The Road to New Mexico

It was a long, straight road from Oklahoma to New Mexico... You could actually see the point in Oklahoma when the terrain changed from green to desert-like. The land was pretty flat and green in Ok... the soil the color like deep burnt orange, and there was a section where there were alot of windmills... they looked like giant airplane propellers...lol... kind of like a "wind farm" I guess...I kept trying to take pictures of them as I drove....but gradually, by the pan handle of OK, the soil turned lighter and lighter and the lush green grass gave way to what looked like a light covering of green grass... just really a superficial covering of grass. By TX, the green had turned to beige, some green and assorted brush... My original plan was to get boots in Amarillo, but I since I had such a long drive... I just blew thru TX. But soon after passing the largest cross, and Amarillo, I began to see some plateaus... and then by the time I entered NM, the landscape looked like a western movie... the green grass was gone, and the land looked dry and covered with shrubs... tree covered mountains appeared... by Albuquerque, there was a snow covered mountain in the distance! It was beautiful! I had lunch in Tucumcari, NM... I couldn't resist... It was right out of the old Little Feat song, Willin'... "...I've been from Tuscon to Tucumcari..." anyway... I checked my oil and was a bit low... I found a service station on the old historic Rte 66 and had the oil checked... He thought I should wait until a full quart was necessary... I told him I was on my way to CO... asked if I would make it... thougthfully he replied.."I hope so..." lol... I then asked if I could get back on 40 west from here... he looked at me and said ....."I thought you were heading to CO?...that's the wrong way.." lol... he really thought I was a nut!
I made it to Albuerque by 5:00 and found the hotel easily... The city is surrounded by these beautiful mountains. After talking to Linda's friend, I thought maybe I'd check in, wash my face, and head back out for a glass of wine in the "old square" downtown to watch the sunset... I got directions from the desk... and thus began one of my realizations about NM... They give terrible directions! I followed the map...went up and down the streets... and couldn't find any "downtown". I kept thinking... "sheesh.. I've followed a map all the way from Gaithersburg, how come I can't find this?!" There weren't even any signs for the downtown area. I ended up, at....Macaroni Grill...(it was on the map the hotel provided)....lol... and sat outside, had 2(!) glasses of wine and watched the sunset... talked to the waitress about the mountain in front of me and discovered at the peak, there is a tram and you could drive up there... I asked how to get there... she didn't know... (lol)... it was a pleasant evening...
Anyway... this has been a week on the road! I've sure seen a lot... been places I've never been.... done it on my own... It's been exhilarating and sometimes lonely..but all in all a fabulous experience! On to Santa Fe!

Oklahoma...OK...

Day 6- Wednesday- Gosh can that really be? Day 6? Anyway... The drive from Arkansas to Oklahoma was beautiful... While Little Rock was pretty flat, once I crossed the Arkansas River, I could see Pinnacle Mountain. It was surprising to see a mountain peak in the middle of the otherwise flat terrain. The remaining ride was long but lovely... green, rolling hills, the Ozarks in the distance, at least for awhile.... I saw a nuclear power plant along the way. Once I arrived in Oklahoma City, I decided to go to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. I only had an hour but thought it could be interesting. (They were very serious about closing on time at 5:00 precisely!) It was such a nice museum... It had beautiful paintings of the west... a large collection of Charles Russell and Frederic Remington paintings and sculptures, a large collection of Native American artifacts and paintings, and an exhibit on actors of the west(which I didn't get to see). I don't recall ever seeing or knowing about Charles Russell, he painted (in oil and watercolor), sketched and sculpted. I particularly liked his oils and the sky in all the paintings was so vibrant. Turquoise and purples... the west certainly is very colorful in his paintings! Remington was another surprise for me... I was particularly interested in seeing his black and white oils...I had never seen that before... they were really interesting, shades of gray! The museum also looked like it had a great gift shop, but since I only had an hour... I didn't get a chance to go in...(Drat!) If you ever find yourself here in Okla Cit, I would recommend a visit. The weather that held me up last night and this morning, gave way to blue skies and puffy white clouds, but just outside of Okla City, the clouds became heavy and gray, the wind picked up and now it's really chilly.
Tomorrow I have a rather long day ahead of me... around 525 miles... (actually hotel door to hotel door from AAA it's 541 miles). They say it will take around 7.75 hours. I decided that since tomorrow will be such a long day, I'm going to spend the night in Albuquerque and go to Santa Fe the following morning... so until tomorrow....
Happy Trails!

