One Perfect Day In Santa Fe

Arsty sculpture

Arsty sculpture

Day 114           October 1, 2014

Santa Fe, New Mexico

To meet our deadline and arrive in Albuquerque on time, we’d been putting on a lot of miles each day. So it was a treat to just stay in one place today.

The entire day was spent in perfect Santa Fe fashion….eating, drinking, and looking at art and architecture. We spent most of our time in the Railyard Arts District, where we discovered the most amazing modern art galleries.

Obviously, we're in the Railyard district

Obviously, we’re in the Railyard Arts District

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Railyard district

In the Railyard Arts District

Cool art on giant garage door

Cool art on giant garage door

Arsty sculpture

Arsty sculpture

In the park on a dog walk..

In the park on a dog walk..

Coffee break

Coffee break

And of course, we discovered a local brewery too!

It was a perfect day!

Route I-40 West: Trinkets, Spicy Jam, & A Stripper

Tucumcari

Tucumcari

Day 113      September 30, 2014

Tucumcari  to  Santa Fe

Before leaving Tucumcari, we did another drive-a-bout to take pics of all the cool Route 66 stuff. Some of the stuff was decrepit, in it’s original state, and other stuff was restored and/or repurposed. All of it was fun to see!

Tucumcari

Tucumcari

Tucumcari

Tucumcari

Tucumcari

Tucumcari

Tucumcari

Tucumcari

So many cool, fun signs

So many cool, fun signs

And then…back on I-40 West.

For miles and miles on I-40, way before we were even close to it, there were a zillion billboards advertising the Flying C Ranch, so, of course, we had to check it out. It was, basically, a big shop full of trinkets and other touristy crap. We found some jars of spicy jams and jellies. They looked pretty interesting, and they’d come in handy for quick easy lunch sandwiches. And then….back on I-40 West.

@ Flying C Ranch...craptastic!!

@ Flying C Ranch…craptastic!!

There wasn’t much to see on I-40 west, so I guess, instead of yelling expletives, I should have actually thanked Mark for providing some form of entertainment when he pulled his sweatshirt up and over his head while driving. Briefly, as he was trying to take off his sweatshirt, it got stuck over his head. Just briefly. Ay yi yi!!

Mark would pay the price for his stripper shenanigans, ‘cause he freaked me out, and that gave me the hiccups. And when I get the hiccups, they are LOUD!! They are in fact, so loud, that Mark accuses me of faking the volume. But, I say, that’s just how they come out of me. So, he had to put up with that for a while.  And then….we finally turned off of I-40 West.

We took Route 14 north, the “Turquoise Trail, into Santa Fe. Upon our arrival downtown, we found a great double parking space, and went to have lunch at the Coyote Cafe. Good food and drinks!

Santa Fe!

Santa Fe!

Lunch @ Coyote Cafe

Lunch @ Coyote Cafe

Margaritas @ Coyote Cafe

Margaritas @ Coyote Cafe

Lunch was followed by a peaceful afternoon nap in the Space Shuttle. And once rejuvenated, out we went for a long walk around town.

Santa Fe. Tourist trap vendors. I think the stuff they sell is all fake.

Santa Fe. Tourist trap vendors. I think the stuff they sell is all fake.

Downtown Santa Fe

Downtown Santa Fe

Downtown Santa Fe

Downtown Santa Fe. Beautiful tile fountain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtown Santa Fe

Downtown Santa Fe

Downtown Santa Fe

Downtown Santa Fe

Downtown Santa Fe. Detail from mural art.

Downtown Santa Fe. Detail from mural art.

Downtown Santa Fe. Detail from mural art.

Downtown Santa Fe. Detail from mural art.

We docked for the night at Los Suenos de Santa Fe Rv Park, just outside of downtown. Further exploration would have to wait until morning….

Bugageddon, Anal Glands, & Tornadoes…What A Day!

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Day 112          September 29, 2014

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma   to  Tucumcari, New Mexico

We were driving west on a pretty boring stretch of I-40 west, when suddenly, BLAMMO!! A swarm of about 50 bugs, ran smack dab into our windshield. It was ugly! A freakin’ bloody massacre! Otherwise, the drive out of Oklahoma City was uneventful. So, at least we had Bugageddon to talk about for a while.

Hello Texas!

Hello Texas!

When we got to Amarillo, Texas, we paid a visit to Swann Animal Clinic. I’d called ahead to make an appointment to have Dax looked at. Seems he was having a little problem with his anal glands. Yes, anal glands. This day was really shaping up nicely, wasn’t it?!

The folks at Swann Animal Clinic couldn’t have been nicer. Ends up Dax had an infection, so it was a good thing that we had him looked at. We got him set up with some antibiotics, thanked everyone, and went on our way. Poor Dax.

We didn’t know if we’d ever in our lifetime, be back in Amarillo, Texas, so we took a little time to go see what downtown Amarillo looked like. Checked that off. 

Old building in downtown Amarillo

Old building in downtown Amarillo

Downtown Amarillo

Downtown Amarillo

Fun, cool angles

Fun, cool angles

Very pointy...

Very pointy…

Downtown Amarillo

Downtown Amarillo

Downtown Amarillo

Downtown Amarillo

Downtown Amarillo

Downtown Amarillo

Don't mess with Texas!

