SANTA ROSA, NM—Good weather finally showed its sunny face today…with a tail wind. Add another plus: elevations went from about 6400 feet at Las Vegas to 4700 feet in Santa Rosa. Not that there weren’t hill, steep hills…it’s just that there were good, long downhill runs. In fact, even being on I-40 was made more than tolerable by an 11 mile downhill scamper into the city of Santa Rosa. And I mean we didn’t turn a pedal for the whole 11 miles.
The countryside started out in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo range and went through lower hills and eventually into the plains of eastern New Mexico. All of it was beautiful to us…especially with sunny weather but cool temperatures and that nice wind out of the west.
There wasn’t much in the way of services today. There was only one place, a bar at Dilia. Dilia is a couple of houses and an establishment called the Maestas Lounge. Our cycling map said they had food inside, and they did have an assortment of candy bars, chips, Slim Jims, and bagged popcorn.
I had a coke and a peanut butter cup. Mike dined on a coke and popcorn. The place was decorated with dollar bills. Most of them were signed in marker. There must have been hundreds of them. I asked the bartender if he had any famous people who signed a dollar bill.
“No,” he said, “but Patrick Swayze came here on his horse and had his picture taken.”
“Just a second,” I said, “Let me get my camera!” I jumped up and ran outside and brought the camera in from my handlebar bag.
“Yeah he was visiting or working on a ranch nearby and rode over here.” Such is fame, and such are the fragmented remnants of tales told along Route 66.
We rode on. Flowers were in bloom along the roadside. Though small in the grand scale of the landscape, they are big in our hearts. I hope somebody out there can identify them.
I love the wide open country…especially when it comes with the furniture of the road, like a steel sofa. Most of the time these railings are the only place to sit, except for the asphalt itself. It sure looks comfortable.
We flew with the wind into Santa Rosa in the middle of the afternoon. Mike and I went to Joseph’s Restaurant immediately and rang up a huge bill, much of it on desserts. Then we got a room at the Rodeway Inn just across the street. Their internet worked best sitting in their lobby. Frankly, that’s about all I really need tonight. Just give me a bed and internet access.
We went for a walk just as the sun was going down. I love so many things about Santa Rosa. Let me list a few: The church of Saint Rose of Lima, the old chapel that preceded it, the Blue Hole, the whole family oriented park including Park Lake with its water slide and other fun things for kids.
But…Santa Rosa needs an economic shot in the arm. There are so many closed businesses on the main drag. Even Pizza Hut pulled out. We went into a Family Dollar store to get an ice cream bar and stood behind a lady who made her purchases of $42.00 with a twenty dollar bill and twenty-two dollars worth of change. After she left another customer simply said, “I’ve been there too.”
Tomorrow we ride to Tucumcari. I think its about 60 miles. I tried asking Siri on my iphone, but she kept breaking up Tucumcari into three separate words and couldn’t make sense of it.
This trip is almost over. My wife MaryAnn has volunteered to go the the Texas state line to pick us up. Now that really makes me smile. Especially because it means she wants her wandering husband back. Hasta mañana.
