Day 74 – Tucumcari, New Mexico

Last night, we went to bed under clear skies and starry night; this morning we woke up to a thick overcast and a cold, bracing wind. Amarillo was not to be our warm, fuzzy slice of heaven. Don was muttering about Tucumcari when I got up, and I knew we were heading for the road again. Didn’t bother me, this isn’t my favorite park by a long shot. There aren’t any big, grassy fields to run and roll in, and most of the other dogs are hyperactive and dumb. Like this morning, when Don took me out for a walk, we met a young female Goldie, who was literally out of her human’s control. She wanted to engage in a wild, playful romp and run with me, and got so crazed about it that she slipped her collar and went running wild. Her lady human tried to get the collar back on her, but she was very elusive. I cunningly moved in to be close to the lady, bringing the boisterous young pup close enough to me and her human that she could be recollared. Then there was the little Shih Tsu who was so enamored that she wouldn’t get more than a few feet away from me, allowing me no privacy to complete my morning business. She finally had to leave, because her fifth wheel was rolling down the street, about to leave both her and her human. I finally got some private time, got my job done, and we continued our brief walk. I need some wide open spaces, for sure.
We got the rig put together for getting underway, and hit the road, Highway 40, headed west for Tucumcari. It wasn’t a long run, and a couple of hours later we pulled into a KOA on the outskirts of town. Looks like a pretty nice place, has some grass and some fields out in back. Don got the big awning down to provide some shade, which we needed because the temperature was in the nineties! No more cold, no more rain, no more clouds. Don was completing the hookup when Geri let out a shriek and called him over to the curb side of the rig; she had found a stowaway. Sitting in a piece of the awning hardware, near the roof, was a small frog, about the size of a mouse. He was very confused, and didn’t know what to do or where to go. I felt sorry for him, as he had no human guidance to keep him safe. Don offered him the top of the awning rod to climb onto, so that we could put him safely on the ground, but he wasn’t buying it. Don pointed out that if he wanted down from his perch, he could travel down the awning onto a tree that we were right next to, and head for the ground. It was Don’s opinion that the frog was a Mississippi River frog, because we had been parked right next to a tree that would have given him a path to the roof. Tucumcari’s environment would prove a bit strange to him. Don took off in the truck to get it washed, and when he came back, the frog was gone.

Geri and Don went into town later to get some ice cream. When they came back, Geri took me for a walk while Don fixed dinner. She told me that Tucumcari was a little depressing, with a lot of vacant buildings, long dead motels and restaurants, and rundown houses. But she had to admit that she liked the weather a lot better than where we had been. Don has a passion for Route 66, the old highway that runs through the middle of town, a road that he travelled when he was young. He told me that he had been through Tucumcari many times in the past, but had never stopped to see it. Well, we’re seeing it now. Dinner was chicken paprikesh over noodles, and I got some excellent plates. Geri got her ice cream, and Don got a frozen Snickers ice cream bar. We all went to bed happy. We’ll do some exploring tomorrow, and I’ll let you know what we find. Nite, All!