Journal: Dalhart, TX to Las Cruces, NM
Trains, Rock Formations, Smoke
Day 5 of the drive home, day 22 of the trip.
Dalhart is a trucking and rail hub.
I did a bit of trainspotting, the tracks were right across the street:
After finishing yesterday’s burrito, left at 9am.
The stockyards outside town along US54 were eerie.
Masses of cows to the horizon (no photos).
Then green flatness:
After a stop in Tucumcari for sandwich provisions, I took an interesting off-Interstate detour:
On NM156 I descended from a plateau
and came upon a stretch of the road with interesting rock formations
Cholla cacti were in bloom. It wasn’t until I was back on US54 that I captured a good photo of them:
A few minutes later, I saw a big cloud… no, a plume of smoke from the Ruidoso fire
I drove past the White Sands National Park but didn’t stop.
Then through the San Augustin mountains
into Las Cruces, my destination for the night.
The Royal Host Motel had awesome signage but it wasn’t until the next morning that I got good photos.
Another Trader Joe’s dinner, augmented with Tucumcari deli items.
Day 22 complete, 434 miles, 7.25 hours.
