grande River Vineyards). I had a flight for $13. Almost all their wine was good. They kept giving me free tastes. I applied the flight price to a bottle. An ok rose. I didn't see that it cost $23. Still a deal with a $13 discount. I'll interject here that all the flight pricing in Palisade was reasonable. The bottle prices not so much. I'll also declare that the wine here is excellent. I was dumbfounded. It was getting late and I tried to try another aside it. They were closing though. I stayed at the Grand Vista Hotel (Expedia 8.2) for two nights at $51 plus $14 parking per night. That is not a misprint. Grand Junction is near skiing, has excellent wineries and a downtown, great scenery and some of the cheapest, ok quality hotels in the country. So much so that I recalibrated my whole trip around it. I grabbed some food at Safeway for dinner. Did this every night.

The next day I drove back to Powderhorn. A great, uncrowded day of sun skiing. I had a corn dog up there. Stopped again in Palisade. Did Colterris Winery and Spectrum Sauvage Estate Winery this time. Colterris was better, but, Spectrum was more cutting edge. They had sparklings that followed the Pet-Nat method and even a hopped one (it was pretty good and the only time I have ever heard anyone trying that). I was the only one at any of these tasting rooms. There is a well marked wine trail.

The next day I changed rooms to a Studio 6 (Expedia 7.2). Mistake. I had a huge, end of hall, quiet room at the other hotel. These pics looked ok and I figured they would make me check out anyway, so, I gambled on variety. It was an extended stay Motel 6 with an ok update, but, sleazy guests and noisier. Before that I explored and had lunch in downtown on Main St. Good jalapeno steak benedict at Dream Cafe and a Truffle Shuffle (prosciutto, dried pear, brie spread, Manchego chips, sunflower seeds) at The Hog and the Hen. Free parking was a bit of a struggle. Colorado is so addicted to this revenue. I drove back to Palisade. Left Red Fox because they didn't have vintage wine. Drove to Carboy (a glass barrel) Winery for a very good flight. Then to Book Cliff Vineyards. An ok flight at a great location. Then I started to drive away from downtown. Great views on the trail. Stopped at a good looking place called Restoration Vineyards. The owner was the ex-biggest after market auto parts dealer in SF. The wine was excellent. They had a food truck. There were other vineyards I passed by. 40+ in all. I love this area because it is like a time machine. It is like many wine regions used to be. Before they became a hassle. I reticently encourage you to drop all of them and come here. I put it that way because I'm afraid you will ruin it for all of us. Like that nimrod on the insurance commercial who says "hey Fam...I'm out here...manifesting abundance...". But, I guess it's too good to keep to myself. I would seriously move here if they had a bigger airport. They even have summer activities. You can bike it. And there is another wine region south of here.

The next day I drove to Glenwood Springs. All the big resorts were doubling down on their ridiculous pricing (ie $259 for Winter Park). I decided I would try Sunlight. It was about ten miles from town. It cost $100. I did that the next day. This day, I drove to Aspen. It was a Saturday and too full. Plus they were super dicks about the paid parking and I had been there many many times before. I turned around and ate a roast beef and cheddar sandwich in Basalt at Mountain Heart Brewing. Had a sample too. Then back to GS. I checked in to the Starlight Lodge (Expedia 8.0) for the next two nights at $101 per. I rented skis for $52 at Hanging Lake Activities across the street (much better quality than PH). I then drove to Ironside Mineral Baths ($100+) and some gondola that goes to an amusement park. It was too expensive for what it was. I might do it when the park is open. It is on top of a mountain like in Barcelona. So cool. Never noticed it before. I parked the car and walked across the bridge to downtown. Almost did the baths, but, it was getting too late. I had a flight at Casey Brewing and a trout (fishy) blt at CO Ranch House. I should say it was around 60 degrees this whole week. 

