Left Turn at Albuquerque

We arrived in Albuquerque at about 2am to check in to our hotel.  The clerk gave a raised eyebrow and replied drily that checkout is at 10am.  When we asked about late check out, we were told that the hotel wasn't fully booked, and so the housekeeping staff could not stay late enough to change the room if we wanted to depart later.

We slept in for as long as we could and intentionally missed continental breakfast in the morning.  Although it was against policy, the new desk clerk went to the storage closet and kindly gave us a little milk.  For a moment we caught a dim glimpse of Fruit Loops and Bisquick.  She shut the door quickly behind her and we left. 

So we went off to a regional Albertsons to stock up on rations!  

We stumbled upon the most bountiful and enthusiastic seafood case we’ve ever seen at an Albertsons - and the artisan who piled it together. 

 

David wouldn’t let Amy buy the small milk, based on quantity and value.  Amy is lactose intolerant, so Amy bought a large milk and David had to drink most of it.

We take our foods to Jack-in-the-Box.  David ordered tacos.  Amy ate her marshmallow cereal (endorsed by baby t-rex in space) from her yogurt bowl.

Next, we stopped at AAA to check our route and grab a few maps and tour books.  Here, we decide if we have time to side-trip to Colorado or to continue on along Route 66.  Cicadas whirred wildly in the trees outside.

We made it as far as Las Vegas, NM for a McDonald’s pit stop.  On our way through, we drove along a stretch of the Santa Fe Trail.  The historic corridor along the rails helped build the American Southwest, and is dotted with historic homes and stores.

  

The depot.

The sleek contemporary design of this McDonalds in Las Vegas, NM is enhanced by lack of patrons.  

Brilliant lightning storms surrounded us on the twilight leg of the journey, but the weather on the road remained mostly clear. Northern New Mexico is full of mountains, plains, and inactive volcano mesas (super cool!). David got a large pumpkin spice latte in Raton, NM from the kindliest mountain man clerk at this gas station (below), just south of the Colorado border.  Amy almost got blown away by a gusty wind from the coming storm.

The rain and thunder caught up with us for the first time as we cross the Colorado border headed for Victory’s.  Looks like we’ll make it to Palmer Lake before midnight.