Woke up in Tucumcari, New Mexico to a beautiful morning. It's the last important New Mexican town on I-40. We were in Texas about an hour later, what with the 75 mph speed limits. You know you're in Texas when everyone starts driving like crazy. So I couldn't believe that the only "Welcome To Texas" sign was this one with the adage - "Drive Friendly - The Texas Way". Huh? I understand the wild driving since even at its narrowest, that is one big state, and getting anywhere takes a lot of time. And Heaven help you if you need a bathroom, since those blue signs that say "Rest Area" on the West Coast can actually say "Picnic Area" in Texas, and that is exactly what is there. A bunch of picnic tables with no bathrooms. Not even decent tree coverage. I almost forgot to write about an accident (and there were quite a few) we passed on the way to Christmas. Just outside of Dallas, there was a crashed Smart Car - front all bashed in, but - and here's the interesting part - the people who were in it, got out and looked just fine. Whew! I expected the worst. And the woman in the Jag who was the other part of this accident was a Janet Jackson look-a-like, (or the real deal), so there were lots of extra police cars on the scene to keep the gawkers moving along.
I always love the big cross at Exit 295 on I-40. It's really the middle of nowhere. And the El Rancho Hotel where all the stars stayed when filming all those Westerns in Gallup, New Mexico mostly in the 40's and 50's. Good Times!
We were on the road on I-40 on Christmas day though headed to Little Rock. I've always wondered about those Smartcars. Perhaps they are sturdier than they look.
ReplyDeleteI was very happy to see how well this little car survived the freeway crash. Not enough to buy one, though. We had to take I-10by way of El Paso on the way to Christmas because of a couple of huge blizzards. Added 400 miles. Little Rock, huh? Bet they have great Barbeque! (Or is that Memphis?)
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