We have recently started playing On the Road Again by Willie Nelson as we start the driving to the next town on our month+ road trip. It’s a nice way to remind us of what we’re doing and it makes an indelible musical mark in my mind that will always take me back when I hear it. Who else out there has a ritual they do to help make memories when traveling or on vacation?
I have been through this part of the country a lot in the past traveling for work. I always thought there was something romantic about the tumbleweed desert. I’m not sure why, but I think it has to do with cowboys, horses, and the independence that they represent. Obviously there’s also something lonely about the desert. Being able to see for miles on a clear day with no trees to impair your vision makes one feel our part in nature. We’re not significant, but neither are we insignificant.
I’m getting a little ahead of myself because today’s Route 66 siting is none other than Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX. It’s an art installation created in 1974 (also the tail end of the Route 66 heydays) with ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in a cornfield. It is very low-key as you come up to it but colorful and eclectic to be around.
I did not catch the truck and trailer at the entrance that sells Route 66 kitch as well as cans of just about any color spray paint you can imagine. The idea is one of artist collaboration with audience and people design with color, form, and texture as well as words and pictures.
We had dinner tonight at a New Mexico sushi restaurant called Takumi. We sat at the sushi bar and had great service. A couple of one of our favorite beers for sushi – Kirin Ichiban. Oh yeah, the rolls, sushi, and sashimi were also good.
We’re in Albuquerque for a couple more days so no packing tonight, yay!
