Route 66

Another very frosty morning greeted us in Amarillo this morning with no-one very keen to get out of bed. We ate a complimentary breakfast at the motel dining area, just the standard, bagels, oats and muffins. As we had completed the only attraction in Amarillo last night at the steak house we hit the road to the only other thing that bought us here...Cadillac Ranch. It was located about 6miles (about 10kms) out of Amarillo and armed with our pre acquired spray paint cans we headed out to the cars. It was a  far less organised attraction than expected with us literally finding 10 cars in a paddock, that was it. And it was awesome. Despite the punishing Northern Texas wind and about 3degree temp we managed to battle the elements to make our mark on the site in several areas ensuring everyone knew that people from New Zealand had been there.

After almost freezing to the bone we boosted our painted hands, runny noses and sense of adventure back to the Yukon. It was one of several experiences on the trip which really came to life for me. For many months now we have been looking at pictures of the ranch and talking about going there and today we saw it and did it in real life. We juiced the heating and made the most of the heated seats for the fourth time on the trip and third time in Texas. I knew we were crossing through this area in the winter months but continue to be shocked with how freezing cold it is. I always associated Texas with hot, dry, desert weather. We continued along the I-40 which met up with Route 66 and we took the opportunity to do some miles on this famous road. We stopped at a little Cafe and Gift Store called Midpoint Cafe for hot chocolate, coffee and were tempted by an amazing looking chocolate cream pie. It tasted every bit as good as it sounds.

We got some directions for how to best see some of Route 66, the women advised that we were best not to rely on signs as most of them have been stolen. Driving along this stretch of road we found most stores, petrol stations, and cafes were now closed and the road in general appeared very desolate. It was glaringly obvious that Route 66 while not forgotten by travellers to the USA, had seen its heyday. With the interstate running parallel just metres away offering a higher speed limit, functional rest stops and without dirt road or sudden dead ends its easy to see why Route 66 is no longer the preferred route.

Giving in ourselves we got back on the interstate. We stopped once more for lunch in a small town off the interstate at a diner called Joseph's which served Mexican food. Americans love to feed you. At most diners and restaurants on the East coast you can expect a basket of warm bread and butter while waiting for your meal to be bought out, in the lower states through Texas and New Mexico you can expect a basket of corn chips and salsa dip. The food was tasty with us, as always, selecting a variety of food, from Mexican style potato skins, a quesadilla, sandwich and jalapenos. We also tried these strange fried (obviously) donut like things which were complimentary and I didn't understand what she called them. They came with honey and were pretty plain but we tried a little to be polite.

Crossing the boarder from Texas to New Mexico we scored another hour in for the fourth time on the trip so far. The decision to travel from the East to West coasts was definitely the right one, I think we would have struggled if we were loosing time. We had booked a room at Americas Best Value Inn on Route 66 in the down town area of Albuquerque which was easy to find. Checking in however was more eventful than we were prepared for. Whilst waiting for the woman to find our booking and check us in I started to smell what I thought was burning toast until it started to smell like something was on fire. I could tell that Sam had got a whiff too because he seemed to be checking the aircon wasn't turned on. Until without saying a word the women walked out from behind the counter to a microwave a few feet away which had smoke  pouring from the front of the door, ahh that explains the smell. Still in silence she walked out the back for a moment and I could see what looked like dog biscuits on the plate (after further discussion with Sam we agreed she was likely making refried beans) which had one spot very burnt and there was a loud bang and the plate in the microwave shattered. She returned to the room and I offered to open some windows for her because now the small room was filled with smoke and totally stunk, she didn't respond to my offer but continued to check us into the room. I said no more and we left in a hurry. I felt like the smell was getting into my clothes and hair.

We went for a walk down "old Route 66" to 'Old Town Albuquerque' which was about 20 blocks away and home to several stores mostly selling tourist souvenirs. We checked our the rattle snake museum (which I would later regret after having snake dreams) which was small but interesting, packed with several different rattle snakes. There were a couple of large tortoises just wondering around the store and museum which was pretty awesome.

 We found a Mexican place down the road called Anita's which we were considering for dinner but no one was really hungry so we opted for Margaritas instead. They were average to say the least with little alcohol compared with what we have come accustomed to and tasted like chemical syrup mix. We walked around for a little while looking for somewhere else for a drink when we came across a place called High Noon Restaurant and Saloon for a drink. It was cosy and we found a spot at the bar. Sam was getting acquainted with the locals... a "comedy magican" who was paid to entertain and talk to people in the bar. He was a nice enough guy and like everyone was very interested in the details of our trip. We scored a dollar origami'ed into a rabbit in a hat from one of his gags and he gave us a few tips on how to tackle Vegas. After a couple of drinks we checked out the menu and decided to have something light to eat Sam and I sharing a couple of starters of meatballs and a Babacoa beef dish. We were particularly interested in the Babacoa beef as Sam makes an amazing Mexican Babacoa and we wanted to compare, it was deliciously cooked and melted in your mouth but the flavour was not a patch on the one Sam makes. While I'm still enjoying eating out and trying all the different food, after six weeks I am looking forward to getting back to Sam's cooking...if only I had someone to do the dishes at home. It was light and yum and just what we needed. We taxied back to the motel as it was a wee way and was pretty dark and we were sleepy.