"Travels with Rudolph"
Chapter 3
Oklahoma City to Gallup NM
UH OH! NOT STAYING THERE!
SO, IT BECAME:
Oklahoma City to Flagstaff AZ
Chapter 3
Oklahoma City to Gallup NM
UH OH! NOT STAYING THERE!
SO, IT BECAME:
Oklahoma City to Flagstaff AZ
WOW!!!
What a day!!! I left, where was I? Oklahoma City? Was that only this morning?
It was dark... but it was around 7 a.m., and the first crisis was that the toll booths required exact change, and even though I threw the $1. in it, the alarm went off... I was sure state troopers would come after me, but nothing happened. The car is registered to Joe anyway, so if there is a warrant for anyone's arrest welllll, you figure it out. I belong to AAA and AARP, so I have bail if I need it.
It was a beautiful sunrise, though!
What a day!!! I left, where was I? Oklahoma City? Was that only this morning?
It was dark... but it was around 7 a.m., and the first crisis was that the toll booths required exact change, and even though I threw the $1. in it, the alarm went off... I was sure state troopers would come after me, but nothing happened. The car is registered to Joe anyway, so if there is a warrant for anyone's arrest welllll, you figure it out. I belong to AAA and AARP, so I have bail if I need it.
It was a beautiful sunrise, though!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this drive!
This will be a long travelogue since I drove almost 14 hours today and not on purpose.
But first I have to tell you something that is most significant, which I left out yesterday.
There are all these electronic highway signs in Missouri: traffic updates, detours, etc. One of them said, "Buckle Up. Savemolives.com" Well, I must have been thinking about a martini at that point, because I THOUGHT it said "Save Em Olives"...what it REALLY meant was "Save Missouri Lives"....(SaveMOlives) duh.
Things I observed today, and there are a lot.
The extra-long day with a 14-hour drive, and over 900 miles, is because when I got to my reserved stop for today, Gallup, NM, it was exactly like Seaside Heights (summer home of MTV's Jersey Shore, starring Snooky and the gang) in the height of summer. But, instead of tattooed people in wife-beaters, it had a lot of very drunk Native Americans, and I mean a LOT.
One staggered in front of my car at a stoplight and fell. He sat there laughing for a minute or two, but fortunately, got up before the light changed. I couldn't believe it! I have to confess, in a not very PC way, I thought, "It's the Fire Water!" Later, I learned that for many years Gallup was known as "Drunktown, USA."
This will be a long travelogue since I drove almost 14 hours today and not on purpose.
But first I have to tell you something that is most significant, which I left out yesterday.
There are all these electronic highway signs in Missouri: traffic updates, detours, etc. One of them said, "Buckle Up. Savemolives.com" Well, I must have been thinking about a martini at that point, because I THOUGHT it said "Save Em Olives"...what it REALLY meant was "Save Missouri Lives"....(SaveMOlives) duh.
Things I observed today, and there are a lot.
The extra-long day with a 14-hour drive, and over 900 miles, is because when I got to my reserved stop for today, Gallup, NM, it was exactly like Seaside Heights (summer home of MTV's Jersey Shore, starring Snooky and the gang) in the height of summer. But, instead of tattooed people in wife-beaters, it had a lot of very drunk Native Americans, and I mean a LOT.
One staggered in front of my car at a stoplight and fell. He sat there laughing for a minute or two, but fortunately, got up before the light changed. I couldn't believe it! I have to confess, in a not very PC way, I thought, "It's the Fire Water!" Later, I learned that for many years Gallup was known as "Drunktown, USA."
I didn't like the hotel's location (where I'd made my reservation), as well as the fact that it had a parking lot with a big iron fence around it WITH barbed wire on top. If you look closely at the photo below, you can see what I mean. The cement columns you see bordering the property are about 6' tall, plus the barbed wire.
I was a little panicked at first since all of you know I am a PLANNER of the highest order, and suddenly I was in the middle of the desert, in NM, with no room.
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Well, God looked out for me again (or my mother praying) ! Within just a few miles was a TRULY welcoming "Arizona Welcome Center." |
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A beautiful Native American woman gave me a handy dandy guide. I sat in the parking lot and called the Fairfield Inn in Flagstaff, AZ, and got a room... which is where I am now.
