We set the alarm for 6:30 am, so that we can drive while the sun is out.  No such luck, we wake up to snow flurries, and a grey sky.  It’s hard to believe it snowing, and it’s May First!

We’re off to Alliance, NE to visit Carhenge, a destination that Caryn has chosen.  We stop at Country Kitchen for a nice hot bowl of chicken rice soup.  I only wish I could have seen my face when the waitress set down a bowl which appeared to be full (and actually mounded up) of oatmeal.  Oh well, at least it’s hot. 

The sun begins to peek thru, and Mary stops to photograph a wall of hay (or is it straw).  We’re delighted that the sky appears to be clearing, but soon after arriving at Carhenge the cold wind blows the clouds in.  Mary doesn’t have much patience for this, so she takes a nap in the van.  Caryn is in and out of the van every time the sun peeks out. After about two hours, we finally get some sun, and blue sky.  Caryn is pumped!  After the photos are in the bag, we’re back in the van, headed toward Denver. We finally find a spot to get some Mexican food for dinner before hopping on the interstate.  We stop just south of Denver at a Sleep Inn, with Wi-Fi, and the promise of DIY waffles for breakfast!

Monday, May 2

We wake up at 8:20 am, and rush off to breakfast, so we can get some waffles before breakfast ends at 9 am.  They are delicious!  While having breakfast, we spot a vending machine that makes hot air popcorn.  Before leaving the hotel, we feed four quarters into the machine, and pop a bag.  It’s a novel idea, but seems a bit stale.  We pull out of the hotel around noon, headed to the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

We decide to stop for lunch in Colorado Springs, CO.  We consult the van’s GPS system for our choices, and settle on Saigon Cafee, a great spot that is drawing quite a lunch crowd. We both order bun (Vietnamese noodle salad), and a side soup.  Fabulous!

We get as far Route 84 when we encounter snow, lots of snow.  So much snow that we decide it would be best to turn around, and head south to New Mexico.  Seems like a good idea, but as we enter NM on I-25 we are treated to a winter wonderland.  Pretty, but still too cold for our liking.  Cold, tired and cranky, we decide the best thing to do is have some dinner here in Raton, NM.  Mary chooses The Oasis Restaurant, which advertises a full menu of American and Mexican food.  We go for the Mexican- Caryn chooses Chili, while Mary goes for the Taco Trio.  Wow, I’ve never seen such greasy tacos in my life!  It hits my belly like a time bomb.  There isn’t much in this town, and the hotels are a bit expensive, so we decide to drive on to Tucumcari, NM, for some neon, and cheap hotels.  We get as far as Las Vegas, NM when the fog gets so dense we decide the driving is too difficult to continue.  We choose the cheapest chain hotel in town, the Super 8 at a rate of $68. (and no Wi-Fi)  We’re happy to be off the road, and settle in to our second floor walk up room.

Tuesday, May 3

This being Mary’s “Birthday Week”, Caryn brings Mary coffee and toast (from the hotel “toast bar”) in bed.  Mary is delighted.  Out of curiosity, she asks if they had any cereal downstairs.  Caryn replies, “No, just toast at the toast bar”.

We head off on the two-hour drive to Tucumcari, another drizzly day.  We pull into town, and cruise the main drag, stopping at Del’s, the restaurant with the giant steer sign.  Not willing to be dissuaded from Mexican food by our bad experience last night, we both order the lunch special of baked chimichanga.  It was very good, but the highlight was definitely the included sopapilla, a deep fried pastry served with honey.  It doesn’t get any better than this.  I’ve had nothing better, not even in France!

Mary feels a cold coming on, and has a chill, so after checking into the Budget Inn, and getting the in-wall heater to work, she settles into bed for a nap.  Two hours later, she’s up, and ready for dinner at Del’s (the only game in town), followed by some dusk time photos.  Back at the hotel, Mary is not too happy to discover that there is no hot water coming out of the sink.  She uses the espresso maker to generate enough hot water to wash up, and heads to bed, while Caryn works on dumping digital images from the cameras to computers.

In her sleep, Mary hears Caryn say, “I found the hot water, it’s in the cold water tap.” Relieved, Mary drifts off for a restful sleep.

Wednesday May 4

The weather forecast has promised sun today, but once again we’re disappointed to awaken to an overcast sky.  We take it easy, and don’t leave the hotel until it’s time to head back to Del’s, for another delicious meal.  We enquire as to the availability of sopapillas at breakfast time.  Happily, we’re told we can get them in the morning, as long as we don’t come in “first thing”.  We now have a plan for Mary’s birthday breakfast (since there’s no toast bar at the Budget Inn, even though the tag line on the in room guide is “Luxury for Less”).

After lunch, the sun comes out!  We stop to photograph the famed Blue Swallow Motel, which is currently closed, and up for sale.  It’s a great spot, and a bargain at the asking price of $165K (which includes the motel, and three undeveloped lots for a total of 1.1 acres). We stop briefly at our motel for a coffee break, and then we hopscotch around town, hitting all the great signs, and abandoned buildings.  Finally, sun and warm weather! We keep at it until dinnertime rolls around, and we roll over to Del’s for one last indulgence.  During dinner, Mary declares,” My stomach hurts, but I can’t stop”.  On the way out, Caryn tells the cashier that we’ve had four meals in a row there, to which the cashier replies “Did your car break down?”