It was a day of progress, as we covered large chunks of ground, but that progress came at a price - a price that will be determined by the fine folks at Robertson Honda on Monday. Other than Emily's falls and Colin's visit to Kansas City's St. Luke's Emergency Room, the trip has been carefree, worry free, hassle free and generally uneventful (in a good way). And then, today, the second to last day of our trip, we started to "review". We talked about the trip being carefree, worry free, hassle free and generally uneventful (in a good way), and then, just because we'd been talking about it, something not-so-great happened. As we approached the first serious traffic jam of our 4,500 or so mile trek, a rock came flying at the windshield - we were dinged! It's a small crack, not unlike the millions of small windshield cracks suffered by drivers every year. Still, to come this close, with an almost entirely "clean" trip was perhaps asking too much. If a dinged windshield is the worst of our car troubles this trip, we've done pretty well.
Today we awoke in Amarillo, Texas. (It happens.) We got in late last night, went straight to bed, woke right up and hit the road. Emily started the day in the driver's seat. She almost made it all the way to Santa Fe (a good 200 miles) and then Colin took over. Santa Fe, a little out of our way, was a bonus stop - recommended by many, we knew the city was not to be missed. When we got there, the main town square was packed! Today was "Fiesta de Santa Fe." There were tourists everywhere, so we fit right in. It was a festival of food, music, dancers, artists, and the most amazing part, we found parking. So what did we do? We ate, we shopped, and then in Colin and Emily fashion, we ate some more. Technically, the first feeding was just a snack, an ear of freshly roasted corn dipped in butter (of course!) that we shared. The second feeding was lunch. If you're ever in Santa Fe, be sure to go to Cafe Pasquals - one of our best meals on this trip, and we've had many. (Thanks Doug and Mary for the recommendation.)
After lunch we gave up our prime parking spot to some other lucky couple. We headed south to Albuquerque (where we were dinged...grrr!), and then turned west until we could drive no more. Our last sunset of the trip (we're optimipistic that tomorrow's sundown will be seen from the comfort of home) was stunning.
We spent most of yesterday and today following the old Route 66. This morning, to get Emily enthused about driving, we sang along to Chuck Berry's rendition of "Route 66." Oklahoma City was mighty pretty, we Gallup-ed through New Mexico, and just before settling in for the night, we didn't forget Winona, and stopped for gas. The best part? Printed on the bottom of the gas receipt was "Don't Forget Winona!!!" How could we?
When we checked in to the hotel tonight, we received one special bonus. A free hour! Yes, Flagstaff is on Pacific time, and now, so are we. Home is just over the horizon. 4,500 miles down... five hundred to go.
Current Mood: Almost Home - Happy and Sad
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1 comment:
i am so sad this journey is coming to an end. i've enjoyed each stop along the way - great restaurants and new places to put on my 'need to visit' list. and encouraged to know the CR-V has held up, almost unblemished. so welcome home, weary travelers. and i can't wait for the next trip ! thanks........grammie
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