I40 and Route 66 to Gallup, NM

We have been doing a lot of work around the house and both our jobs have been very stressful lately. Both of us have been feeling that stress and we decided we needed a little break from the day to day stuff. Thomas went camping for a few days with some friends from work and since I had quite a few days off myself I decided to head west for a few days of letterboxing. I had some things to do this morning and an appointment at 1:00pm and decided to hit the road early this afternoon. It was a beautiful day in Santa Fe, clear skies and the temperature was about 89 degrees, so I figured it would make for a good road trip. The drive from Santa Fe to Albuquerque was a little strange. There was a lot of traffic and it was moving quite slow. The normal speed limit is 75mph but at times we were only going 35mph. And there were a lot of cops out - I counted 10 police cars just between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. As I made my way into Albuquerque the temperature was at 94 degrees - I didn't stop here - I just merged from I25 to I40 and headed west. I40 wasn't too bad - I usually don't like I40 because there normally is a high volume of 18 wheelers - today not so many. My first find of the day was at a rest area along I40. I really liked the clues for this box. The placer video taped the area where she placed to box with the intention of using it to write the clues - she ended up just using that video as the clues. And the stamp was really nice - a very good line drawing of a car driving along and someone throwing a letterbox out the window. The only bad thing was the area - there weren't really any great views and the rest area could use some sprucing up. Anyway it was a nice diversion from driving. After stamping in and rehiding the box I continued on my way.

My next stop was at the Continental Divide. There is an exit off of I40 with some curio shops and a Continental Divide marker. The box was hidden off the side of the road under a juniper tree. There was a dilapidated old hogan nearby and the views from this area were spectacular. I found the box, stamped in, rehid the box and took some pictures and never once saw another person. The only thing around was the traffic on I40. My intention was to continue on and make my way to Flagstaff tonight. But as I was driving away from this box I realized that it was already after 5:oopm and decided I wanted to find two more boxes in Gallup and then call it a day. I really am not in an hurry to get anywhere at any particular time - I just wanted a nice relaxing get away.

So I arrived in Gallup and exited onto Route 66. I passed the famous El Rancho Hotel (a lot of celebrities used to stay here) and made my way to Tiny Tooter. This box is hidden under an old caboose just off of Route 66. This was an easy find and a quick stamp in. I liked the caboose and especially the map that was drawn on the side of it. One more box to go - I continued driving down Route 66 until I reache Kitchen Ranch (this restaurant has been around since the early 1950's). The box was hidden just off the side of the parking lot of the restaurant. Another quick drive-by find and I was done for the day. After rehiding the box I looked for a hotel.

I have now checked in and had some dinner and a good shower. I have also wrote in my journal and logged in my finds. It was a nice afternoon and a very relaxing start to a few days of getting away from the same old grind. Oh, and the temperature in now 65 degrees.