Amarillo to Santa Fe

Showerheads of note:  Number 2.  This one had a strange grey bit in the middle which when activated whirled round like a gatling gun.

This Motel was not the nicest one I have stayed in.  The room was fine, but there was evidence that doors had been kicked in and I'm not sure the door from the outside into the corridor was locked at night.  It made up for it by having a Texas waffle machine (see previous post).

 

This is a Massachussetts registered Saab.  In Texas.  We both thought this was hilarious so took pictures of each other.

I40 winds its way down a hill again.

You have to wonder how places like this get their names.  Deciphering place names is much easier in the US than at home, as they are generally in English and can usually be explained as relating to someone or something that happened not too long ago.

Whereas places in the UK are often named in a language not spoken there for a thousand years.

I made it out of Texas to the New Mexico border, it's not far from Amarillo to New Mexico.

A New Mexico themed rest stop.  It was rather homely.  An added bonus was that I arrived here at almost exactly the same time as I left the Motel at Amarillo.  Thank you, Mountain Time!

 

New Mexico Welcome Center featured this Bronze cast of a Brontosaurus bone with tooth marks from where it had been savagely ripped limb from limb and eaten approximately 1 Bajillion years ago.

Hahahahah.

I turned off I40 to find some remaining paved sections of the REAL Route 66.

Turns out it runs pretty close to the REAL I40 for most of its length.

Nice to see the Native Americans branching out.

I found a sign!!!

 

More New Mexico scenery and still gently climbing.  I called Gavin for a chat.  I told him about the altitude but the lack of sensation of really going uphill.  He said 'Ah, like at Drumochter Summit?'  Surveying the cactii, mushed skunk carcass and tumbleweed I replied 'Yes, a bit like that.'

I got a fright when I saw this approaching in the distance, turns out my idea to tow the empty trucks backwards to keep the miles down is catchin on.

Classic rural Railroad crossing.

I did another stint of Historic Route 66 however this part was so bumpy that the speed limit was 45mph.  It was much friendlier than the interstate and every 45 mins or so when another car came the other way, it would give a cheery wave.

I pulled over to stretch my legs a bit...

...near these 2 towns, which are probably named after their founders' favourite brands of Tequila.

I strolled about in the midday sun, as is the wont of mad dogs and Englishmen and took a couple of photos.

Then I got back on the Interstate and did some more high-speed photography.

This bit of the road was straight as a die for about 30 miles.  It continued to be straight, probably all the way to the knife shop in Arizona.

New Mexico's bridges have a Mexican theme.

With bunny and fish and bird motifs.

All these billboards - and I mean all of them are advertising 1 establishment.  I decided it must be good.  So I resolved to pull over there and have lunch.  The tackyness of the establishment was forgivable, however the only food it served was horrible burgers.

Pussycat pussycat, where are you going?

I hadn't really eaten any dirty food until now, but I would not have been surprised to find a thumbprint, fingernail and pubic hair in it.  I still ate it.  And drank Root Beer.  Which I thought was horrible.  I'm not dead though.

Shortly after lunch I turned off I40 and headed into the desert.  Towards some Mountains.  This is highway 285 approaching Eldorado.

I was struck at how much New Mexico is like being in a computer game I once played called Interstate 76 which is about driving around the desert in beat up 1970s cars and ramming baddies off the road while avoiding corrupt cops.  The driving in the desert in a beat up car is where the similarities end really, however the scenery in the game was spot on.

It's worth noting that GPS said I got to nearly 7500ft at one point today.  That's high.  Higher than I have ever been while still standing on the ground.  Highest point in the UK is the top of Ben Nevis at around 4500ft and I have never been there, only to the top of a few Munros which is anything over 3000ft.

Thinning of the air becomes more pronounced.  I noticed a distinct lack of ability to accelerate uphill from Camry up inclines once I got to about 5000ft.  It's gotten worse the higher I have come and it got that I couldn't maintain 65mph up some of the hills.  Using the wonders of Google I've calculated that power loss is around 30% at 7000ft compared to sea level - which would probably have been my guess. 

 

This crossing has a button for people and another one higher up the pole for horses.  I'm not sure why they bother, someone will still turn right through the red and drive right over the top of you and your horse without stopping if you're not careful.  It's a nice touch though, and it's nice to see people commuting on bicycles and walking again like in some northern parts of the eastern seaboard

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I guess Santa Fe has plenty of artisans and intellectuals.  That's what they seem to like to do.  People are generally skinnier here than in Amarillo.  The buildings are novel and the streets are all higgeldy piggeldy.

I scoped out my hotel and then, as it was only 2pm I decided to head for Los Alamos.  Where some nice bicycle-riding free-thinking liberal scientists in fairtrade ponchos and curly silver trinkets invented a little thing we like to call the Atomic Bomb...