Last of it -- Getting Watson

I have one last task I need to complete before my move is done. I need to pick up my other car and pick up Watson, my cat, and drive back to New Mexico with whatever other loose ends I might still have .

I boarded Amtrak's Southwest Chief in Albuquerque on September 12th on day three of a monsoonal rain storm. It had been raining off and on for three days and everything was pretty much drenched.

New Mexico has a monsoon season that runs from mid July to September...more or less. This year it has been pretty rainy and folks are happy to see it. We've been in a serious drought for several years. this can only help.

The problem is when it all comes at once.  My train pulled out of the station during one of the brief dry periods but it started raining again within a few minutes. I heard a report that a railroad bridge was closed due to flooding on the Pecos River...one of the rivers we have to cross.   As it turned out, we were OK and the Pecos was back in it's banks when we went over it...barely. There were a number of times when the train slowed to a creep as it went along some of the swollen streams.

There was serious flooding in Colorado with people and homes swept away. New Mexico is sparsely populated and less impacted by the flash flooding.  All of that rain falling in Colorado came up through New Mexico to get there. Cloud were thick and very low for most of the trip. We didn't see the sun until we got to Lawrence Kansas, the next morning.

Apart from the rain, the train trip was uneventful. As always I met some interesting people...a 911 operator from Glendale CA, a couple heading to the husband's 60th high school reunion in Webb City, MO, some folks going to visit their son in college in Iowa, a lady off on a multi-leg journey to visit cousins and grand kids scattered around the country, and a couple from Scremerston England on a long cross country trip...San Diego to Boston and points along the way.

We were running very late due to the weather but managed to make up the time and got into Kansas City about fourteen minute late...not bad.

I caught my connection train to Jefferson City and was back at my old house by noon and went on to Jill's by late afternoon.

I'll post more for the trip back home....should be interesting with Watson.  He hates to travel.

Epilogue

I guess this is the end of this trip since I'm home.  Still seems like a trip except for the unpacking. I'm finding stuff I didn't know I had. I have way too much furniture. Too many lamps. Too many bookcases.  It will all sort out over the next weeks.

Here are a few pictures of my moving crew -- they did a good job.

Enad, the driver, got the truck right
up close to the back of the house

Mike, Enad and Jude

Enad...cutting it tight

Enad is a super hero when it comes to driving this truck. When they finished picking me up in Jefferson City he drove to Austin Texas for an 8 AM delivery and then when he was done with that he drove to Houston for a pickup and then drove to Rio Rancho to deliver my stuff. I beat him to Rio Rancho by three hours.


My next trip is by train back to Jefferson City to pick up my Subaru and then pick up Watson and drive back to Rio Rancho.  Looks like that might be September 12th.

Moved In

I'm finally moved in. I beat the truck by about three hours. The driver and two helpers had it all unloaded in less than two hours.  I need to unpack boxes...for the next week.

The place is fine. Rod came over and helped me get the swamp cooler working. The jury is still out on how well it works,  I like having the windows open.

I'm tired and I hope I sleep for three days....or a substantial part of three days. My fish need me to feed them twice a day.

Sprinting Across America

I usually take my time going back and forth between Missouri and New Mexico. I like to take three days to cover the 1,000 miles and usually get off the interstate a few times just to see the side roads or to follow old Rt. 66. This trip is more of a sprint because I need to get to the house before the movers. I got a late start yesterday and got to Tulsa. I figured from Tulsa to Albuquerque in one day with only me driving would be too much so I decided to stop at Tucumcari for the night and then go the two hours into Albuquerque early in the morning.  Well, I got to Tucumcari before 4 PM (Mountain time) and could have staggered into Albuquerque before dark....but I already had motel reservations and would lose my money if I just kept going. Plus, I tend to get sleepy and that is a rugged descent into Albuquerque....I'd rather be wide awake.

My motel is the Best Value Inn in Tucumcari. Guess what....it is owned by the same (east)Indian family that used to own the Econolodge --  but it doesn't smell like curry so that's OK.  They try to keep a clean motel although some minor maintenance is needed.  The ice machine is broken so the wife will fetch you some ice in a small baggy if you need some. You can get two baggies if needed. They are nice and very friendly.

I ate at the Thunderbird Restaurant at the Pow-wow Motel, next to the Lizard Lounge. Had too much food.


I've been seeing these little travel/camping trailers on the road. I don't know if they are rented or if you buy them but they look pretty cool. I've been thinking about getting a camper shell for my pick-up truck but these look better.  They are very small. There is a bigger sized one with two windows.

Not much to say tonight. The weather has been great and traffic has been light.

Moving Day -- The arrival of Battlestar Gallactica

Today, Labor Day, was my moving day. Roadway trucking was my moving company and I got a call from Enad, the driver, telling me that the truck be there at 8 AM. I was up at 6 AM and got a few things organized and moved some of the cargo that I was going to haul in my truck out to the garage.

At 8 AM this thing arrived...much larger than what I expected. I have never seen a truck this big. It was like the Titanic or Battlestar Gallactica pulling up in front of the house. It covered the entire front of my house and part of the neighbors. The trailer was 73 feet long and had several households of stuff on it already. The driver had a helper on the truck and then four local guys showed up.

The move started a little after 8 AM and they were finished at the house in two hours and then we went to the storage unit a couple miles away.  Enad had to back the truck into the self storage place. I am amazed with his skill at driving the truck.

They were all finished before 11 AM. Enad gave me the bad news on the cost of the move. It was more than the estimate but less than the highest estimate that I got. It is pricey to hire movers and move 1,000 miles but I'm OK with it. It is better than back surgery...what I got from an earlier move. There were cheaper alternatives but most of them had me doing a lot more work.

