When Papa and I married many decades ago, we agreed one of our top goals was to visit all lower 48 states by car. We have been fortunate to visit most of the states, and many more than once. The challenge is to visit new places within each state, or in new ways.
The “new” places we want to see in New Mexico are in the southern part of the state, and this trip didn’t afford us the time to go south. We did have a nice picnic in an Albuquerque park, that was new, but we basically just drove through the state on I-40. The LONG trains are a consistent sight. We first saw those over 20 years ago and were amazed at how long they could be. Multiple New Mexico trips since have always delivered at least one 3-4 mile long train chugging parallel to the interstate.
Much of I-40 is Route 66 through New Mexico, the panhandle of Texas and Oklahoma. We have visited several spots over the years. One frequent stop is Cadillac Ranch. Each time we have gotten closer. First was a “drive by” on I-40. Now there was only one thing left to do. Spray paint. Those old cars are hardly recognizable with all the paint! Last year we walked up to the cars on a still day and the paint fumes hung heavy in the air. Today the winds were 20+ so it wasn’t too smelly.
Papa and I found an abandoned paint can and we set to work doing the final thing we hadn’t done at Cadillac Ranch…tag! Look at Papa’s handiwork.
Source: https://youtu.be/ykd-bTQsVQk
The photos above show my turn. Can you find ‘23 Nana Papa? I’m sure by the end of the day it is buried under more paint. Even the entry gate, Route 66 roadway and concrete barrier are tagged! Notice how close I-40 traffic is! Only those low concrete barriers and a short gravel ditch separate those big rigs from people walking on Route 66.
The Cadillac Ranch link above has more info and pictures.
We were last at Cadillac Ranch in July of 2022. That month we also visited a former neighbor, Maggie, who had moved to Wisconsin. We learned this week that Maggie passed away just three months before her 100th birthday. She was an energetic, amazing lady. So glad we were able to see her happily settled in her new place.
Tomorrow. More Texas
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