I cannot describe how spectacular the Painted Desert was!
It was definitely one of the highlights of what had been a pretty stressful day!
It had to be Flagstaff because there really is NOTHING but desert between Gallup and there.
And I mean NOTHING!
And I mean NOTHING!
I hadn't realized until I looked at the map later that I was in the heart of the Navajo Nation. It is 27,413 square miles, which is miniscule when you think about what they had before the Europeans showed up.
Flagstaff is about halfway through AZ, but let me tell you, after what, at that point, was over 10 hours in the car already, it seemed to be on the moon be it was another 150 miles ...and another time zone... Anyway, what a fantastically beautiful country this is!!! I just can't get over it!!! I feel like I am living a dream.
Flagstaff is about halfway through AZ, but let me tell you, after what, at that point, was over 10 hours in the car already, it seemed to be on the moon be it was another 150 miles ...and another time zone... Anyway, what a fantastically beautiful country this is!!! I just can't get over it!!! I feel like I am living a dream.
Here are Rudolph's observations today:
The fat pig had two breakfast burritos (I HATE McDonald's!!!) while I just had a small OJ again today. He did have the steak in Oklahoma, but it was delivered to the room since we are afraid to leave our possessions.
One of the first things I learned was NOT to use kelp shampoo, which was supplied in the room in Oklahoma City. Those of you who saw the "WHOA" picture of my hair know what I mean. My hair looks like Bozo today, but since it's only Rudolph in the car, who cares? I don't even KNOW where my make up is. I think it's in the back of the car somewhere near the African violet from Leah's bridal shower I felt compelled to take since I so love Leah.
The fat pig had two breakfast burritos (I HATE McDonald's!!!) while I just had a small OJ again today. He did have the steak in Oklahoma, but it was delivered to the room since we are afraid to leave our possessions.
One of the first things I learned was NOT to use kelp shampoo, which was supplied in the room in Oklahoma City. Those of you who saw the "WHOA" picture of my hair know what I mean. My hair looks like Bozo today, but since it's only Rudolph in the car, who cares? I don't even KNOW where my make up is. I think it's in the back of the car somewhere near the African violet from Leah's bridal shower I felt compelled to take since I so love Leah.
Okay, to the observations:
Yukon, OK is the home of Garth Brooks. To the best of my knowledge, the only thing there is an enormous truck dealership.
Dead coyotes have replaced the dead raccoons on the roads.
Fascinating to see signs that say things like "Leaving Cheyenne-Arapaho Nation."
"Free 72 oz. steak in Amarillo" It took me a while to figure out that was about 4.5 pounds. Math has never been my strong suit. If it's free, do you pay $30 for each of the side dishes? or is it one of those deals where you have to eat the whole thing for it to be free? Remember this scene in "The Great Outdoors" where John Candy eats the "Ol 96er?" A classic for sure. That's what immediately came to mind when I saw the billboard.
Yukon, OK is the home of Garth Brooks. To the best of my knowledge, the only thing there is an enormous truck dealership.
Dead coyotes have replaced the dead raccoons on the roads.
Fascinating to see signs that say things like "Leaving Cheyenne-Arapaho Nation."
"Free 72 oz. steak in Amarillo" It took me a while to figure out that was about 4.5 pounds. Math has never been my strong suit. If it's free, do you pay $30 for each of the side dishes? or is it one of those deals where you have to eat the whole thing for it to be free? Remember this scene in "The Great Outdoors" where John Candy eats the "Ol 96er?" A classic for sure. That's what immediately came to mind when I saw the billboard.
Shamrock, TX has a "Blarney Inn," and from what I could see from US 40, all the roofs in the town are green.
Astronaut Tom Stafford has a museum in his birthplace of Weatherford TX. I think he was on Apollo 1,000,000.
Roger Miller has a museum in Eureka OK ... too bad I didn't have a recording of "King of the Road" because I sure have been "Queen of the Road!"
I saw one of those big fancy RV' s pulled over by a trooper, and the car it was towing didn't match. (see photo below; clearly the RV is beige and shades of brown, but the car is silver!) I think that's why he stopped it. Over 90% of the ones I saw today DID match. It's WEIRD.