Enad said he had to be in Austin Texas at 8 AM Tuesday and then go to Houston before going on to my house in Rio Rancho. He expects to be there Wednesday.  WHAT???  I figured he might get there on Thursday or Friday.  Now I have to sprint out to NM to meet the truck....no leisurely drive out -- this is a race.

I went back to the house and spent an hour cleaning up a little. It is a mess but I can only do so much. I loaded up the pick-up truck with stuff I was moving and secured everything with tarps and a cargo net. I was on my way by 1:30.

The trip to Tulsa, where I'm spending the night, was uneventful. I was sleepy at first but woke up with some coffee. In Joplin I bought a few more bungee straps to keep the tarp from flapping so much. I got to my motel about 8 PM and walked over to an IHOP restaurant.

The rest of the evening I spent in my room watching PBS. I have to get an early start tomorrow and get to Tucumcari.  That will leave just a two hour drive on Wednesday.

Home by Eight - back to Jefferson City

Our trip to Jefferson City was uneventful. We had a pretty good breakfast and were on our way at 9 AM from Weatherford. We decided to drive about fifteen miles on old Route 66. The old highway runs parallel to the interstate for about five miles and then veers off for a short distance. We stopped briefly at Lucille's old roadhouse and then went on toward Sayre. Lucille's is an old gas station that has been rehabbed a little so it is sort of a shrine on Rt. 66. We pulled up to a top sign and were surprised to have a van pull up beside us and the driver ask directions....two British tourists out getting their kicks on Route 66.

We got back on the interstate and headed toward Oklahoma City and made our way to the turnpike and then on to Tulsa.  I managed to get through Tulsa without getting lost. That doesn't happen very often.  We stopped for lunch in Joplin and eventually made it to Jefferson City by 8 PM.

There are a few things that I should mention that I overlooked...

This was a good trip and I was glad to have someone to ride along. Donna was an eager helper and we got to see some new things.

When we would sit outside in the evening we were cold enough that we needed sweaters and jackets and Donna wore a head scarf.  This is August.  We needed blankets when we went to bed.

I got trash collection started and even got my first electric bill, less than $20 for only a few days.

I woke up one night with a 3" centipede in my bed...on my face, actually, but he was dead. These are large and nasty "bugs" that sting or bite and are hard to kill. I only saw one but I kept looking for any of his friends. They can get up to six inches long.

My Quail are Gambel's Quail. They are pretty shy and usually won't come out if I'm outside so I watch them through the windows. They walk single file through the front yard and seldom try to fly.

I Don't Always Follow Old Route 66 but when I do...

We did the morning chores and locked up the house and were on our way back to Missouri by about 10:15. I almost said "back home" but New Mexico is starting to feel "homey" to me. We decided we would try to make it back with only one night in a motel so we targeted Weatherford, Oklahoma, as a good half-way stopping point.  We also wanted to see some of historic Route 66 along the way...if time permitted.

The Mother road didn't have a single route across New Mexico but went a variety of routes over the years, including up to Santa Fe  and south toward Belen and then several paths through Albuquerque. We were going home on I-40 so we focused on what was close at hand.

We saw a few signs and some abandoned or re-purposed motels and roadside businesses along the way. Cline's Corners (you remember from the trip out) was where the old highway took a turn north toward Santa Fe. Santa Rosa has the old highway snaking through the whole town. Tucumcari is trying to make a living off of it's Route 66 history and is experiencing a small revival due to the stock of old motel that are in reasonable shape and worthy of restoration. They have a big monument dedicated to the old highway.



We stopped for lunch at a Denny's in Santa Rosa. I don't have too many restaurant standards but I expect the bathrooms to be reasonably clean.   My advice is to go check out the bathroom before you order food. We didn't and were wondering later if there was an urgent care facility nearby. I haven't seen a bathroom as dirty and disgusting as that one for a long time. There was a sign requiring employees to wash their hands...that made me worry even more.  We didn't get sick...yet...but it was just awful.

Some of the old Rt. 66 runs parallel to the interstate so you can see a few Mother Road relics as you drive the interstate. In Shamrock (TX) there is a nice stretch of the old highway that goes through the town and passes a unique restored gas station.

We stopped at the Cadillac Ranch just west of Amarillo. Donna had never seen it and didn't know what it was about. She had that "Why the hell are we stopping here for??"  look when I pulled off the highway and parked on the side of the road. There were only a few cars there but folks were busily at work painting the old cars.  Donna said that she "got it" once she looked it over for a while and saw people engrossed in spray painting the old cars.  I don't want to paint...I like watching the people. The cows were close by and seemed to be coming closer as we left.

The paint is so thick on the old sheet metal that it tries to flow due to the metal heating up and gravity pulling it down. The paint is almost an inch thick in some places. We watched a guy walk up with a bag of about six paint cans of different colors. We thought he was some kind of artist who would do something different. He started by painting a large silver rectangle on the roof of a car bordered in a different color. He then proceeded to write his name in the rectangle....big deal.

Groom, Texas, is still the same as ever...with the 2nd largest cross in North America.  I keep expecting them to do something to make theirs bigger....like add a huge flag on top or maybe a big lighted star. This is Texas.

It was getting dark when we finally got to Weatherford. We were booked into a Comfort Inn  and saw the sign on the road where we were supposed to get off the highway....we did but couldn't find the motel. it took about 20 minutes to find it. We had the last two rooms.

When I walked in to register the desk clerk greeted me with a cheery "What do you want??". How's that for hospitality?

We ate at the Boomtown Grill...which turned out to be a pretty good restaurant.  This was good because most of the other places were closed or almost closed by 9 PM.