A Cross-Country Driving Trip in Our Morgan

Journal Pages
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Preparation

The Caboose Run

Boise and Park City

Bryce and Zion

Antelope Canyon

Grand Canyon

Cumbres & Toltek R'way

Getting to Nachez

Nachez Trace

Franklin & Athens

Blue Ridge Parkway

Concours

Autocross

Virginia

Annapolis

Finger Lakes

Niagara Falls

Iowa

The Home Stretch

Getting from Chama, NM to Natchez, MS

Wednesday June 14 - Chama, NM to Dalhart, TX

We had breakfast at the restaurant next to the Inn and then headed toward Texas.  The morning was wonderful!  We climbed over mountain passes and went past ranches and little towns - very little traffic, nice scenery and good road conditions.

    This herd was just ambling along - wonder if anybody knew they were out

    We found this interesting - some sort of camping area

    Out here you have to have a sense of humor

About 1:00 pm we stopped in Raton, NM for lunch - from there on to Dalhart, TX, the situation deteriorated significantly.  Wind, gusty to the point of making the drive unpleasant, heat (102 degrees) and sand.  Nothing to redeem the situation.  We stopped for an ice cream at the 'last town' in New Mexico and forged bravely ahead.  Poor Moggie.  What a horrible thing to do to a lady!

Dalhart is in the Texas panhandle and is ugly.  There is no other word to describe it.  We had a passable, not great, meal at a place next to the hotel and then walked back.  We slept fairly well - we were really tired with fighting the wind (we had both driven).

Thursday, June 15 - Dalhart, TX to Wichita Falls, TX

One of the best parts of this trip has been the chance to talk to people from different places.  Our drive today was to Wichita Falls, and it was longish.  Around 10 am we stopped at the Crazy Cafe in Claude, TX (we were tired already of fighting the wind).  The owner was wonderful - she spent lots of time telling us about the history of the area and about her travels around the US.  We were refreshed and headed out for the remainder of our journey.

    This appeared to be a commercial bison herd

    We saw a number of pronghorn antelope through one area

    As miserable as this part of the drive was, we certainly weren't about to turn around and go another way

There isn't much to tell, really - it was bleak and windy and boring.  We got into Wichita Falls and checked into our hotel around 3:00.  As it turned out, this was the worst of the Quality Inn properties we had ever been in.  Wouldn't you know adding insult to injury?  It didn't have a good location, was not that well maintained and was over priced for what was given.

Normally we avoid chain restaurants, but tonight we had dinner at the Red Lobster because we couldn't bear to end up in a restaurant that was mediocre!

Friday, June 15 - Wichita Falls,TX to Shreveport, LA

We were so happy to leave Texas!  However, we got to the Dallas area and hit a terrific thunder and lightening storm - what rain!  It was a regular Texas gully-washer and, quite frankly, scary - initially we were top down (Will lightening strike an open top car?  Probably so!), then we parked under an awning at a gas station and put up the hood (Will lightening strike a soft top car?  Probably so!).  Generally speaking, it was a miserable and scary day and we were so glad to get to Shreveport!

We had dinner at a local Cajun place - I had shrimp gumbo and a fried crawfish salad - wonderful!   Tom had a concoction of crab, cheese and ettoufee sauce - I had a taste.  Wow!  Was it ever good.

Our waitress was very talkative - why are you here, where are you going, I have a six month old baby - here is his picture.  She's a single mom who was taken in by a Baptist church in Shreveport - they put her up in a hotel until they could find her an apartment, they helped her find a job and baby-sitting arrangements.  Isn't that what being a Christian is all about - helping others?  She was so grateful and told us that she had been raised Southern Baptist but found them generally too self-righteous and judgmental, but this congregation (also Southern Baptist) was completely different.  We over tipped her, but if it helps, well, that's good!

We decided to spend a couple of nights in Shreveport - there is a rose garden nearby, claimed to be the largest in the US, and we are both in need of a massage, these past few days have been really hard on us (poor Moggie, she needs a bath, the automotive equivalent to a massage).

Saturday, June 16 - Shreveport, LA

We visited the Rose Center and took a tour with a guide and another couple.  The recent rains had left the roses in less than spectacular condition, but you could still see and smell wonderful varieties.

We drove back into the old part of Shreveport for lunch at the Blind Tiger.  We both had the Jumping Jack Chicken sandwich - a blackened chicken breast and pepper jack cheese in a bun - wonderful.  We walked to Dominic's Italian restaurant for dinner and had another very good meal.  The roads in Shreveport may be terrible, but the food is very good.

Sunday, June 17 - Shreveport, LA to Natchez, MS

We awoke to another day of rain.  We had our breakfast and finished packing, loaded Moggie, and hit the road in the rain.  We were in the rain most of the way to Natchez, but finally broke out of it.  It is supposed to rain tonight, but with luck tomorrow will be decent for the first half of the Natchez Trace. went

We had dinner at a local restaurant, Sandbar - which was quite good - fresh seafood.

Our observation has been that this area of the South is populated by people who are very well padded (traditionally built, Precious Ramatswe of The Number One Ladies Detective Agency would say).  This is interesting , because in Park City, Utah, people were really thin.