July 18, 2020

Socorro, New Mexico to Amarillo, Texas

We left Socorro around 9:30am today. The weather was already pretty warm – lots of sunscreen and long sleeves were essential for this ride. We headed North on 25, and then traveled east on Highway 60. We stopped at the 17th century Abo ruins – a former Franciscan church and Indian trade route settlement. The remnants of the church are made of brick, adobe, and the red rock from the region. The site was profoundly peaceful. We then stopped in the tiny town of Mountainair. There were two restaurants open – you could only eat outside. Most of the businesses were closed, boarded up, the buildings falling apart rapidly. We stopped for an outside breakfast at the historic (allegedly haunted) hotel, and ordered a decent huevos rancheros, served outside. The men of the town were drinking coffee on the front porch. We enjoyed the small-town chatter. The regulars were very friendly. New Mexico’s governor has kept the state closed down for months now, and these tiny, historic towns, some of which were just barely surviving, are almost ghost towns. New Mexico – the land of disenchantment.  Heading toward Texas, a county sheriff pulled behind us and followed us for about 25 miles. We had no idea why. The roads are pretty deserted, and we traveled through lots of grazing land, old, abandoned ranches, and dismantled mobile homes. We rode through a couple of thunderstorms before we left New Mexico. We took shelter for a few minutes under the cover over the gas pumps when we stopped for gas. Pretty crazy weather!

Upon our arrival in Amarillo, we stopped at the Hofbrau Steak & Grill House. Very good food! Much better than our first dinner on the road, drive-through Subway. Texas feels much more prosperous, so far. The roads are much better, too. Tomorrow, we head for Lawton, Oklahoma. It will be a much shorter ride than either of the last two days.