Turning NORTH

Day 13 Amarillo TX to Sante Fe NM 275 Miles

Happy Mother's Day!

Ah....we didn't have a long drive today so we decided to enjoy a quiet Sunday morning, Until...until Jim took the car to run up the street for a Sunday Newspaper (before all the newspapers go out of business) He got about 10 feet away from the RV when the Jeep's trick horn stared blasting uncontrollably. Note that it was 7:30...AM...Sunday...Mother's Day.

Somehow, the evil Jeep knows when we are in campgrounds, where ALL that separates the sleeping residents from any outside noise is about an inch of extremely sound conductive, metal.

We're sure it's got something to do with being towed, something screws the ever-lovin' #%$^& sensor up. It did it to us last year on yet again, an early weekend morning in Vancouver Wa., so bad that we took it to a dealership. They were going to remove half of the engine to 'fix' the sensor and charge us our firstborn. We declined and Jim 'fixed' the problem by scientifically yanking the horn fuse out...tada! When we got home (the Jeep knew it was in a garage, so it behaved) Jim replaced the fuse and it was fine.

Until....the ONE night that I didn't put it in the garage because Jim was out of town and I wanted to let all the burglars out there who had thoughts of breaking into my house, to KNOW that someone was home. See? There's a car in the driveway, you must rob another house!

I fell asleep watching TV and woke up at 1:00am wondering if I had locked the Jeep in the driveway. I pressed the transponder and, you guessed it, the horn started blaring....at ONE o'clock ...in the morning...Sunday Morning. Thank God I'm still dressed, I thought, as I ran out of the front door, pushing every button on the transponder, getting in and turning the ignition. I don't know which one worked, but a few minutes later it stopped....just about the same time as my neighbors were appearing at their front doors.

Didn't happen again until this morning, You see a pattern here? Yeah, it's possessed, I just know it. We get into and out of this car many times, EVERY day, during daylight, in parking lots, and at home and it ONLY happens at the worst times! The fuse has been pulled, for good.

When left the campground a couple of hours later, I'm sure the folks around us were glad to see us go!

Goodby Texas...Hello New Mexico

The temperaure rose as we traveled west on I40, then finally turned NORTH at US285 toward Sante Fe. We've never been in Sante Fe, and heard it's a nice place. So here we are.

Looking NORTH on US285 toward Sante Fe

We looked at the Diners Drive-ins and Dives website and discovered they'd visited a place here. So we loaded the address in Tom Tom and he got us there without getting lost....which is better than I usually do in a strange city! Had a great meal in the Zia Diner (which is SO not a dive!) and then drove around the historic section of the city. We'll be going there tomorrow to check it out.

Zia Diner

I got to speak to all of my grown children today, between cell phone towers that is. We were in the middle of nowhere at times.

Sunset at the Campground

We are now in the Mountain Time Zone and are we confused. ...I was just getting used to Central!

Amarillo

May 9, 2009

Amarillo TX Touring Day

Cold today, only in the low 50's with wind and these two 'southernized' people felt it. We drove to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Really pretty, a quite a surprise out here where everything is so flat, it's hidden at ground level. I just wished the clouds had parted sooner because photographs don't do it justice with clouds .

Later, we headed back to town, taking the city streets instead of the highway. Our stomachs
reminded us that it was past lunchtime and in spite of our good diet intentions, we caved when we passed a Red Robin less than a mile from our campground. We don't have them at home and Jim fondly remembers the great burgers and onion ring tower from Vancouver Wa. last year. At least *ONE* of us showed some restraint and ordered a salad!


When Norman discovered he was in Texas, he decided that he wanted to be a cowboy. He pestered us so much about having a horsie ride that we gave in and walked him over to the horse statue in the campground. He didn't have a problem with the fact that the horse was a statue...think that's because HE's a statue too? Our little guy sure enjoyed it, just look at his happy face!

Cowboy Norman

It's been so long since we've been to the movies, not since eary in the year has anything really appealed to us. Thankfully they released the new Star Trek a few weeks ahead of the other big summer movies. I'm not a huge Star Trek fan, but it's a super movie, if nothing else the special effects are incredible.


Jim went for a swim and hot tub and I fought with the uploading of pictures during the evening hours. Thie campground, Ft. AmarilloRV Resort, is one of the better ones...parking for two vehicles at campsite, fences between campsites affords a little privacy.And perhaps the cleanest bathroom/shower facilities we've EVER seen. Recommended.

Fort Amarillo RV Resort

If I lived here:
I would enjoy the vistas and sunsets.

I would love the fact that I lived in a place with friendly people.

And I would have SHORT hair. I've been blind whenever I've been outside, with the wind whipping my hair clear around my face!

Tomorrow, on to Sante Fe...