Amarillo to Albuquerque - 299 Miles

Today was a short drive to a warmer climate. Started out in Amarillo, TX at about 19 degrees out. It took a while to venture out into the cold, but I eventually did.

I was at the Flying J on the north side of I-40 and drove across the highway to the Tourist Center on the south side to look for a Geocache. Spent about an hour and could not find it. I just don't like it when I come up empty.

Then I drive a mile down the frontage road on the north side again heading west to an abandoned gas station where there was supposed to be another Geocache hidden. I didn't find that one either. ARGHH!! Strike 2!

OK, one more to go after. Another mile down the frontage road was The Big Texan Steak House. One of the roadside attractions from the Route 66 days. I did find the Texas sized Geocache there. It was the size of your typical plastic storage bin you keep all your Christmas decorations in. After finding the cache, I decided to go inside and eat. It was still a little early, so I had breakfast instead of BBQ.

Finally about 11AM, I'm out on I-40 westbound headed to NM. Just over an hour later I stop at the New Mexico welcome center in Glenrio to grab another cache. This one I found also.

Then continue west all the way to Albuquerque where I am parked for the night. A short drive today, only 299 miles. I did get to temperatures as high as 57 degrees across NM, but as I climbed higher towards Albuquerque they dropped back down into the upper 40's.

Tomorrow I deliver at 7am about 20 miles north of here. But there's no place to park there. So I'm staying put here at the T/A.

That's it for now. Here's a few pics for you to enjoy. See ya later.

I also passed by Cadillac Ranch along I-40 on the west side of town.

Still Cold, But the Snow is Gone in TX - 476 Miles

Finally out of the snow and sub-zero temperatures! Hello everyone and welcome back to A Truckers Day.

Well just as I was falling asleep last night, the truck starts talking to me and wakes me up. Yes, it does that. When I receive messages over the Qualcomm, a voice plays over the speakers telling me I have a message. I think it was about 11pm last night when I received the message to go visit the local dispatcher. So I get out of bed, get dressed for the cold, and walk inside.

I get my choice of a load going to either PA or a 2-stop load going to NM and AZ. Hmmmm. Let's see. I have a choice between colder or warmer. I choose warmer! And the first stop in New Mexico isn't due until Monday morning. Good, I'm going back to bed!

So I wake up around 7 AM this morning and decide to do laundry first there at the terminal before taking off. At 9 AM, the laundry is completed, I hook up to my load, fuel up and head for the truck wash. By 9:30, I'm on I-44 and driving westbound.

But I don't get very far. Just a few exits down, I hit a Hardee's and grab a sausage egg and cheese biscuit. I hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and was getting kinda hungry.

A quick stop and back on the road. At 1:15 PM, I stop at a rest area in Kellyville, OK to grab a Geocache. At the next rest area in Stroud, OK, I stopped again for another Geocache. WOHOO!! That makes 1400 Geocaches found so far around the country.

About half-way across Oklahoma, I stopped seeing the snow on the ground. While it is still cold out, in the mid 20's, it is still warmer than what it had been in Joplin, MO the past few days.

I continue driving westbound, now on I-40, all the way to Amarillo, TX. There I pulled into a Flying J for the night. That leaves with with an easy day of just over 300 miles for tomorrow.

Well that's my day. Thanks for riding along.
See Ya down the highways.