Little Rock

Ok... well being flexible is what a road trip should be about.... and I am flexible...My original intent, was to travel to Little Rock, tour the Clinton Library, and then continue on to Oklahoma City and stay the night there... But.... it took longer to get to Little Rock than I had planned, and the weather men were calling for severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings for the area I was planning to travel into... So I heeded to common sense (and the advice of my weather friends) and held up here in Little Rock after the tour of the library... It's giving me a nice respite from the road, and time to do my laundry... Clean clothes will make me so happy.... aahhhh life's simple pleasures... lol...
The Clinton Library is beautiful... very spacious with a cantilever part of the building over the river and it does just what a presidential library should do... promote the legacy of the president...and what a legacy Clinton has...I love him! The library is set up in a time line...and goes year by year... there is an incredible amount of information available thru interactive displays... and say what you want about Bill... he is extremely charismatic and the world seemed to like him... Too bad that the measure of the man seems to be about his sex life rather than the accomplishments of his administration.
As I have done on all the previous legs of this trip, I booked the hotel in the morning... That way I have a destination and am not spending the afternoon flipping thru the book and figuring out where I'm staying... So I had the desk person, make the reservation at the hotel in Little Rock. I'm unfamiliar with the area, and the hotel that I selected was booked... so he selected one that he had been to... Well I had a devil of a time finding it... and found myself cursing and railing against the guy who booked this place and the guy here who was trying to give me directions... I was railing against how stupid it was that there was no place to eat... that I was lost on a dirt road with only construction... that I kept turning around... The funny part was that when I finally entered the hotel, it was great.... I have a nice room, a nice desk, free internet, laundry facilities, hot tamales at the check in desk ( always a bonus) and mini chips ahoy cookies waiting in the room! What could be better...
So I will analyze the map and figure out where the next stop will be... I think it will be Oklahoma City...
Stay tuned... tomorrow's another day!

Greetings from Graceland...

Day 5 - Monday- Greetings from Graceland!
I arrived at Graceland this afternoon, after an uneventful ride from Nashville. The terrain is starting to change... gentle rolling hills... Goodbye Smokey Mts...Hello... plains?... I felt like the mountains were "gentle giants". Not jagged like the Rockies... but because of all the trees, they seemed to have "soft edges"...
Anyway back to Graceland... It is really right in the middle of a pretty developed area... I'm sure originally it was way out there... but now... Graceland just sits right on the highway... Elvis Presley Highway. It was sort of odd walking thru a house sooo preserved in the 70's. First, just the style... shag carpet... the colors... the dark wood in the kitchen that is preserved in avocado and gold.... the fuzzy round white bed...but, secondly... the technology... I grew up in the 60's and 70's and it's odd to think of how far technology has come in just 30 years... the size of the televisions... the stereo... eight tracks... those were so advanced then... now they are so antiquated. The monitors used to show video clips were flat screen TVs... juxtaposed with 70's technology. Then there was the cost of things... the receipt for a Ferrari was $20,000. Sheesh, add another zero for it today... the title for a car and the address was just ...Graceland ... Highway 51, Memphis, no other address necessary.
I came away marveling at Elvis' accomplishments... how talented he was and certainly with a new appreciation for all of his music. Whether I liked it all or not, I did come away with an Elvis CD.
I decided to stay downtown on Beal Street. The street was closed to cars and there was music playing in all the clubs I passed... I had Memphis BBQ in Blues City Cafe...Yummm (across the street from BB Kings Blues Club), and walked to the park to listen to the blues band that was playing outside... Sort of reminded me of New Orleans... music and beer outside...This could be a fun city to hang out in, but with someone... it felt a bit sketchy to me... and I was a little uncomfortable out there by myself...
I forgot to add my favorite thing people have said to me in Memphis when I've asked for directions... "If you've gone over a really big bridge, you've gone to far." I guess I'd notice if I crossed the Mississippi!
I am enjoying my adventure so far... I have a hard time remembering what day it is... which is why I put it at the top... so I can remember... but I sometimes feel like the "Accidental Tourist". So far, I have made sure I stay at the same hotel at each stop... I know what to expect. It will be comfortable... clean... safe... free internet...
I guess that's the best of both worlds... I get to experience each new area and then lay my head down in a really comfortable bed!!!
So far... it's been fun...
Tomorrow... Little Rock to see the Clinton Library and then on to Oklahoma City...

The road to Nashville

Day 3 -Saturday - involved going from Asheville to Nashville. Seemed like it would be an easy task...it is not to far, maybe a 4 hour drive... The day was gorgeous and I had made a list of the things I wanted to do and see in Nashville...

