TUCUMCARI NEW MEXICO TO PRATT KANSAS….FOUR STATES TODAY–NEW MEXICO, TEXAS, OKLAHOMA AND KANSAS

EARLY MORNING SHADOWS AT TUCUMCARI’S CACTUS RV PARK

It was 6:40 a.m. Arizona time when a big old southwest wind blew us out of the Cactus RV Park in Tucumcari New Mexico and pushed us all the way up highway 54 to Pratt Kansas today.  One of the best sustained tail winds we’ve had for awhile.

MOST SMALL TOWNS ALONG THE WAY ARE BUILT AROUND HUGE STORAGE SILOS….WELL I THINK THEY’RE STORAGE SILOS

IT’S THE LAND OF MILE LONG TRAINS

KELLY LIKES TO READ THE  DAY’S NEWS ON HER COMPUTER…..ME??  I’VE QUIT LISTENING TO OR WATCHING NEWS ALTOGETHER!!

SOME TRAVEL DAYS ARE JUST NOT AS EXCITING AS OTHERS

Not a whole lot to write about tonight we just kept plugging away up highway 54 through places like Logan New Mexico, Dalhart and Stratford Texas, Guymon and Hooker Oklahoma and Liberal and Pratt Kansas.  That makes 4 States we traveled through.  Pratt is where this post is coming to you from.  We are at a very windy but most welcome Walmart as you may have guessed.  Just as the Walmart in Socorro two nights ago we are hanging out near all the Spring garden supplies in the parking lot.  And it’s even warmer here in Pratt Kansas to today than it was in Tucumcari New Mexico Thursday.  I think just under 70F maybe.  Groovy:))

FIGURED THIS RV COUPLE MUST HAVE THEIR MOTHER-IN-LAW TRAVELING WITH THEM

FIRST TIME IN A TACO BELL IN OVER 5 YEARS FOR US TODAY

HEY PAT I BET YOU RECOGNIZE THIS PLACE

Thought about the late Rod Ivers today as we traveled along highway 54.  This is the route Rod liked to use when driving his Motorhome between Olathe (Kansas City) and Mesa I think it was where he had a house.  A person thinks of a lot of things on long driving journeys.

THIS PHOTO PRETTY MUCH SUMS UP OUR DRIVE TODAY

After some discussion we opted to stay on the same route we used last year as opposed to maybe sliding over through Wichita Kansas and up to Topeka then picking our way northeast from there.  From here it’s pretty much a straight shot north to I-80 then another straight shot  east to the other side of Chicago before bearing northeast again to the border in Port Huron.  And it’s mainly interstate driving without a bunch of little slow down stop and go towns along the way.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Police officer pulled this guy over for speeding and told him that his eyes were bloodshot, and asked him if he'd been drinking. The guy said "Your eyes are glazed, have you been eating donuts?"

What do you call 50 politicians buried up to their necks in cement? Not enough cement.

Confucius say: Man who want pretty nurse, must be patient.

What do you call a woman with one leg shorter than the other? ……… Eileen

A daughter asks her mother, “What are character qualities that I should look for in a marriage partner? You know, for someone that I will be spending eternity with." The mother replied, ”Go ask your father, he did better than I did.”

SOCORRO NM TO TUMCARI NM AND OUR FIRST RV PARK IN NEARLY A YEAR

HEADING TO ALBBUQUERQUE NEW MEXICO THIS MORNING

A quiet restful night at Socorro New Mexico’s Walmart Wednesday.  That Walmart, they sure know how to look after their overnight guests.  Sunny skies and cool morning air followed us as we rolled out of Walmart’s parking lot at 8:10 a.m. and climbed aboard I-25 a short distance away.  We put the hammer down and headed north to do battle with Albuquerque’s morning traffic.

ALBUEQUERQUE’S DOWNTOWN IN THE DISTANCE

Despite the morning rush being over it was still a bit dicey slicing our way through the I-25 and I-40 interchange.  We’ve done this tricky one before but going the other way.  Nevertheless we made our way through and were soon climbing over the Sandria Mountains.  It was about 9:45 when we finally cleared the mountain range and broke out onto the rolling plains.  Sadness of course watching the last of our beloved southwest mountains slowly disappear in my rear view mirrors.  Always the same thought for me each year, will I get to see my mountains again or was this the last time.  It’s the ‘age thing’ you know.

