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MeznG. In the air, on the road, river or sea again
Well it rained and it rained and it rained. So nice to go to sleep with the sound of rain on the roof. It was still quite warm so we had the A/c on as well until the wee small hours. We were so glad that as luck would have it we were in Santa Rosa Lake State Park when the storm hit and not Palo Duro as we would probably have been stranded by some flood waters. As it was we waded through water to get to the toilet block in the morning but there was no issue with flooding. The rain continued as we got organized to leave the park. We have a couple of stops in Santa Rosa this morning before we head off to Albuquerque. First up we saw as we drove in yesterday, a yellow car on a stick. This was Bozo's car museum where there was a collection of restored cars and memorabilia relating to Route 66. It's a very interesting display of cars, most of them restored in magnificent fashion and some if not all had a Route 66 story and some were actually or sale. Once again its a great testament to the people that they care so much and are so committed to try and save this part of American history for future generations. The sad thing is that our generation is quite possibly the last that will have any recollection and/ or appreciation of the significance of this route. Possible the Pixar movies will prolong it for a bit but whether the little towns along the way that ave now been bypassed can survive, only time will tell. Santa Rosa and this surrounding area is built on limestone and has a network of natural springs. There is an abundance of lakes in the area but they ave experienced drought conditions so in some cases the water levels are quite low. After the rain last night the rivers are high and running fiercely . I can only imagine what it would be like to be caught in a flash flood with the water running so fast you wouldn't stand a chance. The next stop is the Blue Hole - of course coming from Mt Gambier we don't believe there could be anything like our Blue Lake. The Blue Hole is a sink hole and the water is crystal clear, there are gold fish swimming in it and people can swim there too. It's not fenced as such and there are steps to get into it and platforms for jumping in. On a hot day I can imagine it would be very refreshing and very popular. It's still raining but we do manage to get some good photos before the rain gets heavier. Harvey is certainly getting a good wash today and luckily his wipers work very well. The rain starts to ease as we head towards Albuquerque . The weather station shows no more rain ahead for us and its getting warmer. Yippee!!! Clines Corner boasts the cleanest rest rooms on Route 66. This is what the billboards tell us at least. We are going to find out for ourselves. Clines Corner is a diner come gift shop and of course was an important roadside stop for the Route 66 travelers back in its hey day. We were rather shocked when we went inside due to the size of the gift shop. It was huge and stocked everything souvenir ish that you could imagine. New Mexico has a strong Indian connection so there are a lot of handmade Indian products such as jewelry, leather gear, rugs, moccasins etc. Oh yes the bathrooms are certainly clean! This is our lunch stop today. Our very nice waitress suggested that we share 1 club sandwich between 2 as they are so big. Great advice as half was more than enough. Once again customer service that goes beyond what you expect. It's so nice. The rain has well and truly left us now and as we near Albuquerque the sun is shining. We are going to take the scenic tram (cable car) to Sandia Peak. The aerial tram travels for 2.7 miles from the desert floor to the top of the 10378 foot Sandia Peak. The ride takes around 15 minutes to traverse the distance and below us are canyons and lush forests. Apparently there is also plenty of wildlife around also such as Black Bear, bobcat, mountain lion, squirrels, chipmunks, skunks and numerous birds. Out of all of those we saw chipmunks ( very cute) and buzzards. At the top there are plenty of walking trails, ski runs, mountain bike tracks and a restaurant. The view is amazing and ever changing as the clouds come and go. The temperature up here is 30 degrees F less than ground level so we have taken jackets but its still about 17 degrees C so not cold in our language. We go for a walk along one of the trails along the ridge, which is not without its dramas as Glenn pushes the boundaries to get that fantastic photo! And Milton appears to go over the edge. No wildlife to be seen probably lucky as an encounter with a bear may have been more than we were prepared for. we have a beers and cocktails at the High Finance Restaurant and Bar and toast all at home from those s dizzy heights. we don't have the option for a state park today but we had already decided that we needed a bit more civilization to catch up with whats happening in the outside world and more importantly, to wash the sheets! We find all this at the American RV Park. It's off the highway and away from the city. On first glance it looks like a concrete jungle full of RV's but as we drive to our site, it goes way back and the sites and streets are all tree lined, and it is actually very nice. We have power, water, sewerage, WiFi, a laundry very clean facilities and all for $36 including continental breakfast! Unbelievable! After we are all plugged in and operational, Glenn tends to his bar duties, I marinate the chicken for dinner and we sit have drink and catch up with news from home via Facebook and emails. Did I mention we went to Walmart..... I would think that would be a given by now. It's part of the daily itinerary. its going to cool down tonight which will be great to be able to sleep without the A/C on. Goodnight Harvey xx
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