I thought - start the day off with a bowl of Raisin Bran! I filled the bowl, but couldn't find the pitcher of milk (a hotel staff member was refilling it). So while I waited, I went to fill my cup with coffee - two drops left! Ok, orange juice. Just then, the milk re-appeared. When I poured some into my bowl, I saw it was lumpier than it should be. Food poisoning is never fun, especially on a road trip!
So I dumped it all, checked out, and went up the street to Starbucks for an Americano (with fresh milk), an egg sandwich, and no food poisoning!
Out of Flagstaff and on the road to Santa Fe, NM - about 5 1/2 hours along I-40 East and then north on I-25 for about 50 miles. A pretty easy trip.
Along the way there were plenty of Native American craft shops & casinos beckoning. Despite the temptation, I pushed on to Santa Fe.
After checking in at the luxurious Super 8, I drove the 4 miles to the historic district of Santa Fe. Since it was lunchtime and there was a brewpub nearby (Marble Brewery), I thought I'd get a little bite to eat and then wander around town to take pictures. The limited menu featured pizzas or "calzones". I chose the "calzone" (using quotes because this was no calzone). It was more like a mini-quesadilla with pepperoni.
After lunch I wandered around town looking for photo ops. What I found was that the historical buildings were now Coldwater Creeks or J Crews. Kind of a disappointment.
Next stop was the Santa Fe RR Station for some photos and maybe a toy for my nephew Jack's 5th birthday in a couple of weeks.
I managed to get the photos, but the gift store was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (the two days I'd be there). Swell.
That night after dinner at the Blue Corn Cafe, I planned on stopping by Evangelo's for some live music. But the only people in the place were the band and the bartender. I decided to call it a night.
Maybe better planning would have made Santa Fe more enjoyable, but it was kind of a dud to me.
Tuesday's goal was to get to Wichita, KS. Not that Wichita is some great destination. It just makes Wednesday's drive to Kansas City more manageable for a 1 pm Royals/Blue Jays game.
I was on the road by 9 and before I knew it, I was in the flatlands of NE New Mexico. I-25 N to US 56 E to US 54 E for those following on their maps at home. 579 miles, about 9 hours with a few stops.
While the landscape may be boring, at least I was passing through towns. Unlike the desert, I had things to look at along the way.
I actually cut through the panhandle of Oklahoma (my first visit here!) on my way up into Kansas. This included a lunch break in Guymon, OK at Yesterdays Diner. Pretty unremarkable, except for the fact that everybody looked at me when I walked in. Maybe it was the Yankee t-shirt. Maybe it was the fact that I'd showered on this day. Or maybe it was the fact that I'd lacked tractor dust on my clothes. Whatever it was, it was a nice break from driving for 45 minutes.
Perhaps the highlight of the drive was about 5 minutes across the Kansas state line.
I rolled through the town of Liberal, KS. I somehow doubt that in this big Red State, that Liberal was actually a Blue speck!
Even Haliburton had a location here!
But even more unbelievable than that is the fact that Dorothy's house from the Wizard of Oz is located here!
For $5 you can tour her house and other Oz memorabilia - located at 567 Yellow Brick Rd (where else?) in Liberal.
The house was actually built in 1907 and resembled Dorothy's home in the movie, which was enough for the governor to declare it the "official home of Dorothy Gale" in 1981.
I, however, had a lot of driving left and just snapped a quick photo from the road. I also was trying to stay ahead of a storm that was north of my route to Wichita.
The report on the radio was that severe weather was in the area, including the possibility of tornadoes! Great, I'm in Kansas for a couple of hours and I'm already going to get sucked up into a twister like Dorothy!
Anyway be sure to visit Dorothy's house on your next trip to Liberal!
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