"Wipe Out !! "

Saturday, May 26

     For those of you old to enough to remember Route 66 and the music of that time - the song "Wipe Out" applies to my travels today.

     Before I left this morning, I cut up a papaya that I had brought from FL totally green from sister Barbara's tree.  I was surprised that it ripened so well.  Nice treat!

     I left the campground at 9:30 to find The Blue Hole:

    Very interesting - it is the beginning of the river that runs through the Carlsbad Caverns in southern NM.  It is a natural spring with a constant temp. of 61 degrees so the kids you see jumping into it are real dare devils and there weren't many.  It's known for scuba diving and there were several there, as it's only 60' across at the top but 120' at the bottom which is an underground river that flows down to the Caverns and then I don't know where.  Very pretty color.

     I then drove a little on the old Route 66 but they were beginning to line up for a Memorial Day parade so I got on my way to the strongest winds yet.  No wonder they're having trouble fighting that forest fire which I still don't know where it is NM or AZ??
     Enjoyed the little glimpses I dared look at in the barren landscape with the yucca blooming and a low-growing purple ground cover blanketing the landscape with clumps of bright yellow somethings on a background of sage green scruff.  Very pretty.
     I'd had it by 1, plus it was getting very hazy with blowing dust I guess so decided to stop at the same RV Park I stayed in last year because I loved their funky old Route 66 vintage campers, cars and memorabilia - www.enchantedtrails.com.

An old Wurlitzer organ from a silent movie house in PA that they've totally restored

   All afternoon Rhoda has been rocking and rolling in this really strong wind and I'm glad to not be on the road.  I hope it lets up tomorrow because I want to go to the "Rocking Rods" show:)

  DATA:

 mileage:  131

Gas:  $71 @ $3.66

Camp:  $26

town name of interest:  Zuzax, NM  (too bad it's a proper name or it'd be good in Scrabble)   

Gobble, gobble, gobble

Friday, May 25th

     That's what woke me up this a.m. - gobble, gobble, gobble.  I thought my sister-in-law Sally P. had come to visit.  I'd seen the turkeys the day before just wandering around from campsite to campsite so I shouldn't have been too surprised when they were there calling for breakfast.

     Left the campsite at 9 to go to a trail head thinking I'd beat the heat but didn't go too far as the thermometer was already registering 90 and besides, I wanted to get to the top of the canyon so I could call Lorraine to see how Antonia's appointment went and YEAH, very good news.

     Went back to Amarillo to get back on I-40 as it's really the only way to go east/west in this neck of the states.  I needed a few groceries but couldn't find a grocery store so used my handy-dandy "Where" app and even though it meant going 3.6 miles east, I did it and was I ever glad I did.  I want to live in Amarillo so I can shop at the Market Street grocery store!!  OMG!!  I spent an hour in there just looking and buying  too much.  My eyes and stomach are bigger than Rhoda's refrigerator (but I still love my Rhoda).  The store was 4 times as big as Whole Foods in Orlando and what a selection.  Think I'll buy stock:)

     Got back on I-40W and again drove past flat, flat, flat land with lots of grain growing but again I don't know what the cows were grazing on but they were luckier than the cows I next saw - 100s of them squooshed together in a muddy pen:(

     And then, all of a sudden - Buttes and the wind picked up to again 30-40 mph and hold on Rhoda.

     Entered NM - the Land of Enchantment and I felt like my trip was really starting.

     Am staying in Santa Rosa - on the old Route 66 - half way between Amarillo (I keep wanting to say Armadillo) and Albuquerque.

     Do you know about the Blue Hole?  I'm going to see it tomorrow.

     I'm definitely in a different time zone - tried to go to a restaurant attached to the RV camp which opened at 5 and I got there at 5:45 and was told they'd be open in 15 mins.  Good to know.

TX Lizard

NM Lizard

DATA:

Mileage:  203                                 Camp:  $28                         Groceries:  $68

Names of the day:  Toot 'n Totum  &  Pak a Sak  - gas station/convenience stores

                               Stuff It  - Taxidermy

                               Deaf Smith  - name of a county