And Away We Go!

We had a very enjoyable time last night in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Centennial. While I was at Starbucks working on the blog, Larry totally cleaned up the inside. It looked beautiful! I had already organized the pantry, and since the refrigerator isn't working, I was able to fit a lot of food inside it as well. We figure that we have nearly enough supplies to get us through the entire trip.

We're not big football fans, but we couldn't resist watching the Super Bowl. Larry had been saying "Go Hawks" every opportunity he had, just to see what kind of reaction he would get in Bronco Land. Nobody hit him, but he did get a lot of dirty looks! At one point during the game, he commented, "I never thought I would see the day when I would be sitting in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Centennial, Colorado, in something called Jumbo watching the Broncos getting their asses handed to them by the Seahawks, on my way to Seattle!" Funny how things work out!

I worked on my cross-stitch project while we watched the game...

Larry enjoyed his Lagunitas "Hop Stoopid" bomber that he got at Lucas Liquors in anticipation of our visit to the Lagunitas Brewery when we get to Petaluma, California.

We decided to have a simple dinner - Larry made grilled cheese sandwiches. They were delicious, although they did give me heartburn during the night. I guess it's been so long since I've had anything fried in butter, that my tummy was in shock!

He even added some chopped roasted peppers...

After watching a rousing game and eating a filling dinner, we couldn't even manage to stay up for Downton Abbey, so went to bed around 8:30 p.m. That could be why I was awake around 3 a.m. this morning!

We got up around 6 a.m. and planned to pull out of Wal-Mart no later than 7:30 so I could register the car as soon as they opened. My windows were very icy, but I managed to get them thawed out and we were on the road right on time. I followed Larry into Castle Rock - actually he got off at the Founders Exit and headed for Discount Tires to make sure Jumbo had an adequate air supply, and I got off at the Wilcox Exit and headed for the DMV, then the library to turn in some books, and the UPS store to check our mailbox. Larry got the propane tank filled in Jumbo and we were on the road!

It looked like we might run into some snow between Pueblo and Trinidad, but soon the sun came out and the weather was glorious!

We stopped for lunch at a rest stop just north of Trinidad. It was good to get out and stretch our legs! Duchess has been riding in Jumbo with Larry so that she can have the run of the place, but she has found a spot on a folded up quilt that is protecting Larry's tile work in the "conservatory" and settles in there while he's driving.

Cheese sandwiches for lunch...

The view from the rest stop. I have never been in this part of Colorado and thought it was very pretty.

We went over Raton Pass, which Larry was a little worried about with Jumbo, but they did fine.

And before I knew it, we were in New Mexico! Larry took this through Jumbo's window, which definitely needs a good cleaning!!!

This is my first visit to New Mexico, except for sticking my toe in when we went to the Four Corners a number of years ago, and I'm pretty excited! I was surprised at how the scenery changed once we crossed over the border.

 Our stop for tonight is Russell's Truck Stop. I had read lots of good reviews about it when doing my trip research, and it really is a great place. Here's the view from the back of the lot where all the trucks park. It looks like ranch land.

We found a spot for the night in front of the store/restaurant so that we could walk over before doing anything else and take showers! Finally! It was sooooo nice. And maybe after dinner, we'll amble over for ice cream!