Joel has been manning the camera today. He’s discovered that it’s quite a feat to get a clear picture of a road sign from a vehicle moving 75 mph. I’ve heard a lot of snapping, but don’t know what shots he got. I’ll put them at the bottom of this entry, with a little narrative, if I can figure out what he was photographing.
We reached the Texas state line somewhere around 10 a.m. Here, the temperature registered about 48 degrees. I take back what I said about Arkansas being flat. I hadn’t seen flat until I saw the Texas panhandle. Buddy, it’s FLAT. Two hours across the state line, we reached Amarillo, where we stopped to fill up the gas tank and grab something to eat. By this time, it was 38 degrees. The travel center where we bought the gas had a McDonald’s inside, and also a Subway Sandwich Shop. We were trying to decide between the two eateries when I spied hot dogs in a roaster. We headed for the hot dog bar, grabbed a bag of chips to share, and bought cups of iced tea. While we were waiting in line to pay for our food, I looked around for a place to sit. There weren’t any seats in the place except for those inside the McDonald’s. I asked the cashier if we could sit in the McDonald’s. She pulled a doubtful look, but said we could try it, but they might kick us out. We opted to eat in the car!
In between bites of hot dog, I called Tim to tell him where we were and to give him an ETA for Albuquerque. He said it was snowing there, and that the weather conditions might delay us. Oh great. I wolfed down the rest of my hot dog, and got back onto the interstate.
Just west of Amarillo, it began to snow. I will admit to saying a few curse words when that mess started. But the snow was pellet-y, and it blew right off the highway. After a few miles of fairly cautious progress, I put the pedal to the metal. After about half an hour, the snow went away.
Thank goodness for a change of scenery in New Mexico. There wasn’t much action right near the interstate – nothing but cacti and cedars – but in the distance we could see lumps. I think these New Mexicans call them “mesas.” To me, this scenery is much more interesting than that of the Texas panhandle area, but I doubt the Texans would abide that kind of talk.
The speed limit in New Mexico is 75. I let ‘er rip.
In Cuervo, New Mexico, it started snowing again, but it blew right off the roadway.
Somewhere near Santa Rosa, we took a stretch break. The temperature was back up in the low 40s, but there was a monstrous wind blowing. Joel took over the driving from there, about 80 miles out of Albuquerque. While he drove, I checked the AAA Travel Guide for a motel in Albuquerque. While I was on the phone with the reservations clerk, we ran through a BLIZZARD. It lasted for about 3 miles and was over by the time I got off the telephone. We’ve run into tiny little snow storms about 10 times since then. It’s piling up along the edges of the interstate, but not sticking to the road, thank goodness.
We’ll be staying at a Hampton Inn right in the middle of Albuquerque, halfway between Tim’s house and Shirley’s house.
It's 4:07, and we’re 25 miles from Albuquerque. It’s 36 degrees.
Somewhere between Zuzak and Carnuel, the mountains crept up to the interstate. Damn, Tim’s mountains don’t have anything growing on them but rocks. ;)
2:52, or 4:52, or 3:52 – we’re in our hotel room. The hotel clock says 2:52, Joel’s watch says 4:52. I just called Shirley, and she says it’s 3:52. Tim, Shirley, Joel, and I are getting together for dinner at a restaurant called “Sadie’s” sometime later this evening. Tim says they serve “New Mexican” food. This ought to be interesting.
Here are some of today's pictures.
For you, Graham, more funny place names:
Personally, I feel it's a tad sacreligious (or at least plain old tacky) to name a travel center after Jesus.
Close to Amarillo, we saw these wind turbines whirling. I've seen their giant blades being hauled down the roads by 18-wheelers, but have never seen the actual windmills in action. They're kind of awesome to watch.
Snow, west of Amarillo.
Some New Mexico pictures:
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