DAYS 6, 7, AND 8!

Greetings loved ones!  We're finally in civilization and have some time to write a few blogs. YAY! As you saw with our last short post, we've been having an amazing time so far. There were a few days where our hotel didn't have internet (or we were staying in a cave...for real), so we weren't able to update. But, now we're settled in Phoenix for two whole days. We're really looking forward to some rest, relaxation, and pool time!

But for now, let's go back to last Monday, April 30, day 6 of the road trip.  We woke up in Tulsa, OK en route to Clinton, OK. But before we left, we just felt like we needed a little fix of some big city shopping. With iced coffee from Starbucks in hand, we strolled into Saks Fifth Ave just as they opened for a quick taste of New York City style.  Then before heading out of Tulsa, we checked out a cool Indian Outlet Store for some neat finds.

Coffee is essential for long drives on the road

In Oklahoma City, we had one of the best lunches of the road trip so far at Cattlemen's Ranch- a three course meal consisting of a juicy filet mignon, heavenly strawberry shortcake, and by far the most interesting appetizer we've tried so far- lamb fries (aka FRIED LAMB TESTICLES!!). And you know, they were actually pretty tasty- sort of similar to popcorn shrimp. We spent a couple hours in the Stockyard City area doing some MORE shopping at cowboy and indian outlet stores...we just find the coolest stuff at these places! Our last stop was the Oklahoma City bombing memorial in downtown. This was a very tranquil place which very respectfully and tastefully honored the tragedy of bombing. It was a beautiful outdoor memorial in the very spot the building once stood. It was nice to walk around the site while paying our respects.

Don't go out of your way to try these burgers...

Halfway between Oklahoma City and Clinton, we stopped for dinner in the little town of El Reno. Our multiple road trip books had recommended a place called Jonnie's Grill for their juicy "onion burgers", that apparently didn't need any extra condiments or anything because they were just THAT tasty. Well, we weren't that impressed. The most memorable thing about this place was its' retro Route 66 feel and decor. Our last stop before checking into our hotel was...yet ANOTHER...indian outlet right off the highway, which drew our attention due to it's advertising of LIVE BUFFALO! Nancy just couldn't resist her first opportunity to see them, so we stopped for some more accessory shopping, and to see the three live buffalo they had outside. They were pretty cool, we do have to say.

Surfing on a buffalo in Oklahoma

Our night in Clinton was uneventful, minus a few tornado watches that were posted for the area, which kept Nancy on the edge of her bed for a little while. Apparently there were a few sightings of funnel clouds north of us in Kansas, but we all we got was rain. 

Total travel time: 9 hours
Total miles: 217

150-foot cross in Texas

Day 7 was a pretty long day of driving through the western most part of Oklahoma, the panhandle of Texas, and on into Tucumcari, NM. After a quiet morning on the road (with the one cool highlight being a huge 150-foot cross along the highway...Nancy loved this) we parked at the historic Goldenlight Cafe in Amarillo, TX for lunch. Dan tried their specialty, the Frito Pie, and I enjoyed a buffalo burger wrap. Both were very excellent, but the Frito Pie was by far the highlight of this place- fritos chips topped with a spicy chili, cheese, lettuce, onion, and tomato...MMM MMM GOOD!

Welcome to Texas!

From here, we took about an hour detour south of Amarillo to Palo Duro Canyon- the second largest in America. It was certainly a beautiful sight to behold. Unlike the Grand Canyon, this one actually has a road which allows you to drive into it. So after Dan and I hiked about a mile around the top, we decided to take the drive with Nancy to the bottom to get a full view of the canyon. It was really neat to be able to see it from both the top and the bottom...the colors of the rock formations and plants were really breathtaking. Some of the rangers at the visitor center said that a lot of people actually like this one better than the Grand Canyon, but after having seen them both now, I think those people must have been crazy. Palo Duro was nice, but personally, I don't think it even comes close to the Grand. We'll tell you all about our visit there in the next blog.

Then it was back north towards Amarillo for a photo shoot at one of the most interesting places we've seen so far on Route 66- Cadillac Ranch. Here right off the highway were about a dozen old Cadillacs covered in spray paint sticking straight out of the ground. Dan and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to throw on some of the fun western accessories we bought yesterday and take a few pictures of us posing in and on top of the old cars. We kind of felt like superstars shooting a music video out in the desert with the wind blowing dust around us...it was pretty cool.

