Thursday, July 22, 2010

Day 10 - Santa Fe to Gallup, New Mexico

New Mexico is such a beautiful state. It occurred to me today that, although I have been to New Mexico before, I have never driven through it. This is all new to me. Adrian and I were talking about which state we have liked best. My first thought was New Mexico but as we reflected on the trip so far, there have been aspects of each state that stand out as winners. The cornfields of Illinois, the rolling hills of the Missouri Ozarks, and the pristine stretches of original Route 66 pavement in Oklahoma all rate quite high. New Mexico has been interesting because the terrain will stream past our car and subtly change from rounded outcrops of boulders to tree-covered hills to low open grasslands and back. Cruising from town to town on stretches of two-lane highway keeps us within arm's reach of this diverse and gorgeous scenery. I am really enjoying that. Good ol' Route 66.

- Seth!

After we navigated out of the maze of one-way streets in Santa Fe, we drove through the many suburbs of the capital. It was a scenic drive down to the heart of Albuquerque. The road plunged us into rural Losa Lunas where we joined up with magnificent Highway 6. As we drove along Highway 6, we traveled further and further away from civilization, past beautiful mesas and rolling hills. We drove through the may towns in the Cubero area. Near Bluewater, the Mustang began bumping a lot, a worrying problem. We still soldiered on. Across the Continental Divide, and into Gallup. Our lodging foe the night was the El Rancho Hotel/Motel, a place where old movie celebrities have stayed (i.e. Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, Kirk Douglas, etc.). In the restaurant, they had a sandwich called the Ronald Reagan, with a side of jellybean, of course. At the gift shop there, I purchased a handmade, beautiful kachina, made by a local artist. That ended our 10th day on the road.

- Adrian

Below: Scenery along Highway 6; Bottom: Lobby of El Rancho Hotel/Motel

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Turns out there are interesting things to see everywhere! This was part of what we learned doing the motor home trips - EVERY place has its special spot. You just have to find it!

Enjoy!

Paula