Summer 2009

There is very little I can say about the ride from Dallas to Tucumcari. About thirty miles from Carrollton, we left the I-35 and headed cross county on pretty good roads. Most of the ride was on a multi-lane highway except where it went through small towns. We didn't get on an Interstate highway again until we reached Amarillo, about 300 miles from our starting point. The terrain is flat prairie with a wind that seems constant. That wind, which seemed to always be heading directly at us, took a bite out of our fuel consumption. The scenery also seemed somewhat constant, cattle range, small towns, oil pumps and mesquite. The terrain and scenery finally started changing as we drove on I-40 towards the New Mexico border. We could start seeing mesas around us and the terrain was more rolling.

Thirty miles into New Mexico is Tucumcari, our stop for the night. We had stopped in Tucumcari a number of years ago when we drove cross country to deliver a car to our son, Richard. This town was once a major stopping place on the old Route 66. The interstate bypassed the town and started it in decline. The strongest image I have of the town is the main street, Route 66, with boarded up motels and restaurants. Having been in town before, we opted to stay in the RV Park and relax.

As I write this, a thunderstorm is creating some pretty stiff winds which are shaking the trailer. It has not produced much rain so far but the rumble of thunder and flashing lightning is impressive. The RV park is located on flat, relatively treeless terrain, so there is nothing to break up the wind except the RV next to us... not much help there. Hopefully, the storm will pass soon or we may have a rough night for sleeping.