Sticks? and Stones

May 13, 2011

We left the rest area on the west side of Santa Rosa, NM about 7:30 am headed east on I40.  Last evening before we stopped, we had a 15 to 20 mph wind blowing on the back of the rolling cave houses. Beautiful tailwind!!  Today, Friday the 13^th, that same wind was blowing at the left front fender.

We stopped at the Flying J in Tucumcari for fuel and breakfast.  It was a 2 swipe fill up because of the $75 limit on the pump.  Seems strange that we don’t encounter that $75 limit at the smaller stations – there must be some sort of message there.

We also tried to post the previous two blog entries since we had free wifi, but Blogger was down, still or again.

In Amarillo we took a little tour of the downtown area and the rail yard compliments of Barney and Betty (they were leading.)  We finally located Rte 136 (after asking directions) and headed north toward Fritch.  Mifi had a strong signal here, so got one post entered and another started before the next stop.

We turned left off 136 to Lake Meredith and the Alibates Flint Quarries VC at about 1:30 pm.  We were the only four people there. After the passport books were stamped, we watched a video about the Anasazi who lived there and worked the quarries. The ranger was very knowledgeable about the pueblo there and the trade that went on between the local “ancients” and the other cultures all around.  There were artifacts from the gulf, or Pacific, Plains people, even artifacts from as far away as Minnesota.  The local people traded flint blanks to the other cultures so they could make whatever tools they needed from the blanks.  A very interesting stop!!

We left the quarries and picked up Rte 152 in Borger to Pampa, where we refueled (no $75 limit) then Rte 60 to 33 to 283 toward Cheyenne, OK.  Somewhere in there we had a good mifi signal, so got yesterday’s blog posted.  We stopped at a campground in the Black Kettle National Grasslands.  It is a nice little park by a reservoir. It is off the grid. Tomorrow we will go on to Cheyenne.

It has been a beautiful, bright sunny day, except for the strong wind blowing on our nose all day.  But then it has been Friday the 13^th all day.

More later from the Bedrock Bunch.