Gallup, NM

October 27, 2010

We haven't updated in a few days, but we have some time and a good connection so we will upload a few pictures and catch you up on where we've been (or not been) and why we are a bit later in posting.

We decided as we left Tulsa (BTW, Bob says ixnay on ulsa-Tay) that we would not stop in Albuquerque (ABQ to locals), so we left planning to go to Texas, perhaps staying a night in or around Amarillo.

We grabbed a quick geocache, mailed some postcards, and got a few fresh groceries just a few miles into Texas and found that as we approached Amarillo, we wanted to be further west and do some other things, so we bypassed Amarillo as well.

We did take a long gander at the Cadillac Ranch, the Western Hemisphere's 2nd largest  cross and stopped at two wonderful Texas rest areas/Welcome Centers. One of them had a room you could go into that had tables and chairs for wireless use, plus a lounging area with cushy leather chairs and tables you could use, but, not knowing it would be a few days before we saw Internet light, we passed on that and instead took several brochures, signed the logbook and went on our way.

Bob was able to transmit each county through the Panhandle and got a few counties himself, so it was a great day.

Neither of us has ever been to New Mexico, and I have enjoyed all of Tony Hillerman's books, so we anticipated some wonderful scenery. We haven't been disappointed, but we didn't anticipate some severe weather which kept us battened down for a couple of days.

The weather was near 80, sunny and clear skies as we came into Tucumcari, but within a few miles, the wind began picking up, the skies darkened, we had a bit of rain, and the temps plunged into the 50s.

Soon Bob was battling a headwind that brought our milage down to 5 mpg and we began to experience some side gusts that were downright scary, so we hunkered down near Santa Rosa and waited out the storm.  I did actually finish a book or two (print) and a couple audible ones, finished a knitting project, started another, and Bob has been reading up a storm.  Good thing we stocked up on some books in Tulsa. 

We are very happy to be in beautiful, warm, sunny Gallup!!

The plan is to move on tomorrow to Flagstaff, where we hope to have internet again, though that isn't certain right now. We'll go to the Grand Canyon a couple of days and then make the final move toward home.