Yes, it is good.
Saturday started with the Oconee County swim meet, bringing this great season swimming with the FAST Sharks to a close. All three kids swam great – each placing in the top 5 in all their individual events. Immediately (and I mean immediately) following the last event, Mikaela, Nathan and Garrett dried off, changed clothes and jumped in the car that was already pointed west. 
Seven hours later we pulled in to Memphis for a quick overnight visit with our friend Steve H. and dinner of fabulous jambalaya. I hope he wasn’t planning for leftovers (there weren’t any). Culinary lesson learned: add Velveeta cheese for a creamy, tasty base. It was a short visit, but a reminder how much friends matter in our lives.
Sunday was a long drive day – Memphis to Amarillo (11 hours of driving). The highlight of the day was the Oklahoma City National Memorial. 
Although the actions of McVeigh/Nichols were wicked and dishonorable, the memorial is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It sounds trite, but the memorial brings out the best in people, from an event that demonstrated the worst in some. Go online, learn about it and then make a trip to OKC. You won’t regret it.
Although the actions of McVeigh/Nichols were wicked and dishonorable, the memorial is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It sounds trite, but the memorial brings out the best in people, from an event that demonstrated the worst in some. Go online, learn about it and then make a trip to OKC. You won’t regret it.This morning (wow, only Monday), we headed west from Amarillo and stopped to see the Cadillac Ranch – March’s tribute to the best in American automobiles. An artistic icon, these cars, planted hood down in the middle of the field, draw visitors from near and far, armed like us with spray paint to add out graffiti to the previous layers.
From Amarillo, we stopped in Adrian, TX to visit the Midpoint of Route 66. If you leave Chicago and drive 1,139 west on route 66, you’ll be in the middle of Adrian, with only 1,139 miles to Los Angeles. The highlight may have been lunch with Fran who owns the Midpoint café, but is the persona behind the character Flo in Pixar’s “Cars.” 
She’s a sweetheart and makes a good burger. While you’re there, ask to look at Flo’s pages – Cars coloring book pages from children who stop in – preserved for the next generation. Some kids from Georgia added their masterpieces.Our journey continued to Albuquerque. It was a trip down memory lane for me (Dale); traveling the path we took each summer while in college to attend conferences at Glorieta retreat center outside Santa Fe. We arrived late afternoon and headed over to Old Town for shopping and dinner. Following dinner, we headed over to Sandia Peak Tramway – the longest tram (2.7 miles) in the world and cruised up to the top. In addition to great views, we watched the sun set on the trip down. What a way to end the day.
And we were thinking that the vacation really started after Albuquerque. Ha.
La vie. Ca C’est bon. Yes, it is.
Sunset from the tram was a good call. One of the great blessings of having lived in ABQ is that you also look east to see the sunset. The Sandia (watermelon) and Manzano (Apple) mountains give off a reddish hue when the sun goes down. Perhaps you saw that. Perhaps you also saw Mt. Taylor to the west, too. Could you imagine hiking up to where you were at? The La Luz trail is easy, long, and great exercise. I've also done the Mt. Taylor quadrathalon. Okay, just one part- the run- but you've now seen 2 mountains that I've conquered.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now for breakfast- I suggest going anywhere that serves a breakfast burrito- with either green (my preference) or red chile. Depending upon where you stayed last night, I'd go for Dos Hermanos first, but Garduno's might be open, too.
Then, if time permits, and it's a little (okay a lot) out of the way. I'd make my way south on I-25 to Socorro, head west to Magdalena, then a touch further west to the VLA, the Very Large Array. Jodie Foster's movie- Contact (with Matthew McConaghy- perhaps for Darcy's interest, too) was partially filmed here. This is one of my favorite parts of New Mexico. It's quiet and cool- meaning the kids will like it, so will you.
No matter where you go- soak in the beauty of NM- the land of enchantment. I've just submitted my application the the Department of Tourism- Enjoy!
(Pr.)Dave/PD/P-Diddy
PS- Cars- one of my favorite movies. Fran totally fits Flo and she looks so darn happy with you guys. You kids look great. Remember to drink plenty of water- all of you- you're a few thousand feet higher.
ReplyDeleteIf you're able to do lunch down there- I'd suggest the Owl Cafe in San Antonio, NM, which is a touch south of Socorro. However, there is one in ABQ- I-40 & Eubank, so maybe that's where you get a breakfast burrito (ABQ) or a green chile cheese burger (San Antonio), or both... Okay, that's enough. Isn't NM great?
ReplyDeleteI love the photos with the commentary! Thanks for sharing with all of us. I'll be following along!
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