Days 120 and 121 – Travel Days

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Day 120 and 121 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

I’m afraid I don’t have too many exciting events to report from the yesterday and today.  I spent most of yesterday morning in my cousin’s cabin blogging while waiting out the fog and rain.  The cabin is great.  It is basically a 20×20 room with four closets and high ceilings which makes it seem very spacious. 

Two of the four closets act as closets while the other two are a small bathroom and kitchenette.  The cabin has a screened in porch and an absolutely fantastic deck that sits right on the rim!

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Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Lucky for me, the afternoon was simply beautiful, so Petey and I took a long walk in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.  The CCC trail took us from the rim down to the canyon floor to the amphitheater.  Then of course, we had to return back to the top.  The hike was much less strenuous than I expected and afforded lovely views of the second largest canyon in the United States (according to a geocache post I read).

After enjoying some beautiful views, I drove back into town, only 25 minutes away, to chat with my cousin and her family before they went to see a movie. Afterward, I returned to the cabin to watch the sunset.  The sun set behind the house as opposed to behind the canyon, but the light reflected off the canyon walls creating an array of colors.

Leonardo suggested I awake early in the morning to watch the sunrise, so I did.  Unfortunately, this morning mimicked yesterday morning’s weather – foggy and rainy.  I will have to return another time, as I had hoped to do a little more exploring in the canyon before moving west.

New Mexico

I spent the rest of the day packing up and driving across New Mexico on I-40 and along the historic Route 66.  I must say there is a WHOLE lot of nothing!  I spent most the time concentrating on keeping VANilla in its current lane.  The wind was ferocious.  In fact, the highway signs that caution windy conditions include a windsock attached to them and each windsock was fully extended.

Clines Corners

My only stop of the day was at Clines Corners, one of a handful of traveler centers with cheap tourist trinkets for sale.  I fueled up VANilla, let Petey sniff a tree, perused the aisles full of junk, grabbed a Subway sandwich, and borrowed their internet for about an hour.  That was truly my excitement for the day.

Gallup, New Mexico

I almost pulled off to camp for $10 at a casino.  That would have been an interesting first, but it would have put me a few hours away from where I want to begin my morning, so I opted for the Wal-Mart parking lot in Gallup, New Mexico.  Wal-Mart has a whole campground here.  There must be close to twenty RV’s.

Tomorrow, I plan on trying out a historic bakery I spotted in town, and then I head to Chinle, Arizona to begin my next scenic drive. I will have more to report Tuesday.  ETB

Map of My Road Trip Across the USA

For a summary about my road trip across the USA, click HERE. For the interactive map, see the below link.

Shop

Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop.  Each card has a travel story associated with it.  20% of proceeds are donated to charity.

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