Going Home

Shirley and I pack our stuff Sunday morning then help Gary get his large suitcase down the full flight of stairs. He'll be able to manage the rest so we leave for home. We are splitting the 11 hour trip over two days. Staying the night in Lubbock.
Santa Rosa, NM is always a good stop for a meal at the Silver Moon Cafe. It is along the interstate at the junction of Hwy 84 which we will take to Clovis and Lubbock. I recommend the Silver Moon Cafe for its good New Mexico Mexican food. There is a souvenir shop attached. We find items at a good price and each of us buy something.
Hwy 84 is a good route and we ignore the GPS and take it south of Abilene. It is a good road, mostly divided highway two lanes each way. There was also less construction than on the other route. Hwy 70 & 153 may be a shorter route but not as easy of a drive.
We've had a great trip, lots of balloons, the weather was agreeable, fantastic sunsets, great NM scenery, and educational in many ways. Yes, we even learned more about photography from our mentors, Gary and Patrick.
Albuquerque streets are laid out in a grid so navigating it was easy. It helped that our rental was near Tramway Blvd, a major roadway paralleling I-25. The drivers seemed calmer and safer where we were except for the morning when we were entering I-25 northbound and almost creamed by 2 big pick-up trucks who we figured were balloon chasers watching their balloon instead of cars on the entrance ramp. It was still dark and we were close to the Fiesta field. All was fine but it was a scare.
As always it is good to go away and good to be back home.Read more