The next day we tried to get up as early we could in hopes of once again beating the sizzling heat. Not so easy - we're talking desert sun here! It was only one thing to do - stock up on cold water and fill the misting bottle.
We booked a room at a cheap motel in Flagstaff. The city was nothing like I had pictured it. For some reason, I had imagined it to be all desert. So much for checking out places beforehand!
Flagstaff was green and lush, with lots of trees. We spent the day in the motel charging our batteries - computers, phones and minds. After constantly being on the road, it was nice to just chill out in a cool room. We went grocery shopping at the local Safeway, and spent the rest of the evening watching the Maury Show (seriously!) and Dexter! I found a link to a site that has all the episodes steaming for free! If you want to check it out, click here.
The next day we rose refreshed and beelined for New Mexico. We stayed one night in Albuquerque. The city was nice, and we tried to find Old Town, but after a long and hot day in the car, my sense of direction failed me. At least we got to do some semi-sightseeing before dusk arrived with Mr. Sleepy.
Moving on... the next day we got up with the dawn once again, loaded up good ole Buddy and hit the highways. We wanted to get to Oklahoma, so we decided to drive through Texas the least painfully way we could think of - through the panhandle with a stop in Amarillo.
Texas... what can you say? It's hot, flat, windy and smells like cow shit. No offense, cowboys. Texans are proud people, and you better not mess with their state. All the commercials and billboards I saw had been modified to directly target the people of Texas. Special treatment, or just a genius way of manipulating people by catering to their strong beliefs and roots? I don't know.
Anyways, we stopped briefly in Amarillo where we ate lunch at the Country Barn Steakhouse. Goodness! We all know things are different in the Lone Star State, but this was definitely a highlight. The restaurant is a barn-turned-eatery, and its inventory can only be described with one word: fantastic. It has animal heads, country boots, door handles made out of guitars, a car mounted inside the wall at the bar, and the bathrooms? Trippy! Lots of mirrors make your potty-trip resemble a scene in a David Lynch movie.
The food was great! I ate a sirloin with sauteed mushrooms and mashed potatoes. Jamie indulged in a plate of ribs. The portions were big, and we only paid $25 total - including sodas! If you ever find yourself in or near Amarillo, you should definitely check the place out.
In the evening, we finally got to Clinton, Oklahoma - our place for the night. Not much to say about that place... I picked up a booklet in the motel lobby to see what things were going on in the area. Let's just say rattlesnake competition with a free ham and bean dinner wasn't so tempting. I HATE snakes. And Oklahoma is apparently notorious for those slithering creatures.
The motel we stayed at, Trade Winds Inn, gave me the creeps. The staff was less than friendly, and the room had a really strange vibe to it. There were some sketchy guests staying a few rooms down from us, who were tweaking out to loud music at 3 am.
We were happy to get the hell out of there in the morning.
We stopped briefly at the site of the Hoover Dam. Pretty impressive! They're constructing a new bridge there, and it's honestly one of the highest bridges I've ever seen. I'm glad I'm not a construction worker having to spend hours dangling from a rope.
As soon as we drove into Arizona, the scenery changed. Big red rocks, hills, canyons and cacti. You could say it almost looked like Mars!
We booked a room at a cheap motel in Flagstaff. The city was nothing like I had pictured it. For some reason, I had imagined it to be all desert. So much for checking out places beforehand!
Flagstaff was green and lush, with lots of trees. We spent the day in the motel charging our batteries - computers, phones and minds. After constantly being on the road, it was nice to just chill out in a cool room. We went grocery shopping at the local Safeway, and spent the rest of the evening watching the Maury Show (seriously!) and Dexter! I found a link to a site that has all the episodes steaming for free! If you want to check it out, click here.
The next day we rose refreshed and beelined for New Mexico. We stayed one night in Albuquerque. The city was nice, and we tried to find Old Town, but after a long and hot day in the car, my sense of direction failed me. At least we got to do some semi-sightseeing before dusk arrived with Mr. Sleepy.
Moving on... the next day we got up with the dawn once again, loaded up good ole Buddy and hit the highways. We wanted to get to Oklahoma, so we decided to drive through Texas the least painfully way we could think of - through the panhandle with a stop in Amarillo.
Texas... what can you say? It's hot, flat, windy and smells like cow shit. No offense, cowboys. Texans are proud people, and you better not mess with their state. All the commercials and billboards I saw had been modified to directly target the people of Texas. Special treatment, or just a genius way of manipulating people by catering to their strong beliefs and roots? I don't know.
Anyways, we stopped briefly in Amarillo where we ate lunch at the Country Barn Steakhouse. Goodness! We all know things are different in the Lone Star State, but this was definitely a highlight. The restaurant is a barn-turned-eatery, and its inventory can only be described with one word: fantastic. It has animal heads, country boots, door handles made out of guitars, a car mounted inside the wall at the bar, and the bathrooms? Trippy! Lots of mirrors make your potty-trip resemble a scene in a David Lynch movie.
The food was great! I ate a sirloin with sauteed mushrooms and mashed potatoes. Jamie indulged in a plate of ribs. The portions were big, and we only paid $25 total - including sodas! If you ever find yourself in or near Amarillo, you should definitely check the place out.
In the evening, we finally got to Clinton, Oklahoma - our place for the night. Not much to say about that place... I picked up a booklet in the motel lobby to see what things were going on in the area. Let's just say rattlesnake competition with a free ham and bean dinner wasn't so tempting. I HATE snakes. And Oklahoma is apparently notorious for those slithering creatures.
The motel we stayed at, Trade Winds Inn, gave me the creeps. The staff was less than friendly, and the room had a really strange vibe to it. There were some sketchy guests staying a few rooms down from us, who were tweaking out to loud music at 3 am.
We were happy to get the hell out of there in the morning.
Next destination: Sweet Louisiana!
What an adventure! I am very jealous. Thank you for sharing.
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