24 States in 27 Days - Day 23:

It's been a while since I've added another day of our 2012 cross country road trip adventure, and the thought crossed my mind when I realized it's been over a year since I started posting this journal of our travels, whether I should cointinue or not. Considering how some of my favorite photos are still to come, I had to keep going - especially since this was one of our favorite days! So, without further delay, here's the next installment, and a promise to finish this before 2014 is over. 

November 1st, 2012, Thursday: Waking to another blue sky, sunny day in Texas we enjoyed a decent continental breakfast downstairs then went back up the elevator to our room to shower, check email, and get ready to hit the trail. 

Texas

After a grocery run while in Amarillo, we continued west on I-40 through Texas and into New Mexico! Woot! 

West of Santa Rosa we exited onto hwy. 84 towards Las Vegas (we didn't know there was a Las Vegas in New Mexico - did you?) where we missed the turn onto hwy. 518 towards Taos and had to do a little backtracking. 

There we started climbing out of the flat grasslands into more mountainous, rocky terrain. Hello trees! We crossed over a couple of passes into Carson National forest where it was a lot cooler. 

There were a few glimpses of fall color, but most trees were already bare. We passed Sipapu ski resort area, then started dropping into the Taos valley. 

In Talpa we paused to take a photo of the decorated graves, remembering it was the Day of the Dead. 

We then turned onto hwy. 68, to Taos. 

It was interesting to see so many single story buildings, most in the southwestern adobe style. This route was Taos’s busy, commercial strip -  slow going, but soon we pulled into the town center. Finding a free parking lot, we stopped, tucked things away then put on another layer to go explore. It was 4:45ish and we could tell it was going to get cooler as the evening progressed. We wandered through the Taos Inn first, where we were given a tour of one of their unique rooms. It was cozy with a separate sitting area, fireplace, real low ceilings and door frames we had to duck under. We both agreed it’d be a fun place to stay some day. 

We walked into a nearby gallery where we chat with a very talkative fellow. He filled us in on the good places to camp and we were happy to hear most campgrounds in NM are free. After some window shopping we went into a cool vintage shop called Horse Feathers. There we met Lindsey, the owner. He was such a friendly fellow, we truly enjoyed our visit with him. He told us his favorite local restaurants to check out while Brad bought a spiffy western shirt. From there we walked up the block amazed by the color as the sunset bathed everything in a soft rosy glow. This is the southwestern light artists rave about! I was enamored, and wanted to start painting immediately, but had to settle for some quick pics with our small point and shoot camera. 

Once the sun was down we began to freeze, so we went back to the truck for warmer clothes. Hungry, we took off in search of the Guadalajara Grill, where Lindsey recommended we get the guacamole. We did along with ordering two chili rellenos to share. The guacamole was fabulous - everything is made on site. Delicious salsa too, a bit salty, but not too hot. However the chilies were HOT for me - I’m a wimp! They were quite large so we split them lengthwise and I was happy to see bits of cooked carrots and zucchini in with the cheese. They were tasty, but I liked the guacamole best. As we left we spotted the moon about to rise over the mountains, so I pulled out our telephoto lens and used the top of the truck cab as a tripod to shoot a bunch of photos. 

Since we weren’t through exploring Taos we decided to save some money and sleep in the Walmart parking lot. As soon as we bedded down about 9:30ish, almost immediately a street sweeper began to clean the parking lot. Oh joy. It zigged through the lot eventually shaking our truck as it buzzed multiple times past us. We wondered if it was trying to annoy us or trying to hurry and get through for us. Luckily we thought it was kind of comical, but finally it quit and we were able to sleep pretty well. 

24 States in 27 Days - Day 22:

Oct. 31st, 2012, Wednesday: It was a cold morning, but we finally got out of our warm nest and made coffee which thawed my freezing fingers. 

Soon the sun came out and shone on the deciduous hills across the lake, as the moon made it’s slow descent behind. 

After granola for breakfast, Brad went to shower and I pulled out my watercolor journal and paints for the first time this trip. It was good to relax and not be in a hurry for a change.

We did leave around 10:30, 

stopped in Sallisaw for gas, then continued west on I-40. 

Our next stop was in Okemah, the home of Woody Guthrie. 

We spent a bit of time there writing and mailing postcards, then grocery shopping. Inside the Homeland grocery store we heard news about Hurricane Sandy’s destruction for the first time. We kept going west on I-40, stopped for lunch at a rest area, then just beyond Oklahoma City, we parked outside a McDonald’s to use their free wifi. We never did eat any fast food on our road trip, but we did indulge in some parking lot, fast food wifi! We both had work to attend to, as we caught up on emails while seated in our truck. It was another unseasonably warm, sunny day with temps climbing into the 70’s. 

