Last I typed, I was in Branson, MO and about to leave for a dinner at Top of the Rock (it was amazing by the way).
On Thursday, I looked at the map and decided that I would plot a relatively straight route toward San Diego, and stop along the way or make short detours if I saw something interesting. I did have one Zoom meeting that I needed to do on Friday, and of course it required privacy. Given it's timing, I decided that I would stay two nights in whichever hotel I found myself checking into that evening. It ended up being in Elk City, OK. Did you know that there is an Elk City, OK? I certainly didn't before this!
It's town along Interstate 40, with a population of a little less than 12,000 (in 2010 and 2019). This is part of what the VisitElkCity website says: "From the establishment of what was once a rural community in 1901 to the development of Route 66 as the nation’s first highway system to world champion cowboys, Elk City represents the heart of the great state of Oklahoma."
I got there in the early evening, so just checked into my hotel and relaxed. The next morning I went out (prior to my Zoom) and explored a little. I found some walking paths that I walked on (go figure), took a quick look at the downtown and decided that I wasn't that interested in spending another day there. Sorry Elk City!
So I headed back to the hotel, did my Zoom meeting, and then checked out of the hotel. I had paid for the room with points, and I may be able to get the points back for the second night. Or not.
On the road again, this time heading (generally) toward Phoenix on the route to San Diego. I decided to make Friday a true driving day, at least once I left Elk City around 12:30pm. The first 100 miles or so were my first experience of weather affecting the travel. I love to drive - part of the reason this trip is by car - but that first portion was in sustained winds of about 30mph, with gusts up to about 50-60 mph. It meant really having to hold on to that steering wheel. I could actually see my car hood vibrating, almost like it was trying to lift up! And my overall mpg (for the whole trip so far) actually dropped almost a full mile per gallon in that almost 2 hours.
My original goal was to get to Albuquerque, but as I approached the turnoff to head toward Santa Fe, I made a decision to take that little detour. I had been there years ago, but never spent any real time. I remembered it as being very pretty, and having a robust arts scene. So I went onto the hotel app on my phone and reserved a room, and arrived about 7pm or so.
After haven driven all afternoon and into the evening, I decided to give myself a little treat, and after checking into my hotel I took myself out to a nice dinner. I had explored restaurants in the area, and there was what appeared to be a small Italian restaurant with good reviews just a couple of miles away. I headed over and was able to get a table. There weren't more than 10 tables in there, and it was pretty obvious the patrons were primarily locals - I always like that! I ordered chicken marsala and a house salad. It was excellent, and I took my time eating and watching the people.
More on Santa Fe and the continuation of the trip in my next post. I have another online event coming up in just a few minutes.
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