Another thing I discovered about myself is that I enjoy driving... especially on a beautiful day... The sunroof open... the windows down... the radio blaring... and me singing, driving and enjoying the scenery. Saturday was such a day... bright sunshine... gorgeous scenery... I decided since I had plenty of time (no timetable for me) that part of my drive would be thru Great Smokey Mtn. National Park... exit the Park in Gaitlinburg, go back in the Park, exit the park in Pigeon Forge, and then take a smaller road (which I had hoped would be scenic) to Nashville... Well..... the park is beautiful.... I love National Parks... there are always overlooks and paved roads... and accessible to all.... Gaitlinburg (seemed like a cute little town).. was bustling with people walking the sidewalks. I stopped at a gas station to make sure my directions were correct and reentered the park to continue on to Pigeon Forge and then to Knoxville where I'd get back on the highway to Nashville. Everything was going smoothly when all of the sudden I came to a complete stop in the park... I got stuck in the biggest traffic jam entering Pigeon Forge. I couldn't figure it out... I think I was in my own country music song.... "I'm stuck in Pigeon Forge agin" There were thousands of people out and about... on both sides of the highway... there were camping chairs set up on the side of the road on both sides... and there were cars for sale on either side of the road... I just couldn't figure it out... I thought "Maybe it's Dolly Day"... "maybe there's a parade"... I found out later it was a car swap... Anyway... the 4 hour trip turned out to be an 8 hour drive... but I arrived... and the good news is that I don't have a time table... I can take detours... and "ENJOY THE RIDE!" Since it did take so long to get to Knoxville, I did take a quick drive by the University of Tenn campus...Their stadium seemed huge!
Once in Nashville, I decided to go see the 9:30 show at the Grand Ole Opry... It was really fun... I don't know much about country music, but I did recognize several names... Porter Wagner, Pam Tillis, Marty Stuart, Kelly Pickler (yes... American Idol fame). The one thing I did find a bit disappointing was that the Grand Ole Opry is now located in a huge complex outside of town... It reminded me of Broadway on the Beach in Myrtle Beach... Not knowing alot about country music.. this is an institution that I recognize, and it seems to me that something that had such a huge impact on the music is now in a large shopping mall, seemed kind of sad... I understand that they want to serve lots of people and the staff is very nice and accommodating... It was just a little disappointing... but not terrible... and the evening was still very fun...
Just a quick note about how nice people are... I arrived early for the show and was starving... (I hadn't had time to eat) I went into the gift shop and asked a woman who worked there if there was a place to eat... Since there really wasn't a place, she offered to walk into the Opry house and get a sandwich for me from the concession stand. That was just so nice! People are just great!

Day 4- Sunday - Nashville
I was debating last night and this morning whether I was going to stay in Nashville for the whole day... I'm so glad I did...I had already planned on going to The Hermitage in the morning but thought that I may just go to Memphis after that. I shared a table at breakfast this morning with a guy in the hotel, and he was saying how fun the downtown area is... so after touring Andrew Jackson's house I went downtown... It really is fun! The main street is lined with bars, boot shops, record shops, tourist stores, etc... Music just pours out into the streets. I had a beer in 2 bars and then made my way back to the parking lot... turning down one street early and ran into a large crowd in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame... Winona Judd!! Now that's a country star I know! Got a pix of her... hope I can figure out how to download it!
Tomorrow .... Graceland!

Day 2 - 4/20

Today I went to the Biltmore Estate. What an amazing place... 300 rooms, over 4 acres of space inside... built in 1895... grounds designed by Frederick Olmstead... really all I can say is amazing! It is a creation... not a home or a mansion, but truly a creation. To think it was built in the middle of the mountains, on such an immense scale and no modern equipment or roads... it is a marvel. I spent the entire day there... After touring the house... I walked the grounds and gardens... then drove to the winery where they were having a wine tasting of their wines... spent some time drinking wine and listening to some music at the outdoor cafe... all in all a great way to spend the day... Remarkable creation in the midst of the Smokey Mountains...
So I made it thru day 2 on my own... here is what I've learned about travelling by myself so far...
1- When eating dinner, always bring something to do... it's boring sitting in a restaurant by yourself! Breakfast and lunch for some reason isn't bad, but dinner... well you just need something... so either bring a book, a map to plan the next days travels, a journal... etc.

I'm sure I'll come up with others... but so far that's it... dining alone at dinner seems to be more of a challenge than the other meals.

Till the next time....

And so it begins....

The idea began as something so small and simple... "move and change your life". It became a little bigger and more concrete when the house went on the market... a little more concrete and loomed larger when there was a contract on the home...I won't even mention what it felt like when the movers came to move my home! But today, it grew exponentially, and became gigantic in nature as ...THE ROAD TRIP BEGAN!!

I left Gaithersburg, MD at 10:15 this morning; later than anticipated... No need to mention the delay due to returning the crummy ipod car connector... The weather seemed to suit my mood... grey, cold, and on the verge of tears, but amazingly, the road just unfolded before me... as if to say, "it's ok... this is alright... it's the right thing... I know this may sound odd, but it felt like ...just follow... no traffic jams, no delays, just keep moving... and I did! Even the couple of torrential downpours, didn't slow me down!
The mountains are beautiful... not in the rugged Rockies sort of way...but they are beautiful and full of trees. Everything is blossoming and the grass is so green. Just beautiful...
Ok... tomorrow the Biltmore Estate, maybe the vineyard, and maybe downtown... Saturday... it's off to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry...(How weird is that!) Exciting, but a little weird...
I'm off!