The Unclaimed Gift

The second morning we left at 4:30 am so we missed the breakfast buffet at the Big Texan (which sounded delicious). We
drove for a few hours and soon realized we should have thought this out better! There was nothing for miles and miles and miles that wasn't fast food which neither of us wanted. We were well into New Mexico before we found a place to eat. We even ventured off of I 40 into Tucumcari, NM on the famous Route 66. Unfortunately, whether it is the economy or just the general nature of where the city is located, everything had closed up long ago. The few chain restaurants didn't even look worth stopping into.

It was very cool checking out all the old motor courts and motels that must have been quite the thing in the old days. We ended up in a place called Clines Corners.
Clines Corners was a cheesy looking little tourist trap of a place but they really know how to make a good breakfast for a fair price. The pancakes were the size of hubcaps and light as a feather. I had eggs and hash browns with bacon (of course) which
 were good. The coffee was hot but had been sitting a while. When she made a fresh pot it was much better. We bought a few postcards for the grandkids and headed back out.

The drive was long, flat and incredibly boring. There was literally nothing on the horizon for hundreds of miles. There were long, long trains full of intermodal truck containers. Stacked two high, they were often pulled by
three or more locomotives. There were hundreds of these train cars. It was fascinating to me how few people actually understand how things move across this country. Without the truck and train system, many people would have little to nothing to eat or wear or build with.

The highway system in New Mexico was quite interesting and very artistic. We even passed under a bridge that was pink with breast cancer ribbons on it. Quite cool!

As we approached the western edge of New Mexico we finally started seeing signs of life. The Indian reservations are everywhere with tourist shops at every exit. I did buy a Navajo nativity by a local artist that I will add to my collection. I love collecting nativities from other cultures. Last time we were in Arizona we went deep into the back roads of the reservation and learned a lot about their culture.

The minions are having a great time viewing the country from the dashboard. It has been fun taking them out for photographic moments on some of the tourist attractions.