I haven’t been warm in days, so thank you Santa Rosa, NM! 80 degrees – time for shorts again finally!

I’m with an old friend for the next few days, so you probably won’t hear from me unless I just HAVE to post. Any of you know Crazy Matt? It should be an interesting few days.

Picking up where I left off….. I am really trying to play tourist on this trip as well, so I look for things on the map (yes, and actual paper atlas) that I think I should stop and see. One was the Meteor Crater. I believe my son Cameron stopped to see this one on his cross country journey, and I thought a big hole in the ground would look cool. Well, NOT for $29! So here is your picture –

Compliments of Google.

I stayed in a nice KOA in Holbrook, AZ, and met the nicest people – Rich (also a tear drop traveler), Suzanne and her hubby (who just wanted to feed me and wine me) and Ron (who spent two hours trying to figure out my battery problem – no luck). It was a cool night and we shared hot toddys later in the evening. After keeping Ron company while he crawled under my camper, I got so cold and decided it was time for a hot shower. I grabbed my stuff, whipped into the bathroom, and while I’m showering I was hearing all these “male” type noises coming from the stall next door. (C’mon ladies, you know what I’m talking about). I thought, either that’s a lady with issues, or the poor man wandered into the wrong bathroom. Welllllllll ……… I was the poor woman who wandered into the wrong bathroom!! I didn’t realize until I got out of the shower (and got dressed) walked to the sink, and noticed a urinal stuck in the corner behind a wall. Crap! I grabbed all my stuff and jumped back into the shower and had to wait until the dude finally left! So embarrassing.

I stopped in Holbrook because I wanted to see the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Definitely worth it!

Reds, purples and oranges everywhere. and the petroglyphs were cool too.

I don’t know that I have ever seen petrified wood. It was like rock and seriously had quartz inside.

It was hard to picture this area as a lush forest back when North America was joined with South America and this area was at the same latitude as Costa Rica millions of years ago. Kind of amazing and makes me wander what will become of us and this world in a million more years.

When I hit Gallup, I felt that I was finally back in civilization. Gallup? Really? You would be amazed – there was every chain store and restaurant you can imagine. It was then that I realized that I had been in the Southwest country since I left Las Vegas. I also realized that there are not a lot of rest rooms in that part of New Mexico, so be aware.

I made it to Santa Fe just in time to make a quick dinner and set up Starlink before the hailstorm hit. Just my luck. Brrr but I was cozy and watched a movie. My sister-in-law (Hi Mary!) asked me what Santa Fe was like, and honestly, I worked, huddled in my camper and went to the gym. I probably didn’t do the place justice, but oh well. I tried to describe it to her, and it was more red rocks, scrub brush and dirt. I’m not complaining, since it all has its own beauty, but I have definitely spent the last week in the (chilly) desert.

Tucumcari ….. I don’t know why, but the name of that town makes me chuckle.

Tip of the day: Double check the gender of the bathroom you are entering, especially if the light is burned out over the door. Also, if you ever take a trip and plan to avoid winter, don’t be naive. Bring a coat, gloves and warm hat. Just tuck them away so you don’t have to look at them. I promise, it won’t jinx you (or wait – did it?) hmmm