Here's a shot of the moon setting as we drove across the Texas plains...
In Amarillo, we came across this nice little info center - with one of the best employees we've met yet! He was nice, gave us great information and maps, interacted with the kiddos, and was Texan through and through - a great ambassador for his state.
The kids learned why there are six flags over Texas...
...and had a little fun!
We stopped in town at a great little place along the Old Route 66. It would be one of several today. Click here to see those pictures.
As we were leaving Texas, I stopped to get a shot of this sign. We saw it's partner last night as we entered Texas, and thought it a great sign, but as it was dark and there was road construction on the Oklahoma side, we didn't get a picture then...
And the welcome sign to New Mexico was pretty cool too!
Our first destination for the day was the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum in Tucumcari. We'd been told it was a great museum, staffed by the actual paleontologists working the area. It was well worth the stop! Click here to see those pictures.
After that, it was back on the road for several hours to get us to Albuquerque. You could definitely tell we were leaving the plains and entering the desert...
It was so windy through this stretch that I couldn't keep the car up to the freeway's max speed. I got a few 'windy' shots when we stopped at this rest area for a potty break. It was also a stopping point on the Trail of the Forty-Niners. Click the picture below to enlarge and read.
It's a little hard to see, but those trees are being bent pretty hard...
There was a cool little pond the kids liked...
...and some neat wild flowers still in bloom!
Mary's hair shows a little of the force of the wind here.
There were some beautiful clouds out there as we were driving by. One thing about being out in the desert - it makes things look big!
Just outside Albuquerque we stopped at a rest area to celebrate our 4000th mile on this trip!! And to think we're really only a little more than half-way done...
Final event of the day was to stop in Albuquerque and meet some local letterboxers. We got a quick box at the museum where we met, then walked into Old Town for dinner and exchanges. Click here for those pictures.
Quick Stats:
total mileage so far - 4026
hours driving - 70
States - 14 (107 counties, 7 state capitals, 4 Indian Nations: Cherokee Nation, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Sac and Fox Nation, Caddo-Delaware Nation)
sites/parks/monuments - 21
Junior Ranger badges - 8 (& 1 Junior Paleontologist badge!)
letterboxes - 33 (3 Blue Diamonds!)
Meet & Greets - 5 (26 Exchanges, 25 PTs)
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