April 26, 2011 travel from Alburqueque, New Mexico to Lubbock, Texas

May 6th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Alburqueque to Lubbock - 330 miles

Alburqueque to Lubbock - 330 miles

Strong winds and lots of dust made the driving a little more difficult; however we had little to complain about as the people of Alabama were suffering loss of life and destruction from tornadoes. We had breakfast in a ‘diner’ called Country Pride.

The long haul breakfast - fried eggs, hash browns, french toast, bacon, biscuit and sausage gravy

The long haul breakfast - fried eggs, hash browns, french toast, bacon, biscuit and sausage gravy

Memories of Route 66

Memories of Route 66

Fort Sumner was an interesting stop at the Billy the Kid museum; a family collection of memorabilia from a couple of generations of the Sweet family. Donald Sweet was very welcoming and happy to share a few stories.

Billy the Kid - shot at 21 years, 1881

And for the night, we stayed at another Walmart Carpark. This time we spotted it quickly and went to see the Manager and we were in. We searched for the Buddy Holly memorial and were told that it had been shifted, so we decided to take a quick look on our way out of town next morning.Back at the carpark, entertainment included sirens and a fire engine arriving to extinguish flames at a fast food store at the other end of the park. The winds were very strong that night, but in the early hours of the morning the nearby light pole stopped rocking as the winds died down. Still, we felt safe as the security man drove around the car park, occasionally pausing to step outside, light up a cigarette and chat on his cell phone.

 

April 25, 2011 – travel from Grand Canyon, Arizona to Alburqueque, New Mexico

May 6th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Grand Canyon to Alburqueque - 415 miles

Grand Canyon to Alburqueque - 415 miles

 Lots of driving on this day, pulling in for gas which we pre-pay in cash before we use the pump and then pulling over at roadside rest stops which have very clean, well maintained facilities. It was a little tedious finding the Walmart Supercenter (www.walmart.com – 2550 Coors Bldv. Nw, Albuquerque (W) - (505) 352-1870) but we made it and had a reasonable sleep for our first night in a Walmart carpark. A security man drove around the car park all night so we felt fairly safe. The bonus was being able to stock up with groceries from the 24 hour Walmart store and buy some pre-paid top up for my wi-fi from Best Buy.