The road to Albuquerque

We only had about 120 miles to drive today, so it was nice to sleep in and not set the alarm. We took our time getting ready, so we didn't pull off the site till around 10:00 a.m. I spotted these hardy campers/bikers. They pull these tiny trailers behind the bikes. One must store their stuff, the other opens up to this tent contraption. At least it protects them from rain at night. I can't tell from the photo if that person is a man or a woman; in either case he/she doesn't look like a spring chicken - at least to be sleeping in that thing. Jim and I both agree that we could NEVER sleep in a tent again. Our bones just couldn't take it!



We had to stop at the campground's dumping station because our site did not have sewer. While Jim was dumping (the trailer, not himself - LOL!) I spied this fine gentleman polishing up his car and trailer.



I yelled out, "Hey, do you think you can wash MY windows?" and he replied,

"3 Bucks!"

Geesh! What happened to plain old good will? This guy's rig was spotless, as was his car. I've heard that there are men out there who have that "cleanliness" gene in them, but Jim seems to be missing it. I've even heard about men who are slobs at home, but are meticulous about their vehicles. Jim? Nah.

Jim DOES remind me of a pilot of a plane, though. He's the pilot of our RIG. He calls out the elevation, and how many miles we have left to go. Thankfully he doesn't make that microphone sound, "Crkk! This is the Captain speaking! Please fasten your seat belt. We will be departing in 5 minutes. The weather in Albuquerque is 79 and sunny. Thanks for riding with me. Crkk!"

By the way, one of you asked if I ever drive. Well, I drive the truck, but I've never pulled the trailer. I know I should learn - in case of emergency. I'm sure I could do it. At least drive straight! Backing up? Forget it!

I have a couple of themes going on today. The first is semi-trucks. I was SO excited when I saw this one speeding down the highway going east on Route 40 while we were going west. Actually I saw two of them. They must have been loaded with his sound equipment. I watched for a long time for his personal bus to go by, but, alas, I didn't see it. He just finished a concert in California, and won't be back on tour till the 15th of this month, so he must be taking a break.



For those of you who have no clue who he is, he's a country singer, and here's his photo:




Here's a message to all of us Americans:



The third and final truck is this:



Does anybody else think it is weird that there is no yellow on the truck, but that is the company name AND the website? Do you think it is a trick to make you remember? Oh, yeah, the name is yellow, but it's written in orange and black. Hmmmmmm.......

The next theme is overpasses. Both New Mexico and Arizona really have some nice overpasses. I'm just saying. If you have to drive, it might as well be pretty. Just take a gander at some of these.









Road sightings:

A field of yellow flowers that look so beautiful against that great blue NM sky.



An old abandoned car in the middle of a field.




A metal cross high up on some rocks.




A row of billboards with nothing to say. I don't know what is more of an eyesore - empty or with words!



Funny sign:




The road to Albuquerque is hilly, picturesque, with a 4% grade in places, and signs that say "Watch for falling rock". Yikes!



I love to see the clouds cast shadows on the mountains. Here are two photos - one is a close up and one is farther away.





We stopped at a rest area and saw a strange sight. You could actually VOTE if you approved of their restrooms. I kid you not. You push a button YES or NO. There was another sign that said the parking lot was being monitored. I told Jim that we'd better vote "yes" because I wouldn't be surprised if it was rigged that "no" votes got ticketed by local cops for, um, let's see, we'll think of something. Hey, it could happen. So, here's Pat, like a good little girl, voting "yes". Actually, the bathrooms were clean and they had toilet paper and running water. Two things that I demand in a bathroom. :)



And finally, here's the little doggie that is staying next to us. His name is Toby. Isn't he a doll? I pulled out some burrs from his pads, poor little guy. They were all over him. His owners had just pulled up right before us and let Toby out on the grass. I guess these burrs where all over the place. So now they put up this cage to keep him in.



The way it looks, we will go to a hot air balloon event on Wednesday morning. So tomorrow we'll catch up on things and do a little sight seeing. I PROMISE to pick up all my awards that all you wonderful people have given me. AND I PROMISE to start reading/commenting again on all your blogs. Sorry it's been hectic on the road for 5 days, then blogging every night. Whew! This old broad is TI-erd!

I bid so long.