Day 7 - Albuquerque to Amarillo

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This will be a short post -- we were both exhausted today. As we left New Mexico and got closer to Texas, the land started changing. The beautiful mountains gave way to very. flat. land. We tried to capture it in the photos. Amazingly, we saw NO police through all of CA, AZ and NM, then literally saw about 15 in the brief time we drove through Texas! I know we didn't see the best parts of Texas, but my impressions were too many cops, very flat land, lots of cattle, and the worst interstate quality we've seen yet. What DID fascinate me was the wind turbines. They are EVERYWHERE and literally went on for miles and miles. My research indicates that West Texas A&M University began wind energy research in 1970 that led to the formation of the Alternative Energy Institute in 1977. Favorable wind resources plus land availability makes Texas ideal for wind power. Wind power is a for-profit enterprise between land owners and wind farm operators. Farmers can lease their land to wind developing providing a fresh revenue stream without impacting farming and grazing. We included some photos, but they don't come close to showing how far these spread and how large they are up close.

We finally hit our Airbnb destination in Amarillo, Texas, later in the day. Sweet folks and house, but sketchy neighborhood and didn't get much sleep. Enjoyed a nice steak dinner (a must in Texas) and got ready to head for Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

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Photos

Roadside view
Very little vegetation except for small scrubby plants

Train!
One thing that surprised me was the extensive railroads that parallel I-40, at least through 4 states so far. Always saw trains in the distance or close up.

Cows
Lots and lots of cows. And flat flat land. And cops.

Wind Turbines
There are close to 11,000 wind turbines throughout Texas. These things are immense and go on for miles and miles.

Only in Texas
This was in the entry to our steakhouse restaurant in Amarillo