We drove until 2:30am this morning, slept for 4 hours, and were back on the road by 6:30am. It’s amazing how little sleep you need when you are sitting all day.
I love New Mexico. Today we re-visited a memory. When Sunshine was almost 2, we took the tent trailer on a road trip, and as we pulled off the 40 to fill up on gas, the brakes appeared to fail. It was one of those situations where you hope there is an uphill and no traffic at the end of your road. I thought we might die. But there was an uphill, and no traffic, at the end of our offramp, and so we pulled in to this parking lot and did a lot of hugging and deep breathing for a minute.
The parking lot owner was nice enough to allow us to camp here until our van was fixed. It wasn’t as bad as we had thought. It was just a break pump issue, and the breaks really would have worked fine, had I slammed all my weight and then some onto them. I just hadn’t tried hard enough. Ha! We set up the tent trailer, and that night we woke to Sunshine’s screams…outside the tent trailer. I was pretty sure she was being kidnapped. When you have to work as hard as I do to have babies and keep babies alive, you have the superhuman ability to destroy anyone who hurts them, and to make the body disappear. At least I think you do. I almost tore the door off that trailer to get out, and there lay my baby on the ground, screaming her head off. She had somehow worked her way out of the trailer and fell 3 feet from the trailer onto her head. In my mind, she had almost died twice that day. I couldn’t stop holding her. Not one single dull moment in this family. Never. Not even dull sleep.
But we loved this little town, the town of Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Everyone seemed to hear about us, and back then, even as I walked the kids a mile to the community fountain for a swim, people stopped to offer rides, water, movie ticket, free food, blankets, their home…this little town where most people appear to exist at some level of poverty was ready to take us in as their own. Maybe it was the 3 cute babies I was dragging all over town while Brandon worked and the van was worked on. We have since fondly referred to Santa Rosa town as Radiator Springs. You should visit this town.
So today we stopped in Santa Rosa for Breakfast at the Sun and Sand Cafe.
They have a telephone booth out front.
Downtown is basically shuttered and boarded up, with the exception of the government and county buildings. This is the county seat, but that does not seem to help business to boom here.
Then for the crazy cannonball day. But first, I got my windows washed by this hottie. Um, he missed a spot. I didn’t give him a tip.
These cuties are all ready for adventure!
So, hey, kids, no, it’s going to be a day in the car, kid-os. Sit back and enjoy the doldrums of today.
Soooooo much grass, and blue sky. I envy the cows that get to exist here and wallow in this all day.
And Texas. Maybe I’d rather be a cow in Texas. They have far better grass and bluer skies.
Texas also features this luxury RV park and modern playground.
And this place.
People were very friendly in this red-bricked town. They wildly screamed for us to pull over at their ice cream stand. We waved and drove on. They honked and pulled off the road for us. They waved at our amazing red suburban. Oh, wait. Google Maps led us the wrong way down a one-way street. Ohhh, they weren’t honking and waiving for…ohhhhh. Ha. I’m sure they still would have been as welcoming had we been driving the right way. Good thing there are only about 4 people in this town and two cars total. Oh, never mind. Remember, kids, nothing eventful today!
Texas also has this cute little vintage gas station museum.
And then Oklhoma.
Okay, better to be a cow here. There is better grass, as well as plenty of water, and trees for shade.
Oh, oops, except that they BBQ all those cowish critters, and pigs, and chickens, and skunks…okay, maybe not skunks. Maybe skunks. I didn’t ask.
But, seriously, drive-through BBQ? And bean bag toss to entertain the kiddies while you sip your blue lime cherry drink recommended by the small-ish-yet-chatty waiter? And vegetarian options befitting one considering the cow life, such as fried okra, fried pickles, fried alfalfa hay. I’m sure they serve all of the above.
So we are now fighting off heart attack, oh, but that blue drink. Brandon is right. It did taste like an alcoholic otter pop.
So Waze is telling us that we will pull in to St. Louis at 2:09 am, so we have accomplished our task. We are on target to visit the grand sultan of all museums tomorrow: The St. Louis City Museum. Miss L said, “I’m going to go to the bus on top of the building first thing, and hang over the edge, and I won’t even be scared. Well, I’ll be scared. Maybe I’ll go to the bus last.”
The other best conversations today: Mr. Lion, when he spotted a Ford Explorer encased in dried mud: “Oh, Sweet! I want a muddy truck that is that muddy just like that!”
Miss Magpie: “Did that fountain have a ‘No Swimming’ sign when we swam here a long time ago?” Me: “Yes.” Brandon: “Your mom wouldn’t have paid attention to a sign like that.” Miss Magpie: “Good, because it was a fun fountain to play in!” Me: “I try to follow rules sometimes.” Miss Magpie: “No you don’t.”
Miss Magpie: “When people ask me how I got such strong arms, I tell them it’s because I punch my brother a lot, and he likes it.” Me: “Well, you are not wrong.”
And just like that, we are in Missouri!
https://open.spotify.com/track/4Yy5d21CJvXQ8cOuaTiCRD?si=7UXL5PmKTwSTpzqaGbzhtghttps://open.spotify.com/track/4Yy5d21CJvXQ8cOuaTiCRD?si=yJrGwKkWTTaDOqZ5S7Cymw
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