Entering the Southwest: Texas and New Mexico

Amy and I had a fantastic day today! We started early again (7am) and crossed into Texas, which actually seemed even flatter to me than Oklahoma until we happened upon the most gorgeous rest stop I've ever been to. Look at this!

After taking loads of pictures, we moved on and made our first planned stop at Amarillo at the Big Texan. This steakhouse, inn and shop was just so wild west and Texan that you had to smile! They have a deal on a 72 oz steak: eat it in 1 hour and you don't pay! Otherwise, they have everything from a gigantic boot statue to colorful motels and "Don't Mess With Texas" signs.

We went just a little further down the road to Cadillac Ranch, where several old cadillacs are stuck vertically in the earth and have been sprayed painted by countless passersby. Two guys were spraying one as we took pictures, even!

The landscape changed as we neared the border and continued to morph as we crossed into New Mexico. Dry grass was replaced with bush-dotted desert and the occasional rock formation. We stopped off on Route 66 again near T... for lunch and then got back on 40W for an hour until we hit Santa Rosa. There we admired the Blue Hole, a small natural pool that is bright, bright blue. After looking at it for a few minutes, we couldn't resist any longer, so we grabbed our suits and jumped in! The water was incredibly cold, but on a mid-afternoon day in the desert, it felt great and kept us cool long after we emerged.

I've wanted to visit New Mexico for years, and I have not been disappointed; the juxtaposition of red rock, green hills, blue sky and huge white clouds is just breathtaking. As we neared Santa Fe, the landscape grew greener with hearty trees and distant green mountains. Then we entered town and checked into our adorable bed & breakfast, El Paradero.

Since we're conveniently close to town, we strolled over to walk around and grab dinner. Downtown Santa Fe is undeniably a Southwestern city, with leather, jewelry and Native American goods everywhere, but it's also an artsy town with loads of galleries, upscale restaurants and a mixture of architecture. It's a good thing a lot of the shops were closed already so we couldn't indulge ourselves in shopping! It's gotten much cooler, especially after a quick thunderstorm while we were eating, but it'll be nice to bundle up when we sleep.

Neither of us was up for a night out, but we plan to have a lighter day of driving tomorrow for all our sakes (even my hardworking, wonderful car!) and will stay in New Mexico. I'll try and go a little easier on the pictures, but I can't promise anything...I really want to share this adventure with you!