Day 2: Gallup, NM - Amarillo, TX

I love arriving in an unfamiliar town after dark, and then being surprised by what I discover in the morning. When I walked of the hotel this morning, here's what I saw...

I had no idea that was there. Just gorgeous!

When I saw this sign (er...wagon?), I understood why Sam had such a struggle on day one. 7275 feet? The poor guy had spent his whole life at sea level--he's not used to mountains.

I read about this bridge in my handy dandy guidebook. The book called it a "photogenic Route 66 highlight," so when I saw the sign I decided to jump off the interstate and check it out. Judge for yourself, but I was underwhelmed. It's just sort of...there, alongside the new road.

I've been amazed by the little out-of-the-way places that still thrive because people are willing to hunt them down. I had lunch at this little cafe in the middle of nowhere, the Midpoint Cafe.

Its claim to fame is that it lies directly on the halfway point of Route 66 (hence the name). It's also well known for its "ugly crust pie." Apparently when the baker started recreating her grandmother's pie recipes, she couldn't manage the same beautiful crusts. She decided to serve them anyway, and I'm very glad she did. The coconut cream pie was fantastic!

As I walked up to the counter to pay, the owner looked out the window, excused himself, and scurried out to take a picture for a couple who were taking turns posing by the sign. When I commented on how nice that was he said, "ah, it's just part of the service." So I decided while he was out there...

My next stop was the Cadillac Ranch, an installation of 10 Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground in the middle of a field outside Amarillo.

They actually encourage people to add their own touch, and there were empty spraypaint cans strewn all over the place.

My dinner stop was another find from Roadfood.com, a vintage 1946 hamburger stand along old Route 66 in Amarillo. It's actually on the National Register of Historic Places. I wasn't very hungry (after the grilled cheese sandwich and coconut pie I had for lunch), so I decided to pass on their famous "Flagstaff Pie," a mound of Fritos smothered with chili, cheese & onions. Maybe someday.

These rusted out trucks were in front of my hotel. Not sure why, but there you go.
Miles for the day: 430

Total miles: 1106