Standard Diner - Albuquerque NM and ⛺️ Petrified Forest National Park ?and the Painted Desert ?

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40W to New Mexico is very different landscape from TX ?more green ? more hills

Still extremely windy...75 mph highway against the wind. Subie gas ⛽️ mileage averaging 22 miles to the gallon ?

Mountains and expansive views...land, land, land. McCalls Pumpkin Patch and Haunted Farm - packed with people and pumpkins ?

Back to 65 mph...pass signs for the Cibola National Forest and the National Museum of Nuclear Science. Adobe style ? homes...University of New ?? Mexico. Yellow and turquoise license plates.

Stopping for a late lunch/early dinner at the Standard Diner - 2008 episode of Diner's Drive Ins and Dives (DDD) ? It's a refurbished circa 1938 Texaco Station on Historic Route 66 dishing out inventive American diner eats. Jennifer and Jason - you would love this place!

Karen ordered what Guy Fieri had: DDD meatloaf - wrapped in bacon with smashed ? potatoes, red wine ? gravy and vegetable of the moment ?brussel sprouts. I order what the waitress recommends - maple ? glazed roasted butternut squash with ? mushroom risotto and hazelnut butter ?Oh my! What an awesome combination...we share and I cannot wait to get home and replicate my dish!

I had an epiphany when I went to the bathroom before we left when I read this sign...In three words I can sum up everything I know about life: IT GOES ON

Back on the road...highway sign - Do not pickup Hitchhikers in this Area. No problem! Outside Albuquerque, back to 75 mph and stunning panoramic views. Signs District 3, District 6...reminds us of the Hunger Games ?

40W right through red rocks - so cool ? Houses blend with the landscape...lots of casinos ?. Diesel, liquor and hand dipped ice cream cones next exit - what more could one want ?

Camp site for the night - Bluewater Lake State Park...sun setting ?as we setup Spa Haven. Bathrooms ? closed ?Primitive camping..we are friends with the jars...The sky ? and stars are so plentiful, bright, and amazing! Neither one of us have seen such a sight. We wake up to a beautiful sunrise that we can view comfortably from Spa Haven. Temps were ~35 degrees overnight, but the lower humidity makes it much more tolerable. We take a nice canyon hike before we pack up and head towards Arizona, the Grand Canyon State.

Next stop on our agenda is the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted ?Desert?

We stop and checkout the visitor center and learn about the park, etc. and the National Park pass...time to get our pass ??1st National Park stop and many more to come. Wow, wow, wow ???This was one of the most interesting and unique parks we have ever been to...petrified wood, which is actually no longer wood, from a prehistoric rain forest. If you ever get a chance, you have to check it out. The Blue Mesa was the most beautiful site in our opinion...however, the entire park, which you actually drive thru (28 miles), and can stop and checkout amazing views, explore, and hike. Pilot Rock - you can see San Francisco peaks 108 miles away ? ⛰We hiked at least 5 miles...simply breathtaking. Pictures nor words can properly share or describe the experience...another great day ?

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