Day 6 June 3

Hello and Happy Trails to you all

We left Albuquerque early this morning. It was still very smokey, but an easy and pretty drive over the mountains. We pulled up at a rest stop to check out what looked to be a buffalo (yes, a bison) standing in the back of a pickup truck. It turned out to be a life size replica--the kind you might see in front of an old trading post or saloon.We talked to the owner who had just picked it up east of Bakersfield (he had inherited it from a deceased friend). As it turned out, he was a retired fire fighter from San Diego and was taking the buffalo to his home in Nashville. On top of that, in the rest room we talked to another Californian, a woman from Ontario, Ca who was moving to Norfolk , Va.

We contined east on I-40 with the country turning from rugged desert to rolling prarie.  We followed old Route 66 into Amarillo trying to find one of the old classic diners or restaurants that the guides claim still exist--got lost and were unsuccessful but we did see most of the old 66 through the city, but I couldn't find the motel we stayed in a couple of times when I was a kid...most of the old buildings seemed to have been torn down or boarded up.

We stopped fairly early (lost an hour) and got a room in Shamrock, Texas. This town has seen better days, but is charming with a lot of route 66 memorabilia. The Pixar animated movie "Cars" had a spot at a classic old service station in Shamrock (see pix below). We visited the local historical museum which was fantastic (the town is an old Texas ranching and railroad center) and learned a lot about the area.

We hit the road for Oklahoma tomorrow.

Till we meet again,
Linda, Richard and Ella Ruth