The next day I awoke early and was one of the first on the mountain. I did this because I noticed the day before that the parking lot near the entrance got full quickly and was muddy. Plus they wouldn't sell me a ticket ahead of time and I didn't want to make multiple trips and it was a Sunday. It was a good move. The mud was still iced over. I got a spot right at the entrance. Ticket line was short. I can't tell you how many hours I almost had the place to myself. It was big enough. No runs I couldn't handle. Great views. You don't need the hassle of Aspen et al. Go there. They also have a deal with Powderhorn where you can get three free days here if you get a yearly pass at PH. I believe that only costs $300. I think they said ski rentals here were $40. I left a bit early because I was worn out and had decided to do the Glenwood Hot Springs pool. I grabbed a pastrami rueben with fries on the way back at the 19th Street Diner. Returned the skis. The baths cost $34 plus $5 for a suit and $4 for a towel. I had been meaning to day this for ages. It was fun. Very historical. Bright sunshine. I then washed off and went across the bridge and had a flight at Stoneyard Distillery and a cobb salad and a flight at Glenwood Springs Brew Pub. I also grabbed a large guac and chips and Qdoba on the way back and drank some remaining wine. I think this town will be a part of most future trips as well.

The next day I drove back towards Denver. There was a big storm coming and I didn't want to be stuck on the wrong side of the Eisenhower tunnel. I had a lunch of a cheesesteak with arugula salad at The Drunken Goat in Edwards. I stayed at the H&H Motorlodge (Expedia 7.8) in Idaho Springs for $89. I drove up to Echo ski resort to see it when it was open. It's another cheaper option. Back to IS. Grabbed a roast beef with swiss and jus at Big B's Soup and Grilled Cheese across from the hotel. Went into town to try and try a cidery. They didn't make there own and I was worried about getting a ticket, so, I left and got some McDonald's. It snowed as predicted.

The next day I drove around Denver. Got off 70 where there is an old amusement park. Stumbled upon a huge comic book store. I'm not that type, but, I had time on my hands. It was interesting. I pretended I was on Big Bang Theory. I then drove down the street next to the tracks and espied Original Chubby's Burger Drive In (since 1967) and assumed that meant it was iconic. I grabbed a DCB (ok). I saw a Mexican place across the street. Walked there. Kike's Red Tacos. They had framed reviews that said they were a food truck and had a 5 star Yelp score. I grabbed a goat birria and asada taco. Both great. I then drove to downtown. Zig zagged every street. When I got to the state house, the usual liberal malcontents were starting a self-serving protest march. I had to drive around it. Gave then all a one finger salute. Stumbled upon their Natural History Museum/Zoo/Golf Course. On Josephine, I think. Back to 70 near the Purina Dog Chow building. Saw the Denver Coliseum. Back on 70 to DIA. Fueled up. Had a Son of Baconator (on sale for $3). Returned the car. The third (secret) TSA area has been closed. Possibly the worst collection of miscreants on the flight. Half hour late leaving as usual. I spent $73 on gas. It cost anywhere form $4 to $2.60. $120 for airport parking. Total Cost = $1928.

Tree Removal Tutorial

This is the outline for removing a a large tree (60-80ft) from your property. There is alot of "divergence" out there, so, shop around or cross your fingers. I tried to do an exhaustive search. A lack of internet enabled data from the State and sloppy/contradictory data when there is some doesn't help. You are kind of at the whim of Yelp, Google, etc. There doesn't seem to be anywhere to find out if they really do have (active) insurance (other than calling their provider and I never did and don't know if they would release that info) and Sunbiz.gov is a mess to find out if they are licensed. Most didn't seem to be. Many had similar names. Bob Vila said the cost should be $200-$760. Average of $400. The internet said $3-$10 a foot or $5 average. 60ft-100ft = $200-$1000. My tree had three "prongs". Not sure if that changes things. Those prices seem unattainable in CF. I was willing to forgo stump grinding and haul away. It's probably best that I had those done.

