This morning we were up early again and on the road to our first destination,
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. The park offers ranger-guided kayak tours on Monday mornings, so M was disappointed that we were visiting there a day too late. (He really enjoyed the one we did in Whiskeytown NRA in
2014.)
I had made reservations for a 10:00AM ranger-led tour at nearby
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, so the extent of our visit to Lake Meredith consisted of stopping by the visitor center (for my passport stamps) and then heading over to see the lake. From the boat launch, it was very apparent how much the water level has dropped.
Alibates flint (or agatized dolomite) was quarried here for thousands of years. Some of the quarry pits are located on top of a mesa, which is only accessible via a moderate hike (1 mile round trip, 170 foot elevation gain) with a ranger. Thankfully M was able to do it without any issue.
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| Looking down from the mesa towards the Canadian River |
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| Love all of the colors in the flint! |
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| Collared lizard on top of an outcropping of Alibates flint |
In the picture to the right, the ranger is pointing out the circular depression which lacks vegetation. This is one of the more than 700 quarries within the monument. Time and erosion have filled in the quarry.
From here, we had a 45-minute drive to Amarillo, TX, eating sandwiches in the car on the way. Just off I-40 along a frontage road, in the middle of a field, sits the ultimate roadside attraction -
Cadillac Ranch!
Armed with the spray paint we bought last night, the boys each picked out a canvas and immediately set their inner artist/graffiti tagger free.
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| Ball is life |
What fun! Definitely a highlight of the "Help Me, I'm Melting!" road trip!
Then we were back on the road, continuing our journey west. We made a quick stop in Tucumcari, NM to get our kicks on...
And thanks to the time zone change in New Mexico, we gained an hour back, allowing us to get to Santa Fe and visit the state capitol building before it closed. The whole building is round, with an abundance of beautiful artwork inside.
Afterwards we walked around Old Town Santa Fe for a little bit. There were so many galleries, shops, and restaurants surrounding the plaza. But we were all pretty tired, so we didn't do much window shopping. I booked a room at a Residence Inn, which had lots of nice extras like a complimentary light dinner, big laundry room (got all of our wash done in one shot), and, most importantly, a basketball court for J!
And the whole family is especially happy when no one has to share a bed with M...
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| Today's route: 370 miles |
I had made reservations for a 10:00AM ranger-led tour at nearby Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, so the extent of our visit to Lake Meredith consisted of stopping by the visitor center (for my passport stamps) and then heading over to see the lake. From the boat launch, it was very apparent how much the water level has dropped.
Alibates flint (or agatized dolomite) was quarried here for thousands of years. Some of the quarry pits are located on top of a mesa, which is only accessible via a moderate hike (1 mile round trip, 170 foot elevation gain) with a ranger. Thankfully M was able to do it without any issue.
In the picture to the right, the ranger is pointing out the circular depression which lacks vegetation. This is one of the more than 700 quarries within the monument. Time and erosion have filled in the quarry.
Afterwards we walked around Old Town Santa Fe for a little bit. There were so many galleries, shops, and restaurants surrounding the plaza. But we were all pretty tired, so we didn't do much window shopping. I booked a room at a Residence Inn, which had lots of nice extras like a complimentary light dinner, big laundry room (got all of our wash done in one shot), and, most importantly, a basketball court for J!
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