Head west young man

From The Crawfords in AZ Blog Photos

I have to start by thanking my mother-in-law for setting me up in such great hotel rooms. The one in Yukon, OK was excellent and the one in Albuquerque, NM appears to be even better. I will put pictures up when I do the trip summary.

I decided to sleep in this morning. I figured after yesterday’s drive, a little extra rest might be a good thing. When I started, it was 30 degrees, overcast, and breezy; however, it did warm up to the mid-50s during the day and eventually became most sunny. The Google Maps directions were simple, get on I-40 drive west towards Amarillo (passing Texas and entering New Mexico) for 523 miles, and then there were directions to the hotel.

The drive was beautiful and mostly flat. Because of the clear weather you could see some structures in front of you, such as grain elevators and wind farms, that were still over twenty miles away. Having speed limits of 70 and 75 MPH and light traffic really made it an easy drive. Can you say “cruise control”?

I took an long lunch break today to walk down memory lane. When I was coming home from the Philmont Scout Ranch almost twenty years ago, our group stopped for lunch at The Big Texan Steak Ranch. This is the restaurant made famous by Paul Harvey, Homer Simpson, and others. This is the home of the 72 ounce steak “The Texas King”, that if you can eat in less than an hour - it is free. Just like in the Simpson’s episode, there is a table on a stage for anyone who dares to challenge the steak. I did not take the challenge, but the waitress says that about 1 in 7 who tries the challenge manages to succeed. It was nice to see that the restaurant was much like I remembered it from so long ago.

Tomorrow is the last leg and I am looking forward to setting up my new home.

Trip Facts
Started: Yukon, OK
Finished: Albuquerque, NM
States Traveled Through: Texas
Miles Driven: 529
Drive Time: 9:15am CST to 5:15pm MST (8 hours)

Overall Facts
Total Miles Driven: 2001
Miles Remaining: 410 (according to Google)