Day 4 Thursday May 9:  Shamrock TX – Tucumcari NM via Amarillo TX

Our first order of business this day was to get the RV roof repaired. We bring with us a Good Sam RV guide that lists lodging and service places so we found a dealer in Amarillo, Jack Sizemore Traveland. We got on the road fairly early, called them and they were able to work us into their busy schedule and get us back on the road that afternoon.

 

More kindness of strangers: While waiting for repairs, we started talking to a very distinguished looking gentleman who turned out to be owner Jack Sizemore. He also happens to know Gary Hart from our own Walnut Ridge Family RV back in New Castle; small world. When I mentioned I would love to see the AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) Museum in Amarillo he gave us the keys to his Tahoe and told us to use it like it was ours. We also had lunch per his recommendation at the Amarillo Stock Yards Café replete with western décor and various skulls and barbed wire on the walls and lots of cowboys and girls in boots and hats: I knew I was “back home again” in Texas! Note 1: The Amarillo Livestock Auction has annual sales exceeding 400,000 cattle valued at more than $78,000,000.  Note 2: I was born in Austin and we lived in Richland Hills outside Ft. Worth from 1964-1968. I graduated from Richland High School and have many wonderful memories of that time spent in high school activities and with our horses. We greatly appreciated his Texas hospitality and hope to see him again at the Louisville RV show this November.

AQHA Museum Amarillo Texas

Cutting Horse Bronze Statue in front of

museum by New Castle IN native Jim Reno

Texas Courtesy: Jack introduced us to an old-time black cowboy who happened by the place that afternoon after we had been talking about him. He’s a legendary horse trader, although he corrected that title to “equine specialist.” He removed his hat when he shook my hand. Later on at a gas station when I thanked a man for holding the door for me, he tipped his hat and said “You’re welcome, Ma’am.” While I consider myself and ardent feminist, these small courtesies made me feel very special indeed.

Jack also has a charming, very well staged RV Museum which we enjoyed tremendously. I especially liked the 1920-30's items and the 1960's VW "Flower Power" Can and Tom liked the old Triumph motorcyle:

The RV repairs were completed by closing time, but we did have to alter our schedule (Oh No: probably not for the last time either!) spending the night in Tucumcari NM instead of Santa Fe.

Day 5 Friday May 10:  Tucumcari NM – Santa Fe NM

We have now come from the Indiana farmland through the Missouri rolling hills and Oklahoma/Texas plains to the northern New Mexico sage brush high desert: quite a variety over 1400 miles.

 

West Texas Panhandle ranch land

I-40: Eastern New Mexico Highway

There is, however, modern visual pollution. Tucumcari Mountain is a wonderful natural landmark that you can see for miles. When you get closer, all you notice are the myriad cellular towers that cover the top of this magnificent rock structure. While I certainly understand the need for modern infrastructure and communication, surely these towers could have  been placed on another nearby high butte and not the town namesake

Tucumcari Mountain with towers: photo from myweb.cebridge.net

I was so upset I couldn't even take a picture!

Does this bother anyone else?

 

There was a very interesting abandoned town around mile marker 288: another future great photo-op trip?! We crossed the Pecos River in this stretch of highway; remember Judge Roy Bean and the Law West of the Pecos? Thomas is reliving all his childhood cowboy movies (which he still watched on regular bases!). We could not resist stopping at the Flying C Ranch, a most notable tourist trap with advertising signs from miles out. I did buy (of course) some lovely southwest jewelry and got an education in Native American jewelry from store manager Cheryl. Older pieces are called pawn, not because they are pawned at a shop, but handed down in the family. The silver content can also be less if hammered down to a thinner layer and one needs to be sure items are authentically made – buyer beware on several levels. New Mexico highly regulates the sales of native jewelry which must be kept in separate cases. This was a licensed sales area so hopefully I chose wisely!

We arrived in Santa Fe, around noon and got ready for the first round of exploration in a new place!