New Mexico

Hello from Santa Rosa, New Mexico. I stopped for lunch in Amarillo around 4pm. Though I would have preferred a chicken sandwich, I went with the burger because I was in Texas after all, and as the saying goes, don't mess with it. To further ingratiate myself to the populace, I ordered a merlot from a Texas winery. It was good. I've seen wineries in many of the states I've traveled through, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, this is the first one I'd tried and it was worth it. Check them out (http://www.messinahof.com/). Oh, and the burger was sublime. And, I don't rate my burgers casually. This was truly spectacular.

It was then about 5:00, and driving another five hours held no appeal to me. Some billboards advertised Santa Rosa being the gateway to New Mexico, only three hours away. Sounded good to me.

Once you're West of Amarillo, there is nothing. Maybe a gas station every forty miles, so make sure you take advantage of them. I passed abandoned towns, that abandoned train, and a significant amount of dust. I missed the cows that have dotted my journey grazing on the plains. Passing into New Mexico, I felt the loneliness settle in. Once I got into Santa Rosa, that really kicked in. Santa Rosa is not a town, just a collection of motels and a couple of restaurants. I realized that I'd crossed into another time zone, so it was pretty early though my body disagreed. The first hotel's internet was down so I had to switch. My room is maybe 65 feet from Highway 40. When the wind blows, the dust goes with it in sheets. Fortunately, the Dairy Queen next door helped brighten my mood.

Fort Sumner (where Pat Garrett shot Billy The Kid) is forty miles south of here. Area 51 is far more south. But I think I'll take tomorrow to head to Santa Fe. My aunt and uncle spent a lot of time there, and I've heard raves from most who have visited. After that, Albuquerque. Sitting here tonight, I realize that I have time to check out a couple places and take my time, the way I did today. I also realized that my journey is nearing its end. Of course, that's just the driving coast to coast aspect--the real journey has a ways to go.