Astronaut Tom Stafford has a museum in his birthplace of Weatherford TX. I think he was on Apollo 1,000,000.
Roger Miller has a museum in Eureka OK ... too bad I didn't have a recording of "King of the Road" because I sure have been "Queen of the Road!"
I saw one of those big fancy RV' s pulled over by a trooper, and the car it was towing didn't match. (see photo below; clearly the RV is beige and shades of brown, but the car is silver!) I think that's why he stopped it. Over 90% of the ones I saw today DID match. It's WEIRD.
LOTS and LOTS of windmills. The fancy modern kind.
There is a Christian Dude Ranch and Retreat House in TX
All the AM stations in TX are farming/gardening info channels. I learned more about fertilizer today than I ever wanted to know.
I passed the "Howe Nissan" dealership, which had as its logo a Native American with his hand up in the "How, Keemasabee!" fashion. Not very PC.
Little known fact about why Native Americans said "How" when meeting people. It was a condensed version of what they heard settlers say to each other: "How are you?" "How's your family?" "How have you been?" The first Americans were not ones to waste words!
There is a Roman Nose State Park. (One of my favorite jokes: "You have a Roman nose. It's ROAMIN' all over your face! Okay, I was bored.)
In parts of TX, the speed limit is 70 during the day but 65 at night. The signs are in different colors. White for the daytime limit, black with white letters for the night time one.
"Conoco Post Office, Motel and RV Park" That’s convenient if you are traveling . You can tell people to address mail to General Delivery in Conoco.
Electronic sign: "DWI? You can't afford it."
I was concerned about what to do if there were a tornado, but there are signs for tornado shelters on the road!
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I passed what is reportedly (by their signs) the most enormous cross in the Western Hemisphere, but it looked suspiciously like a cross I saw in MO.
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There is a town in TX called "Bushland.” Is that where the Presidential Library is?
"Deaf Smith" is a county in TX. I wonder if anyone told him that he had a county named after him? and if they did, did he hear them?
I got to New Mexico rather quickly, and the first sign I saw was for the "Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant and Truck Wash.” I couldn't even form an image in my mind of what that must be like.
Safety Corridors:
you must put your lights on, and the fines are doubled in those zones.
They are NOT construction zones but SAFETY zones.
Then a few miles down, there is another sign announcing the END of the safety corridor. Why? So you can drive dangerously, and it's okay now that you've left the safety corridor?
Another sign: "Horse Motel. .. Overnight or Forever" I wonder if the horse gets nervous going there, and not knowing if it will be just overnight…or the “other?”
"11th Annual Punkin' Chunkin' Contest with Lunchin."
"Gusty Winds May Exist" (um, yeah ... my car was going all over the place as were the 18 wheelers ... I couldn't open my door at one rest area... it was like I was in a wind tunnel! There are MANY wind sox along the highway...I now know WHY.)
"Rest Area/Hospital" okayyyyy ... do you go to the ER if you need a nap?
"Free Petrified Wood. Dinosaur Bones. Meteorites." That's an interesting combination of items for sale.
"Deaf Smith" is a county in TX. I wonder if anyone told him that he had a county named after him? and if they did, did he hear them?
I got to New Mexico rather quickly, and the first sign I saw was for the "Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant and Truck Wash.” I couldn't even form an image in my mind of what that must be like.
Safety Corridors:
you must put your lights on, and the fines are doubled in those zones.
They are NOT construction zones but SAFETY zones.
Then a few miles down, there is another sign announcing the END of the safety corridor. Why? So you can drive dangerously, and it's okay now that you've left the safety corridor?
Another sign: "Horse Motel. .. Overnight or Forever" I wonder if the horse gets nervous going there, and not knowing if it will be just overnight…or the “other?”
"11th Annual Punkin' Chunkin' Contest with Lunchin."
"Gusty Winds May Exist" (um, yeah ... my car was going all over the place as were the 18 wheelers ... I couldn't open my door at one rest area... it was like I was in a wind tunnel! There are MANY wind sox along the highway...I now know WHY.)
