From Palo Duro to Santa Fe we had a much shorter and more enjoyable drive. We took the scenic route, Hwy 14 also known as The Turquoise Trail. It was a great way to become acquainted with the landscape of the high desert that surrounds Santa Fe. We stayed in a hotel downtown so we could walk the town and eat plenty of chili!  We decided we are both red chili people, though we liked the green chili also. Our favorite meal was at “The Shed” where the red chili was nice and spicy, just the way we like it. We indulged in beverages at Santa Fe Spirits, where everything is made local with care and love.

We took a day trip to Bandeleir National Monument and visited Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument as we were leaving Santa Fe. We enjoyed both monuments and look forward to experiencing more of New Mexico in the future.

Our first destination is Grants Pass, Oregon. The plan is to stay there for 13 weeks, possibly longer. We will spend 11 days on the road, traveling through the Southwest and up the Pacific coast. We are as excited about the journey as we are the destination.

We left in the dark, in the rain, and traveled what I now believe to be the worst roads in the country (I-40 in West Memphis Arkansas). We were off to a rough start, but it had to get better. Our first stop is Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in the U.S. It lies just south of Amarillo, TX.   We rode our bikes on the trail to “The Lighthouse” which turned out to be a lot of fun.  We returned to my car in the heat of the day to find that it would not crank, the battery was dead. We are fortunate that this happened here and not on a deserted road. A ranger came and jumped us off and we went directly to the auto parts store in town to purchase a new battery.  The experience has begun!