Karen's Roadtrip thread

[Murph]

Ok, Karen, keep us updated.

[dezignMedia]

Thanks Murph!!!

I'm hitting the open trail tomorrow! I am oh, so, psyched!!!! I will update here as much as possible and my blog.

Here's a departing photo (me with my travel buddy, Palmer.)

[PhotoByMark]

Have a great time. Look forward to all the pics....

[photosbysergio]

Looking forward to your posts! Most importantly, stay safe!! Be sure not to drop Palmer over the Grand Canyon Rim!!

[dezignMedia]

Drove about 560 miles today to the town of Shamrock, Texas. Palmer isn’t the best of travel buddies. He slept the whole way, except for when we stopped for lunch. We ate at the Koffee Kup restaurant in Hico, Texas.

We split a yummy steak sandwich and a slice of banana blueberry pie (to die for!).

After driving through some areas with rocky hills, it got quite flat for a while. Then there was this plateau and I thought it was so pretty.

And then along the panhandle there are tons of fields of cotton growing. It almost looks like snow in some parts! Here’s a cotton field when the moon rose and the sun was setting.

Finally, we stopped in Shamrock and took some photos of the U-Drop Inn.

Our adventure will begin again tomorrow morning… Stay tuned for more!

[Murph]

I told you that blueberry-bannana pie was so good you just wanted to keep eating it. Glad you liked it, and I see you got the U-Drop-Inn up in Shamrock, tres cool.

[DoublyDan]

Hey Karen!
I love the HDR of the Gas Station.

[dezignMedia]

Hey everyone! The word for today is WOW! I can't begin to describe the beauty I saw today. I hope the photos don't disappoint, but there's no way they could have nearly captured things the way I saw them in person. I just checked in to a motel in Cuba, New Mexico and am downloading photos. I will post more in a little while.

[dezignMedia]

The Word For Today Is WOW!

I can not begin to describe the beauty I saw today. I can only hope that the photographs I took give you a glimpse at what I saw. I am only going to give you teasers today. I don't have time to HDR them tonight. Gotta get some rest. :o) But when the gallery gets done, these photos will be much better!

I started off the day by driving a portion of Historic Route 66. I photographed a restored Phillips 66 station, the VW Bug Ranch, Cadillac Ranch a leaning water tower and the largest cross in the western hemisphere.

Much of the Texas Panhandle is flat! I did see a Wind Farm and made my way as close as I could to it. They are behind gates that said trespassers would be prosecuted, and I didn't feel like getting prosecuted! LOL

Entering New Mexico was like entering another world. The flat lands turned into beautiful mesas and plateaus. There were big snowcapped mountains on the horizon to the north. Little did I know I would be driving right through them!!

I left the Interstate and headed north. Santa Fe is so pretty! All the homes and buildings are, well, santa fe style. You'd think the people living there would get sick of stucco! Nevertheless, amazing beauty! The whole city is nestled in the sides of the mountains. Wow!

I headed Northwest from there. It just kept getting more beautiful! I drove little roads through the Santa Fe National Forest. And, man! I wish I could find the words to describe it!! I even got to pick up some snow!! The last leg of my journey was a little spooky. I wish I could have done that during daylight. Well... it was daylight when I started. But I'm sure it was beautiful. I ended up on a road that was not paved. In fact, it was narrow with mud and ice and wound up and down mountain sides. The temperature was about 35º. Then it started to get dark... Then it got dark! I drove about 15 mph on this trail for about 40 miles. Boy was I glad to see pavement again!

Luckily the next town had a motel and had a room available! The lady at the desk said that in another 10 minutes, all the rooms in the town would be booked. Lucky me!! Here I sit in Room 13. Really!!! LOL!!! And I'm pretty sure my heat isn't working. :o(

I hope you enjoy the photo teasers I've posted today. More to come tomorrow.

[3n-Out]

The orange truck stop is a cool picture. What a neat find Karen!

[dezignMedia]

Thanks, John! Hope you're enjoying your trip too! I know you are.

[PhotoByMark]

Good stuff Karen. Like them all.

[pepper52]

Great shots Karen! Be safe, keep warm and have fun!

[Schlitz]

Wonderful shots, Karen! It sounds like you're having a great time, and the weather looks fantastic. I can hardly wait to see the final product! Travel safe!

[dezignMedia]

Thanks everyone!

I'm in Mexican Hat, Utah tonight. I'm going to stay another night here as well. I'm having some trouble uploading photos, so you can read all about my day on my blog. Or you can see larger photos here. Very tired and must sleep!