Don’t mess with Texas!

When we got back on I-40 west, we were in such a deep discussion about donuts, that we almost passed right by Cadillac Ranch. Thank the good lord that we saw it just in time!!

In the distance = Cadillac Ranch

Looking quite tiny, in the distance = Cadillac Ranch

Here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia….

“Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, U.S. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm. It consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of mid twentieth century Cadillacs; the tailfins) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.”

The infamous Cadillac Ranch. Let the spray painting begin!

The infamous Cadillac Ranch. Let the spray painting begin!

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

We had a fantastic time at Cadillac Ranch! A nice young couple there gave us a can of their spray paint so that we could actively participate and leave our mark on the old cars. The interactiveness of it all, really enhanced our experience of the place.

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Love this place!

Love this place!

Endless fun with spray paint

Endless fun with spray paint

Nice couple who shared their spray paint with us

Nice couple who shared their spray paint with us

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Goodbye Cadillac Ranch

Whatever.......

Whatever…….

On the road to Tucumcari

Back on the road to Tucumcari

If your horse needs a vacation, this is the place to go...

If your horse needs a vacation, this is the place….

New Mexico....looking a little blurry at 65 mph

New Mexico….looking a little blurry at 65 mph

Under the threat of tornadoes in the area, we made our way to Tucumcari. We were smack dab on the old Route 66, the Mother Road, surrounded by super cool mid-century modern architecture, signage and landmarks. Cool stuff, so we did a little drive about before stopping at Tucumcari Cactus RV park.

Cool stuff on Route 66 in Tucumcari

Cool stuff on Route 66 in Tucumcari

Cool stuff on Route 66 in Tucumcari

Cool stuff on Route 66 in Tucumcari

It was getting late, and we were too tired and lazy to cook dinner, so we walked over to nearby Del’s for dinner. Being that we were in Tucumcari, well, we didn’t expect a great meal or anything. So we were blown away by the completely delicious food and great service. If you’re ever in Tucumcari, this is THE place at which to dine!

So far, no tornadoes. As we walked back to the RV park, we felt the wind pick up, and felt a little rain falling. Lucky us, it wasn’t until we were safely back in the Space Shuttle, that the sky began to rock ’n roll. Wind, lightening, thunder….all night long. It kept us a little on edge, but, that’s as bad as it got. No tornadoes. It was a totally great day after all.

For Those About To Road Trip, I Salute You!

Summer’s here friends, so get the f*## out of your houses, get in your damn cars, and go on a road trip!!

Yesterday, June 10th, marked the one-year anniversary of the start of our epic four-month long road trip. Yes, the one I’m still blogging about! I set a goal to be finished writing about the trip by time the one-year anniversary rolled around. Didn’t quite reach that goal, but I am super close to being finished.

So, if you’re sick of still having to read about my old trip, get the heck on the road, do your own road trip, and then write about it! Stop being the entertained, and start being the entertainee. Road trips are fun!! You’ll thank me later for gettin’ you out there!!

I Want Beer, And I Want It NOW!!!

Great choice for dinner!

Great choice for dinner!

Day 111            September 28, 2014

Little Rock, Arkansas  to  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

For a minute, I thought we’d time travelled back to the dark ages. We tried to buy a 6-pack of beer to restock our little fridge. But guess what?! The great state of Arkansas doesn’t sell alcohol on Sundays. WTF??? And so, we left Arkansas.

Leaving Arkansas. No beer, no stay.

Leaving Arkansas. No beer, no stay.

There seemed to be an unusually large number of motorcycles also heading west on I-40. I talked to a couple of the bikers at a rest stop, and found out they were all driving home after attending a huge bike rally in Fayetteville, Arkansas. And I’m guessing they were leaving on a Sunday ‘cause they couldn’t buy any freakin’ beer!

All the bikers leaving Arkansas, in search of beer..

All the bikers leaving Arkansas, in search of beer..

Onward to Oklahoma City. There’s a funny story about Oklahoma City. A story that happened many years ago when we were driving across the country to move to California. I’m not gonna tell you the story, as it’s quite long, but it involved Mark getting locked outside our friend’s house in the middle of the night. Just a little story that we laugh about to this day…..well, I laugh about it.

Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City

I knew it’d be depressing, but, we went to see the Oklahoma City National Memorial. You know, the one that honors the victims of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building. It was depressing to see, but it was also very beautiful, and I’m glad we went to see it.

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

The museum @ Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Personal mementos on the fence @ Oklahoma City National Memorial

Personal mementos on the fence @ Oklahoma City National Memorial

IMG_6658

After the somberness of the memorial, we needed a little pick-me-up, so we headed to the Bricktown district for some margaritas and beers. We had the most delicious dinner at Bricktown Brewery…meatloaf, fried okra and black eyed peas…totally gourmet…totally yummy!! And did I mention the awesome stout that went along with it?

Looking for margaritas in Bricktown

Looking for margaritas in Bricktown

Bricktown district

Bricktown district

Great choice for dinner!

Great choice for dinner!

Photo does not do this justice. It tasted freakin' awesomely gourmet!!

Photo does not do this justice. It tasted freakin’ awesomely gourmet!!

We docked for the night at Council Road RV Park.

Leaving the city...

Leaving the city…