When you stay at a different hotel every night, it all becomes a blur. You get up in the middle of the night to find the bathroom and you aren’t quite sure where it is. Today, up and slowly moving around before we load up the car again to drive down the road to Santa Fe.

First stop – another tradition when driving down I-40 thru Amarillo – Cadillac Ranch. It has been a tourist attraction since 1974. From Wikipedia: The installation half-buried ten Cadillacs (1949-1963) nose-first in the ground. Installed in 1974, the cars were either older running, used or junk cars — together spanning the successive generations of the car line — and the defining evolution of their tailfins.

Since then, many people have visited and spray painted their own message on to these Cadillacs. We have never done that but enjoy seeing the progressive deterioration of these old caddy’s sticking up out in a field in the outskirts of Amarillo. Behind the exhibit – nothing but Texas dirt.

Further down the road, we always stop at the Midway Cafe. They are now claiming that they are part of what the Cars movie Flo’s Cafe is based on……a stretch. A touring motorcycle group from Europe is eating in the cafe. The most people we have ever seen in the cafe eating. Fun stop.

Back on I-40, a crazy driver from Ohio with a headset on, looking at his phone and driving like a nut case.

Next, off the road an on to Las Vegas, Texas. This is an interesting town. The Old Santa Fe Trail came through here along with the railroad, putting this place on the map. An old train depot and a Harvey House Hotel are renovated to continue the heritage.

Then, Theodore Roosevelt stopped on his campaign for presidency and gathered all the ‘Rough Riders’ here. So, the Rough Riders claimed the town as their meeting place for years.

An old Steinway is in the museum from the original Opera House in the town.

Amazingly, there is also an old Carnegie Library – built to look like Monticello – in Las Vegas, New Mexico?

While exploring this town, we find out that there is a National Historic site down I-25 between Las Vegas and Santa Fe. Definitely have to stop there. Pecos National Historical Park Site

Visitor Center at Pecos National Historical Park.

We don’t have enough time to spend here. We watch the film to get the background and decide we will have to return.

More to come on this place……

On the road to Whole Foods in Santa Fe and check-in to our Casita. We are now settled in and will have more to write about this amazing place. Tomorrow, exploring and the Opera! Let the adventure begin! Or is it, let it continue?