On the Road Again

Rock formation in the White Mountains along the Salt
River

So.  I was going to fly home tomorrow to Boston/Maine to spend most of the summer with my parents.  But something happened on the way to the airport and I ended up in Albuquerque, New Mexico instead.  Well, it wasn't quite that dramatic, but I did have a change in plans and am now at the start of a cross-country road trip to Maryland with my friend Linda.  We are driving in her VW van and boy did we have an excellent first day, although we only went about 400 miles in 12 hours.  That's because we kept side-tracking ourselves, having first decided that we would take the scenic route 60 out of Arizona instead of the expedient route 40.  We do not regret our choice.

This is our VW van reflected in a Saddle Shop's window.

Love the name:  Drift Inn Saloon.  I also saw Rode
Inn Hotel!

Turns out there are many, many interesting things to see on the back roads of southeastern Arizona.  This is an area neither of us have explored, so we were all agog often.  Sometimes it was funny road signs, sometimes it was hilarious store signs or amazing sculptures made out of motorcycle parts or cowboys alongside a covered wagon or VLA telescopes (very large array) or throwback Western villages and towns or buffalo or pronghorn antelopes, or any number of other interesting things that kept us from making much headway.

We will make up for lost time tomorrow.  We will be good girls and stick to the highway as much as we can through the boring parts of Texas and Oklahoma.  But we don't promise to take a few side trips when we just can't stand it one minute more on the 75 mph freeway.  If we see a sign for a museum or library, we might just take off to see what we can find.

For now, though, our adventures have halted and we are spending the night in a Best Western Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We had fun today, but were more than ready to stop for the night.  Tomorrow will be another adventure, I am sure :)

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

Hilarious signs at the Drift Inn Saloon

I've heard of "Open" and "Closed" signs.  Never saw
a "Shut" sign before!

For our friend Sara :)

Yes, we did go down this curvy road from the
mountain top into the canyon and back up!

"Rambo" (Artist named him!)

A genuine Rembrandt in the town of
Springerville on the border of Arizona
and New Mexico.

This sign caused us to turn around and go back
to see the little library in the middle nowhere
and nothing (see below).

Entrance to the Cabin Library.  So quaint!

A cowboy and his covered wagon.

Joe bear kept us company.

Salt River in the White Mountains of Arizona

Seventh-day Adventist Church in Springerville, AZ

The long and not-winding road!

Windmills

Barn near the quaint little library. 

Linda and Joe Bear, my companions
on this road trip.

Linda and I decided we were works
of art :)  We're in an art gallery
in Springerville, AZ.

We ate lunch in the Java Blues
restaurant.  Sign says "All Gamblers
and Fancy Women must sign up with the captain
before boat leaves for New Orleans!"