The sun blasted our faces entering Texas around 6:00 pm. 

How I spent a lot of our road trip... so many drive-by photos! 

For the first and only time this road trip, we decided to get a room at a motel, and as we came to the outskirts of Amarillo we saw numerous billboards advertising inexpensive motels, one after another. We passed several on a service road that paralleled I-40, and Brad finally pulled into a place called Luxury Inn and Suites. It looked local, and we thought it’d be nice to support a non-chain hotel. The friendly receptionist set us up, and after a nice chat with her we went to our room. Circling around back we parked and went in the side near the pool courtyard. Brad opened the door to our room and we were immediately disappointed to see how tired the interior looked, and my first thought was bed bugs?! There was a stained upholstered chair, and everything seemed shabby and dull. I put my stuff down gingerly, then checked the bed, pulled off the covers and peered between the mattress and headboard. I didn’t see anything crawling, but even the sheets looked grubby. Ugh… We looked in the bathroom next and saw a stained shower, dirt in the corners, totally grimy. We both agreed we had to go, although we felt a bit reluctant since the receptionist was so nice, but we just wanted to get out of there it was so uncomfortable! I’d much rather sleep in our truck! Luckily the woman voided our transaction without any trouble. When she asked why, I said it just wasn’t what we expected. She didn’t seem that dismayed we were leaving... We were so glad to be out of there! We then drove further along the service road, checked out a couple more possibilities and ended up at the Day’s Inn. This receptionist was wearing her hair up in curlers, with a bathrobe - it was Halloween and she was a “tired housewife”. The place was spotless, and just what we wanted! We were so comfortable we decided an easy dinner of pb and jam sandwiches was fine - no need to escape in search of a Texas steakhouse!  While Brad was out bringing in our food he discovered a washer and dryer for us to use down the hall - bonus! As we were checking email, Brad turned on the tv and we saw for the first time, news covering Hurricane Sandy. We were shocked and saddened to see the destruction, along with the flooded streets of Manhattan where we’d been parked just days before! We felt lucky to be out of the area, and safe in our comfortable room in Amarillo.

24 States in 27 Days - Day 21:

Oct. 30th, 2012, Tuesday: Awake at 5:21, before our alarm, we tried to fall back asleep, but it wasn’t happening so we got up, put on our shoes, slipped out the back of the truck and spotted a line of taxis waiting on the far side of the parking lot. Quickly we moved the cooler and our two bags to the back, then zip, we were in and ready to go. 

With the help of a police officer downtown we found an Exxon on the way to the freeway and stopped for gas and mediocre coffee. Nibbling honey roasted peanuts we continued to I-40 - next stop: Memphis. 

Once there, it felt a bit like we were repeating last night, but since it was daylight the neon lights were dull and the music scene was nonexistent. We walked through a seedy mall area, with a dirty, abandoned feel, then past busses and church school students in lines, to blocked off Beale St., Memphis’s blues music hub - all quiet this morning. 

Brad popped into a souvenir shop where a friendly fella tried to sell him a compilation music cd, but Brad just wanted postcards. We walked around, he took photos, and luckily we were pretty quick. 

After checking the menu, we went inside Automatic Slim’s for lunch - an upscale looking spot off the main drag. On the menu was a make-your-own-salad list - we chose: heart of romaine, spinach, tomatoes, roasted mushrooms, goat cheese, parmesan crisps and real bacon bits with a creamy avocado dressing along with a bowl of gumbo to share. Both were delish. After lunch, Brad drove to Sun Studio for a quick tour. 

Then it was back to the freeway entrance and over the Mississippi River into Arkansas! 

Time for some backroad exploring as we exited onto hwy. 64. 

At Bald Knob we hopped onto I-67. It was lined with thick groves of trees - a pretty backlit corridor, but we couldn’t see anything beyond. At Beebe we turned back onto hwy. 64 and continued west to Conway. This area had lots of ranches, and was greener than the east side of the state.  At Conway we again got on I-40 and zoomed through the rest of Arkansas. Most of the day was sunny, but the further west we drove clouds started piling up, creating cool patterns and textures in the sky. We pulled off into a vineyard driveway for a snack break and to take some cloud photos. 

While there we studied the map and decided to get a camp spot just over the Oklahoma border. 

We turned off at Sallisaw exit and drove through town towards Brushy Lake Park. 

It was an amazingly warm evening - probably over 60º and the light turned the trees and lake gold with the glow of the setting sun. 

