September 15, 1990, 2010

FIRST 5 YEARS:(Saturday-Amarillo, Texas)
The fragrance of one of two cattle stockyards was before me today. It wasn't long after leaving Amarillo, going west on I-40, I passed the miles of stockyards to the south of the interstate. I was lucky to have air conditioning with "A/C Max"(circulates air inside enclosure with no outside air introduced). I wonder what is is like to work there, or the over stockyard I passed through during my driving career. The rest of the trip toward New Mexico was uneventful. An hour after starting my day, I hit New Mexico and the New Mexico weigh scales. The scale officer told me to park my truck and requested my permit book so he could review it. The permit book was all I took in, even though my logbook was totally legal.

I traveled on to Santa Rosa, New Mexico where I stopped for fuel at the "All Right Truckstop" shortly after 11 AM MST. I fueled(88 gallons) and ate as the buffet looked pretty good. I left Santa Rosa around 1:15 PM MST and continued on I-40 to Albuquerque. Before getting to Albuquerque westbound, I-40 goes up a small grade and then down a pretty steep grade into the city. Went through the city on I-40 and then I went north on I-25. A little over 15 miles on I-25, I take Hwy 550 to the northwest.

Hwy 550 is, to me, a beautiful drive after leaving I-25, especially in the evening with the lights of Albuquerque to the south as you climb into the mountains. The up grade-not too far-required me to downshift two times while climbing the grade. Shortly after the climb, I got to San Ysidro (New Mexico), where I only noticed only a fast food restaurant and a convenient store. I parked on the highway and went into the convenient store and got some munchies. Got back to my truck and left San Ysidro around 4 PM MST.

Continued up Hwy 550 into the "Navajo Nation" I even passed a Navajo law enforcement car and officer after getting through Cuba(New Mexico). This is interesting country to drive through as you're in the mountains but alot of the time you feel like you are on the plains. Few people and homes are seen outside city limits. As I approached Bloomfield, New Mexico and Hwy 64, the land seems to go into a huge pit and the road follows it. This land, flat and dripping to the north is just another "thing" I think one should see if one wants to see "things".

As I traveled west on Hwy 64, past Bloomfield and Farmington, there is a long-many miles-incline on the north of the road spotted with short bushes. I started talking with one of the local truck drivers running along side of me. He said that on weekend nights-like tonight-I could see drunk Indians laying on the incline "sleeping it off" and sometimes a bush burning like a torch.

Traveling west and getting to Shiprock, New Mexico I find another state weigh scale and I found it closed. Shiprock is named after a rock formation to the west of town that appears like an old sailing ship(check it out on the internet). I meet Hwy 666 where I was close to the center of many Navajo community activities(a Navajo police station and college among a few). I take Hwy 666 north into Colorado where I get to Cortez(Colorado) and the Colorado truck scales. I had to show the officer at the scales my permit book. After being released at the scales, I parked at the truck stop behind the scale house. I was feeling tired and it was 8:15 PM MST so I just parked and went to bed. This truckstop is the only one I know of that served(Don't know about in 2010) actual Buffalo burgers.