"Rest Area/Hospital" okayyyyy ... do you go to the ER if you need a nap?
"Free Petrified Wood. Dinosaur Bones. Meteorites." That's an interesting combination of items for sale.
Blake's "LOTABURGER" has 78 locations in NM alone. I wonder how many of those are located near cardiologists and ER’s?
"Ofelia's Knife City Outlet and Truck Stop" The best place for truckers to buy their knives, I'd guess, and have a shower and a meal.
"Elk next 60 miles" (Never saw that in NJ!) Unfortunately, I never saw an Elk here, either.
Other things I learned today:
Do not brake for tumbleweed. It's already dead.
It is possible to drive through a dust storm. It's like a brief white out in the snow.
"Elk next 60 miles" (Never saw that in NJ!) Unfortunately, I never saw an Elk here, either.
Other things I learned today:
Do not brake for tumbleweed. It's already dead.
It is possible to drive through a dust storm. It's like a brief white out in the snow.
I passed piles of rocks high on bluffs that looked out on spectacular scenery, and I think they were Native American graves.
One had a big American flag on it and I wondered if that was a soldier KIA.
One had a big American flag on it and I wondered if that was a soldier KIA.
I drove through the Continental Divide today and discovered that it's not just a silly movie from the '80s with John Belushi.
I started thinking about the pioneers going through this in a wagon, with no rest areas, fast food places, motels and hotels, plus the threat of being attacked.
They, too, probably had NO idea where they were going at times (like me!), but they had INCREDIBLE courage and stamina!
They, too, probably had NO idea where they were going at times (like me!), but they had INCREDIBLE courage and stamina!
I drove through SPECTACULAR deserts, where many times, I would see mountains in the distance with snow on top.
I passed trains with HUNDREDS of cars... but I think my most favorite thing I saw in my umpteen miles today was this HUGE American flag somewhere just over the border in AZ with a sign next to it that said: "THANK YOU AMERICA!!!" I got tears in my eyes.
Out of something bad, something good comes. I would NEVER have seen this country the way I have if something "bad" hadn't happened.
I am excited to finally get to CA tomorrow, although I must confess, there is a HUGE mountain range in front of me. I have a short ride tomorrow; I think about 450 miles? That's a piece of cake!!!
Rudolph can even have a real, sit-down breakfast if he wants ...the fat pig. He's making my rear tires drag a little from his extra weight. He’s become a little less chatty, now, though. He seems to see the things I see and be a bit overwhelmed by it all.
I used to say the first few times I went to Europe. "Oh, the places I've been, the things that I've seen ..." but I have to tell you, the Painted Desert is every bit as beautiful as the Mona Lisa. It's just a “left turn” from NJ instead of a “right turn.”
I passed trains with HUNDREDS of cars... but I think my most favorite thing I saw in my umpteen miles today was this HUGE American flag somewhere just over the border in AZ with a sign next to it that said: "THANK YOU AMERICA!!!" I got tears in my eyes.
Out of something bad, something good comes. I would NEVER have seen this country the way I have if something "bad" hadn't happened.
I am excited to finally get to CA tomorrow, although I must confess, there is a HUGE mountain range in front of me. I have a short ride tomorrow; I think about 450 miles? That's a piece of cake!!!
Rudolph can even have a real, sit-down breakfast if he wants ...the fat pig. He's making my rear tires drag a little from his extra weight. He’s become a little less chatty, now, though. He seems to see the things I see and be a bit overwhelmed by it all.
I used to say the first few times I went to Europe. "Oh, the places I've been, the things that I've seen ..." but I have to tell you, the Painted Desert is every bit as beautiful as the Mona Lisa. It's just a “left turn” from NJ instead of a “right turn.”
Love you guys! THANK YOU for your calls along the way, your support, and, most of all, your LOVE!!!
I will now eat the Philly Cheese Steak I ordered here in Flagstaff AZ.
Two time zones today!!! it's only 7:30 here.
But my body thinks it’s 4 A.M.
I will now eat the Philly Cheese Steak I ordered here in Flagstaff AZ.
Two time zones today!!! it's only 7:30 here.
But my body thinks it’s 4 A.M.