Category: travel

Tucumcari Tonight!

Driving west through Amarillo on Interstate 40, just as we made it past the city traffic, there was the billboard I’d seen many times over the years at various points along the interstate–Tucumcari Tonight! And today that was actually going to be our stop for the night.

Since Tucumcari is less than 200 miles from Albuquerque, it has never made sense in previous travels to stay overnight there. But with some extra time built in this week on our drive from Michigan to New Mexico, Lee planned a Texas side trip to explore Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. From Elk City, Oklahoma, where we had spent the night, the lake was a 2-hour drive west and then north. It wasn’t too far out of our way, since after visiting the lake, it was less than 40 miles to drop down to Amarillo and get back on the interstate. And then it’s just 100 miles to Tucumcari, leaving plenty of time for a hike at the lake.

We found a nice trail that went through a canyon and along a mesa. There were good views of the lake, which is a large reservoir on the Canadian River. When Lee suggested the visit to Lake Meredith I had imagined that it would be a flat, featureless landscape like the other parts of the Texas Panhandle. I was pleasantly surprised at the interesting geologic features and the lush greenery along the trail.

Tomorrow we will have time to check out either or both Ute Lake State Park and Conchas Lake State Park in New Mexico. Even if put together, those two lakes would be a fraction of the size of Lake Meredith. I don’t think there will be trails to hike but we haven’t been to either one so as long as we are in the area we might as well drive by. Who knows if we’ll ever get another chance to visit Tucumcari. There doesn’t seem to be much here except a whole lot of motels. No wonder there are so many Tucumcari Tonight billboards.

Gateway to the West

A significant landmark on our summer road trips was a glimpse of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis towering over the downtown as we zipped by on the interstate. It is right next to the bridge as you cross the Mississippi River but I would be so nervous about navigating through the city traffic that I wouldn’t be able to do more than give it a quick glance. I’d always wanted to stop and get a closer look but with so many miles left to drive we never wanted to take the extra time.

Now in our retirement years our road trips can take a more leisurely pace and we have time to make unplanned stops. We found ourselves today passing through St. Louis on a sunny Sunday afternoon so we decided to make a stop to visit the Arch. Trying to get a photo that captures the immensity of this 630-foot monument is next to impossible. But we tried. Most of our time there was spent walking the park grounds that surround the Arch taking pictures from every possible angle. It was a beautiful day to be outside, though, so no complaints.

Built as a tribute to our nation’s history of westward expansion, it is referred to as the “Gateway to the West.” In my visits over the years from New Mexico to Michigan I always thought of crossing the Mississippi River at St. Louis as the boundary marker for being in the East versus getting back to the West. It was wonderful to visit family in Michigan and to enjoy the abundance of green grass and trees. But I always looked forward to getting back out West in the wide open spaces under sunny, blue skies. Though our time in the East this summer hasn’t been as long as what the kids and I used to do in the summers, I’m still feeling today that by crossing the Mississippi we have entered the gateway back to the West.