Hello from the sunny West Coast!
My deepest apologies for not updating sooner. Suffice it to say that 90% of the wifi they advertise at various motels across the country is absolutely worthless.
Let's play some catch-up.
Day 3
Woke up early in Amarillo and hit the road right away. There were several Route 66 landmarks I wanted to take in before it got dark. The first of these was right down the road.
Just outside Amarillo, the
Cadillac Ranch sits in the middle of a cornfield, barely visible from I-40. 10 old model Cadillacs a buried nose first and jut out of the ground at an angle reminiscent of the Great Pyramid. One of the staples of this national landmark is the encouragement of visitors to put their own graffiti on the cars. When you arrive, the stench of krylon is prevalent, and the cars are a proverbial rainbow of color as those who have come before have left their own personal mark. I kept searching for an extra can of spraypaint lying on the ground. I felt a "423" woud have looked rather night on one of them.
After spending a little time here, it was back on the road. My next destination was Adrian, TX, for lunch at the famed Midpoint Cafe.
The cafe's name comes from the fact that it is located "geomathematically central" to Chicago and Los Angeles.
The diner is quaint, and seems to serve more as a Route 66 gift shop more than anything else. The menu is what you'd expect to find: burgers, salads, milkshakes, and pies. The prices are ridiculous, however.
I paid $10 for this.
After lunch, I hit the road and decided to stay on 66 for a bit.
This lonely stretch of the Mother Road was particularly inviting.
Upon crossing into New Mexico, I came across one of the seemingly thousands of abandoned gas stations lining the highway.
I had just begun to approach the desert, and the feeling of being far from home suddenly began to hit. As I turned to get back to my car, this is what I saw.
This juxtaposition of the familiar with the foreign sent a rather surreal shock through my system. Here was my trusted vehicle which had previously transported me from Bryan Hill to Krystal to Point Park to Jacob Meyers Deli, sitting along a highway shoulder to the backdrop of the desert. I immediately felt an intense bond with that car at that moment. Maybe it was just the sun getting to me, but whatever.
About 100 miles later, I pulled over in Tucumcari, NM, to get a picture of another rather notable Route 66 landmark: The Blue Swallow Motel.
It's not much to look at now, I know, but photos I've seen of it at night are rather special. The entire sign is neon and glows quite bright. There are murals on the side paying homage to a couple familiar faces who had stayed at the motel at one time in the past.
As I plunged further and further into New Mexico, my surroundings continued to remind me just how far I was from the hills of Tennessee.
Arizona was no different.
I had originally intended to visit the Grand Canyon, but I didn't realize just how far off my route it was. It would have taken me an additional 7 hours to get there, so that was scrapped. Maybe another time.
The further west I traveled, the better these guys sounded.
And with that, it was California. I tried to get a picture of the state line, but there was a tractor trailer pulled over right in front of the sign. Thanks, pal.
When you first get to California via Arizona, you find yourself right at the first leg of the Mojave Desert. I thought I'd seen desert previously, but that was simply a foreshadowing. I-40 quickly became a tiny, insignificant thread of road overpowered by the desolate, rocky landscape that stretched for miles and miles and miles on either direction. Even with my air conditioner cranked to almost full blast, the heat was oppressive and beat down through the windshield. I wanted nothing more than to be out of there as fast as possible.
And after all of that, Los Angeles came within reach. I arrived in the City of Angels at 5:13PST (8:13 for you guys). The traffic was everything they've said it would be. Cars. Everywhere. Stopping for seemingly no reason whatsoever. You make do. You simply become the better driver and "get in where you fit in".
I've been here for just under 48 hours, now, and I still have some stories to share, but we'll save that for another time.
Just letting you all know I'm here, and I'm safe. I love you all and can't wait to hear from you.
Until next time.
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