Breaking Up the Trip, Badly

Texas pride can be overbearing. The grills? Give it a rest.

Thursday Afternoon
Albuquerque

One of the hardest things to find on this trip is good coffee. Even seeking the lowest common denominator, Starbucks, can be a challenge. But then long division isn’t really taught in these parts. It’s too close to Darwin.

I made a mistake in staying overnight in Amarillo. It’s a bigger city than I thought so the rates are high and the quality is low. I’ve had better luck in the smaller towns.

On the way into Amarillo there was billboard after billboard advertising a 72 oz. steak. You know what they say: the bigger the steak the smaller the meat. It did get me in the mood though, but I opted for a 10 ounce one instead. From the take out at Outback, across the parking lot from my ratty Hampton Inn. I didn’t feel like driving anymore.

It was a short day, just took 4 hours to reach the Land of Enchantment. Only one stop today, that was in Deaf Smith County for gas and a religious t-shirt. I pulled into the Duke City at 1:00 PM. I’ll be taking a 24 hour break from the truck driving intensity.

I rented a car and visited Santa Fe. The Flintstones meets Zorro style of architecture is interesting. It’s worth a return trip someday.

I have one more big push to Phoenix on Friday. Then coast to the Springs Saturday.