June 19, 2012

June 19, 2012

Happy Birthday, Brent!  Forty years ago today, driving 35 miles in the rain, we made it to the hospital just a few minutes before our “bouncing baby boy” was born.  You talk about instant love of a kind all its own.  That was a prime example.  And that love is still growing.  

Super Driver had us on the road at 6:05.  Our first stop was at a Rest Area for some “leg stretching time” after two hours on the road.  Sara and I were the only ones who didn’t get out.  She was still asleep in back and I still had on my pajamas.  I love traveling in a motorhome.

We arrived in Amarillo after driving though miles and miles of ranch land.  The were two things on our list for this area.  The first one was the Cadillac Ranch where three local artists buried ten Cadillacs, in a row, nose down.  Apparently my interpretation of art differs from some.  But it was a fun place to visit.  

There was a cache in the Ranch area and one at our second stop also, the Big Texan for lunch.  They are known for their challenge of eating a 72 oz. steak with all the trimmings, plus dessert, in one hour.  If you finish in the alloted time it is free.  If not, the cost for the meal is $72.00.   

A young man started the challenge just after we got there.   He made a valiant effort, but still had 11 oz. to eat at the end of his time.  Shucks!  We didn’t see someone win the challenge, but for us, it wasn’t a total loss.  There was a film crew from Dallas making an advertisement for a local Chevy dealer.  So the loser actually won because he was in an ad with some of the Big Texan staff.  It was interesting to watch the filming.

As we left Texas..honk, honk, yahoo...and crossed the northeast part of New Mexico, we stopped at the Capulin Volcano National Monument.  Unfortunately, the Visitor Center had just closed, but we walked a nature trail and learned a lot about the area.

Coleson was very interested in the deer that he saw as we drove through the lava fields.  He was hoping to see deer, but he saw antelope instead.  He was excited about that.

We got onto I-25 at Raton and shortly thereafter we crossed into Colorado with the usual fanfare.  We parked for the night at Walmart in Trinidad after traveling 485 miles today.