The Search - I began with Google and searched for tree removal companies in my town. I compiled a list (that I mostly began ignore because of the issues cited above). I noted their locations and phone numbers and if they had reviews. I also gathered info from ads I had accumulated or had been mailed to me and cards placed in my door. I will list all the competitors at the end. I ended up (initially) choosing some guy who confronted me while I was cleaning my yard. That fell through. Read below to see their villainy. The second choice was the very very last number I had on my list. Not sure how I got it. I was going to go with the company that helped remove a part of another tree after Helene, but, they wouldn't schedule me for within three weeks at the earliest. and I was spooked at scheduling bs after I signed a contract thanks to company one. The company I went with scheduled me for the next day. You also have to find out how they are going to do it. Climb. With or without spikes (if pruning). Small Crane. Truck sized crane. Combo. Bobcat. Haul away included? Protections for the home. Ropes. Stump Grinding? Workman's Comp?

The Estimates - This was the easy part. They all showed up the next day. Oral, paper and interactive internet based. Most quotes were without stump grind.

Deangelos Land Services - $600 and they would remove some excess debris. They charged my neighbor $2000!

J&J's Lawn  Tree - $800. $200 removal. $200 stump. $500 trim.

Your Tree Services - $2000. $100 stump.

Classy Oak - $900-$1000

At Your Service - $1600. $200 stump. 

True Outdoors - $900 all in.

Decision - I went with True Outdoors. They matched prices and seemed legit. 150 5 stars on Google. Claimed to have insurance and workman's comp. I didn't verify. The owner suggested he would be onsite (ended up doing the work). Said I could call his insurance co. He seemed to be clean cut and trustworthy. And most importantly, he gave me little time to hem and haw. He surprised me when he said he would meet my price and could do it the next day. Said he had a crane. How could I say no? I signed his estimate/contract on his tablet on the spot. Received a text and email confirmation.

Service Day - They texted the next day at about eleven am. Said they were on their way. A half hour later, four guys showed up. The owner said he didn't want to use the crane (access issues) and would do the cutting himself. I was ambivalent. I didn't want any long cuts to scrape or hit the roof (or my neighbors) because they couldn't shimmy up far enough. But, I didn't want my (or my neighbors) lawn torn up either by a crane. Long story short. He got to cutting. It took about two hours. Only one minor dent in a gutter drain. I could have lived without the bobcat going on to my lawn so many times to pick up debris. They had a guy with a leaf blower on the roof. They cleaned the yard. I ended up paying $60 to remove excess debris from Helene. They emailed me a bill. I paid online. 3% cc fee. The only possible issue was that the guy grinding the stump found plastic pipe debris. He may have hit the sewer line. I had an issue with a back up in my shower three days after this. I called the owner and he said he would stop by. It has been a week and he hasn't. Keep tabs for an update. 

Warning - Here is what happened (or didn't) with Deangelos Land Services. They scheduled me and didn't show. They gave me this price ostensibly because they were doing my neighbors as well. I guess they flaked on her too. I will interject at this point that with hindsight I believe they do the higher paying jobs first. We re-scheduled for a week later. That day the boss (Lex Kovacs) came and said he needed bigger machinery (True Outdoors would disagree). Could we do it the next day? Then it rained. Could we reschedule? "Thank you for being patient with us, we'll get this done". I waited a week and then thought I would get a reasonable due date. FYI the statements in quotation marks are from our (and his sales guy Anthony Siler) text thread. "Welcome back. We will be there asap". I asked if he could be more specific. "I can't, this job is complex and pricing is also too low to plan a day around. So I have to fit it in when I have some softness in my schedule and I am in your area. Your job was quoted to be done on the same day we were across the street. Which is why it is more than 50% off its regular price. If this is urgent, and you don't want to wait for us, I can give you a few other tree companies that I trust. They could get the work done sooner that are a little less busy than we are". He then sent a few links. I texted that we had a written contract and that I hadn't created this problem. I waited a few days. He ghosted me. I texted the Sales Guy to see if they had canceled the contract so that if I found someone else they wouldn't come after me for the money. "Unfortunately we will be canceling our contract with you due to not be able to get the proper equipment to do the job safely. If you insist on taking action, feel free to do what you need to do and I will have our attorneys respond promptly". "You and I know that you have no grounds to take action because in our terms and condition it clearly states that we can cancel the contract at any time for any reason". I then wrote that that would defeat the purpose of an agreement if one side wasn't bound and that since they supplied the contract it would be read against the drafter. He then ghosted me too. I texted that I was trying to keep them from making a poor business decision. Recall that they missed the date they had assigned for me and the neighbor. Then others. Then promised "asap" weeks later. Then immediately backed off that when pressed. Said it was a matter of dollars and cents not availability. Then tried to wiggle out/extend the waiting period without canceling. Then unilaterally broke the agreement.