WITH THE SOUTHWEST’S MOUNTAINS BEHIND US WE BROKE OUT ONTO THE THE VAST EXPANSE OF ROLLING PLAINS

Needing fuel for the rig and a coffee for us we rolled into Santa Rosa and filled up at Alsup’s  gas bar which happens to be right next to McDonalds.  Well gee how did that happen eh.  We were soon back on the road making our way to Tucomcari just another 60 miles.  Propane at the Love’s truck stop then into Tucumcari proper to the Cactus RV Park which happens to be right on the old Route 66 route.  Same RV Park we stopped for an overnighter heading home nearly a year ago.  Tanks dumped and took on a half tank of fresh water.  We’re now primed for the journey home. 

A McDONALDS COFFEE BREAK STOP IN SANTA ROSA NM

IT’S A CLEAN, WELL MAINTAINED OLDER ROUTE 66 RV PARK AND WE LIKE IT….FULL HOOK-UPS $22.75 A NIGHT

This is a rather unique little RV Park and rather than me run around taking a whole bunch of photos here again I’ll give you the link to last years stay here when I did take photos.  Tucumcari's Cactus RV Park. And while relaxing this afternoon it dawned on us that the last time we can ever remember staying in an RV Park was a year ago when we stayed in this exact same Park.  Kelly wanted me to figure out how much money we saved again this year by not staying in RV Parks but the numbers would have been too much for my mind to comprehend.

LOTS OF WIDE OPEN SPACE DRIVING TODAY

It was sunny and warm in Tucumcari New Mexico this afternoon when we pulled into the Park and I said to Kelly we had better soak us up all the sun and warmth we can because our next sunny warm day may not occur until sometime in late April or May. 

A TOUCH OF OLD WEST SCENERY ALONG THE WAY

No Idea where we’ll end up Friday night but I’m sure we will make do with wherever it is.  We are currently looking at a few alternative routes we haven’t taken before.  We’ll see what happens tomorrow.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Never criticize someone unless you walk a mile in his or her shoes, and then when you criticize them you'll be a mile away and have their shoes!

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A young girl asked her father if all fairy tales begin with 'Once Upon A Time?'
'No,' he replied. 'A whole lot of them begin with 'If elected, I promise ...''

DEMING NEW MEXICO TO SOCORRO NM–A BETTER DAY

CRUISING THROUGH LAS CRUCES NEW MEXICO

Yes it is safe to say we have begun our long journey home.  With a few medical things needing attention we’ve decided it best to head on back to Canada and get a few appointments lined up for me.  Decision for us this morning was which route to take back.  I was figuring on our old tried and true southern route from Las Cruces NM over to Roswell and then striking east off across the plaines until making a swing north west of Memphis TN.  Or maybe Las Cruces north to Albuquerque then east and northeast from Tucumcari up through Salinas Kansas to Lincoln Nebraska and then east to Chicago.  Decisions-decisions. 

A MUCH QUIETER DAY ON THE ROADS

Rolled out of the I-10 rest area about 7:30 and slipped 35  miles east and popped into Deming’s Walmart store for a few things. Deming brings back memories for as well and we think it’s been about 6 years since we’ve been through this neck of the wods.   Walmart of course looked the same as we remembered it.    Noticed they had a Subway Sandwich so I nabbed a 6”Tuna Sub for Pheebs and I. 

I’M SHORT ON PHOTOS TONIGHT SO HAVE INCLUDED A FEW FROM OUR DRIVE THROUGH TUBAC AZ SUNDAY MONRING

Back on the road heading for Las Cruces we waffled back and forth with all the pros and cons trying to decide which way to go.  The Albuquerque route or the Roswell route.  At the last possible minute we decided on the Albuquerque route so off up I-25 we went.

A much better driving day with diminished winds  and lite traffic.  Clear blue skies and we could see for miles and miles.  This was not our first time on this stretch of I-25 having traveled it several times before,  We were both tired today so we didn’t push things and pulled off into Socorro New Mexico around 2:30 and tucked ourselves away in a corner at the local Walmart.

OUR OVERNIGHTER SPOT IN SOCORRO NEW MEXICO

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Two drunks are driving down the highway, drinking their beer. All of a sudden the driver notices lights flashing in his mirror; the cops are on his tail. His buddy says, "What are we going to do?" The driver says, "Don't worry. Just do exactly what I tell you and everything will work out perfectly. First, peel the labels off our beer bottles and we'll each stick one on our forehead. Then shove the bottles underneath the seat, and let me do the talking." They pull over and the cop walks up to the car. He looks at them kind of funny, but asks to see the guy's driver's license. And he asks him, "Have you been drinking?" "Oh, no, sir," the driver replies. "I noticed you weaving back and forth across the highway. Are you *sure* you haven't been drinking?" the cop asks. "Oh, no, sir," the drunk answers. "We haven't had a thing to drink tonight." "Well, I've got to ask you," says the cop, "What on earth are those things on your forehead?" "That's easy, Officer," says the drunk. "You see, we're both alcoholics, and we're on the patch."