Dan at Palo Duro Canyon

Cadillac Ranch in Texas

It had already been a long day, so naturally Starbucks and Dairy Queen were a necessity to get us through the last leg of our drive. The very nostalgic Route 66 town of Tucumcari, NM was our stop for the night. The Blue Swallow Motel was a quaint and well-kept place with very friendly owners. We checked out the local "strip", lined with old looking motels and restaurants, but decided that Pizza Hut sounded like the most filling option for dinner. After our meal, we spent a relaxing evening sitting outside our motel, enjoying a couple of drinks, watching the cars go by, while chatting about all the amazing adventures we've had thus far. We can't believe we're 1/4 of the way done our trip!

Total travel time: 9.5 hours
Total miles: 377.8







Now onto day 8! Before leaving Tucumcari, I really wanted to check out the local dinosaur museum! (I've been really into dinosaurs since I was a little kid). The museum was worth checking out, but after having been to the Smithsonian museums in DC multiple times growing up, I felt a little spoiled by those and this one paled in comparison. Nevertheless, it was neat to check out some of the fossils and replicas they had here, and it was cool to be in a part of the country where a lot of them were originally found.

Burger at the Bobcat Bite

Next, we were bound for Sante Fe. Just outside of the city was a tiny place called the Bobcat Bite where we had lunch. The place got it's name because years ago the workers would literally leave scraps of old food laying out the back door, and hungry bobcats would come down from the mountains and enjoy the leftovers. Nowadays, they'll feed the birds and squirrels, but they decided to play it a little safer and leave the bobcats to feed in the wild. And you can guess what we decided on to eat- yep, another burger! But we were sure glad we did because this one was the most amazing one of the road trip so far (sorry Steak n' Shake, you've been beat). It was a huge portion, perfectly seasoned, topped with white cheddar cheese, chili, and green salsa...AMAZING.

From here we ventured into the city of Sante Fe for a lovely afternoon of shopping and strolling through the downtown Plaza district. The architecture here is incredible and the weather to die for. The city definitely has an upscale feel to it, while still remaining very laid back and relaxed. We felt right at home while enjoying pleasant conversation with the bar staff at a local hotel over a couple glasses of wine.

Our plan for the night was to go to our hotel in Albuquerque and do some sight-seeing in the city. But, our plans changed when Nancy got ahold of her old college friend, Shell, who lives about an hour north of Sante Fe and invited us to come stay with him for the night. To be honest, at first we were a little reluctant, seeing as we had no idea what was in store for us, and it would push back our plans for the next day a little bit. But Nancy was eager to see her old friend, so we agreed to go along with it! And boy, were we glad we did, because what an experience it was...

The outside entrance to Shell's cave

The drive to Shell's was an adventure in itself.  After about an hour on a scenic highway, we turned onto a dirt road that led down to Shell's house in a small canyon beside the Rio Grande River.  The road was extremely narrow and steep, and hugged the edge of a 100-foot cliff just above the river.  EEK!  After the nerve-wracking drive, we were greeted by Shell at his place and he showed us around his property which consisted of two houses- one which is his and one he rents out, his art studio, and a man-made cave they use as a guest house.  Shell is an artist who makes beautiful and unique pottery and ceramic pieces.  It was really cool looking around his studio and seeing all of his really amazing work.  Then he treated us to a delicious home-cooked meal and we sat and chatted while he and Nancy caught up and reminisced about their college memories.  They hadn't seen one another for 37 years!  Then the three of us road trippers settled in for our night in the cave.

Nancy and her college friend Shell

Now, I just have to talk about this cave a little bit. I wish I could post pictures of the inside, but I want to respect Shell's privacy and it's such a special place I feel like it deserves to be kept a little hidden gem. One of Shell's artist friends built the cave himself, with just a pick and a shovel working about 20 hours a week for 2 years. It had several rooms, including a bathroom with a gorgeous bathtub, a kitchen, a living room with hard wood floors, a study, several skylights, and a bedroom on a upper level which overlooked the rest of the cave. The walls were covered in beautiful carvings and Shell's artwork. Shell's love of music was also present throughout the cave- unique Native American instruments sat on the shelves, little outcoves built into the walls held amazing acoustics, and my favorite part was an actual drum built into the living room floor- all of which just begged you to experiment and make music with them.


All I can say is- this place felt really special.  The experience of walking outside at night, watching the stars, listening to the sounds of nature all around you, while jamming with musical instruments is one I will never forget for the rest of my life.  It wasn't very hard to feel inspired by the spiritual tranquility of the area.  I'm so glad I got to see this place and I definitely left the next day feeling like a changed person.


Total travel time: 10 hours
Total miles: 220.2

 -Andy