In the end I will likely not take them to small claims court to teach them a lesson. I believe I (and you) could get the difference between what we bargained for and the additional cost of a replacement as an award/damages. Maybe lost time and punitive damages. A real suit for specific performance is less likely or advisable. However, I am going to hit every ratings service (BBB, Chamber of Commerce, Google, Yelp, Angie's, etc) that I can find. And we have this website and my big mouth. So all in all, I think it will end up costing them more than the difference in whomever they ripped off in place of me.

Conclusion - If you don't shop around you will get ripped off. Don't look like a sucker. Have a low estimate ready to bargain with. Verify as much as you can. Make sure what kind of equipment they have access to (some of them said they would have to rent it). Ask how long it will take and when it will happen and what will happen if it doesn't. I guess you can ask about all the terms in their contract (I assume they will think it gives them all the leverage). And pray nothing bad happens. Because it is a big enough pain in the ass to begin with. I would be there for the cut. Take pics and/or video before and after.

List of Companies (with info) -

J&J Lawn & Tree: 407-774-2076. Longwood. Lic seems inactive.

Tree Doctors America: Orlando. Lic active. Listed as Daytona Beach.

Amazon Tree Care: Apopka. Lic active.

Sunstate Tree: Sanford. Lic inactive.

Angel Oak Arbor Care: S Daytona. Lic inactive.

Higher Standards Tree Care: Daytona Beach. Lic active.

Jean Pierre Tree Service: No lic info. I think this was a business card.

Ben Muriel Landscape & Tree Service: Maitland. Lic inactive.

Legend's Tree Experts: 386-320-9291. No lic info.

A Budgets: 407-327-2520. Winter Springs. Lic active. 3/5 Stars.

Seminole Pro: 407-431-1484. Sanford. Lic active. 5/5 Stars.

JB Tree Care: 407-450-1424. Geneva. Lic inactive. 

Core Tree Service. 386-282-3023. 

McCullough: 407-734-5854. 

Word of Mouth: 407-862-9779. Altamonte.

Classy Oak: 386-500-8105. Daytona.

At Your Service: 321-303-0315. Apopka.

Elite Tree Care: 386-436-0177.

Your Tree Services: 321-303-1677. Deland. Didn't have proper equipment.

Gregg's: 407-866-8022.

True Outdoors: 386-956-1883. 150/150 5 Stars on Google. 2/3 5 Stars on Yelp.

Roof Power Wash Tutorial

www.thisoldhouse.com says it should cost $300 to $1050. www.longboatkeyroofing.net says $150 to $1000 with an average of $452. Asphalt shingles are less. Dirtier is more. There is pressure v soft. That's all the info I was armed with initially. I did no research. I approached a guy doing a neighbors house. He quoted $350 and walkway and driveway for an extra $75. I accepted. His company is Fireman Tom's Pressure Washing Co. 407-459-2032. firemantom@gmail.com. Licensed and insured. License as of 2015 in Oviedo. A+ at BBB. He came on time. Washed all and structure too. Used my faucets. I think only soap or chlorine. Soft. Had to leave to fix broken strap. Put garbage bags around gutters. Left at 5pm. Great effort. No issues. I paid online. 3% credit card charge. I doubt you will find better.