Through the Southern Plains to the Red Mesas

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Friday, 13 June, 2014



It was a long slog through Oklahoma, with welcome small bits of smooth highway and miles and miles of bone-jarring interstate. The road through Oklahoma City was the worst, with construction zones and terribly cracked pavements.



We stopped at the Texas Welcome Center near Alanreed, TX, where Sean enjoyed the observation deck overlooking the vast southern prairie. We continued on to Amarillo, where we stopped for the night. After suppers and showers a rain storm came through with high winds and steady rain.



Saturday, 14 June



The high winds continued all day, sustained at 30-35 mphs with gusts of over 40 mph. Once into New Mexico, the terrrain becomes hillier, so between the headwinds and the hills, our gas mileage was lousy. It was hard to maintain speed bucking those winds, too. The normally colorful mesas of New Mexico were dulled by the blowing dust and we began to feel gritty from just looking at the scenery.



We stopped in Gallup, NM, at a campground with a heated pool, which made Sean very happy. Even though we saw temperatures in the upper 80's, it cooled down nicely overnight, even requiring blankets on the beds.



Happy Father's Day to all you dear fathers out there.

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