This campground was lovely, and we picked a site right by the lake. Soon after, a couple came up carrying cocktails, happy to chat with us---pretty much the only other visitors at this park. They’d also just arrived - traveling from Arizona. After a bit of a visit they walked on and I tried to capture some quick photos of the sunset over the lake. 

Soon a couple with a little boy drove up in golf cart. They were the camp hosts, there to welcome us and offer drive-up service! Cute little Conner was probably two-ish, sporting a pumpkin shirt as he wandered around with his grandma, while grandpa filled out the form and took our check - only $15 with electric hook-up too. We plugged in our chargers, set up camp and I worked on uploading pics. While eating a salad and pb & j we heard the rush of wings as a big bird flew over us in the twilight - an owl? A hoot off in the distance confirmed it. Bed came early after our lack of sleep in Nashville - it was blessedly quiet here, and we slept real well, only the sound of coyotes nudging us out of our dreams. 

24 States in 27 Days - Day 20:

Oct. 29th, 2012, Monday: Awakening before dark we took off, back to I- 26 through Asheville then onto I-40 towards Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It was still icy cold outside, and while we were at a rest area close to the National park it snowed! It was a good day for fuzz boots and wool sweaters. We drove 23/74/441 through the town of Cherokee, stopping at a little park shelter out of the cold drizzle to make coffee with cocoa along the riverfront. 

Continuing to the Park entrance we discovered it was closed because of snow! Six inches had fallen and another five were predicted that night. So disappointing! While there we wandered the grounds and saw the cool historic farm buildings while chickens roamed around.

Then back through Cherokee, where we took the road through Maggie Valley and Dalewood - up to the top of the pass and into the snow! 

So pretty to see the deciduous hills dusted with snow! 

Onward to 276, then I-40 into Tennessee, where we took exit 440 to a gorgeous parkway lined with brilliant colored trees! We stopped several times, relishing the beauty. 

Once we dropped back down onto the main road to the Great Smokies from the Tennessee side the colorful leaves diminished and became fleeting from then on. Reaching Gatlinburg, we were blown away with how commercial it was. What a crazy over-the-top tourist trap! Heading to hwy. 321/441 north aiming for I-40 we hit Pigeon Forge and the turn off to Dollywood. We thought Gatlnburg was bad, but Pigeon Forge was way worse! Plastic town to the max! Giant tourist attractions everywhere! It was a relief when we turned onto 411/441 in Sevierville where the rest of of our trek to I-40 was much less bizarre! We wiggled our way thru Knoxville, following detours then hopped onto I-40 to Nashville. Brad really wanted to see Nashville, so we exited to the downtown.

Of course, like NYC it was straight up 5:00 - rush hour! Luckily most of the traffic was leaving town, but we still got caught in a bit of a rush hour tangle. We pulled into a parking lot, thinking we’d just quit driving around trying to find a street metered spot, then figured out the parking fee opting to  pay $8 for 12 hrs = 5:50 pm to 6:00 am. I joked with Brad we could sleep there and set our alarm for 5:30 - little did I know we actually would do just that! We were a couple blocks away from the heart of downtown, and since it was cold, and very windy I pulled on my warm coat, and we hiked downhill past the convention center.

Brad popped into a souvenir shop to look at tee shirt designs, then started talking to the shop guy about vintage clothes shops in town. He was very helpful, and gave Brad directions to several. I asked where the best barbecue was and he said just up the block at Jack’s. We left and immediately turned back towards where we’d just walked from to find a shop he’d mentioned. He’d suggested taking a taxi, but we knew we could walk it after wandering all over NYC. It was a bit of a hike, across a long bridge over a railroad area but finally we found the shop called Two Old Hippies. While Brad looked for cool western shirts, I received permission to shoot any photos I wanted of the place. 

With our purchases in a bag, we headed back downtown, ready for a good meal. Hello Jack’s BBQ! 

After dinner we wandered in and out of several bars, each with a band playing live music and no cover charge. 

We finally settled at Bootleggers Inn where a fun bluegrass band played. 

When they finished for the night, we bought a cd then walked slowly back to our truck. 

Not having a chance to explore the city in the daylight, we decided the parking lot was the best sleeping choice, so we quickly put our cooler and bags in front then climbed into bed, fully clothed and tried to sleep. Not too long after we settled garbage trucks arrived - I think they emptied 50 dumpsters nearby! Then wind gusts shook the truck making me think we might blow away as a soda can rattled and rolled across the parking lot… Was Hurricane Sandy causing a ruckus in Nashville too?