Our alarm didn't go off this morning, so we had a bit of a late start as we left for Carlsbad, expected to be about a 7.5 hour drive. We weren't really planning to have time to see anything here anyway, so it was a pleasant surprise that the speed limit was 80 for most of the way and we cut about 45 minutes off the total.
Along the route, we saw some beautiful wildflowers...it's amazing how they just grow along the side of a highway all pretty like that when I can barely grow flowers on purpose in our backyard. (Nothing special about Boerne, TX...just the best photo of the wildflowers.)
The drive was otherwise pretty barren...lots of sand and cactus-y type trees and plants...and the occasional oil rig, which is quite sad to see. We really wanted to just run into the middle of one of these crazy areas and take photos to try and document how expansive it was, but it appears someone has gone ahead and put fences up along pretty much the entire highway...probably electric.
So, when we finally made it to New Mexico we were happy to get out of the car and take photos.
We checked into our motel in Carlsbad, just over the border of NM and set out to find dinner. We actually gained an extra hour on our drive, but we were starving, so we headed into "town." Andy had read great reviews about a place called Trinity Hotel and their restaurant, so we decided to check it out. It was mostly Italian, but had great steak.
Our road trip book listed a drive-in movie theater in town, which was super exciting since we haven't had one on Long Island in way too long...and it just so happens that Monday is one of the few days a week they are open! Three different movies are screened each night and Monday is $3 per person...and candy at the concession stand cost us $2.75...$8.75 for two movie tickets, Junior Mints and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and the comfort of your car. Incredible. Of course, slim pickins on the movies left us watching The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which RottenTomatoes.com gave much better reviews than our other options (The Bounty Hunter and Why Did I Get Married, Too?) At least it was fairly short, being a kid's movie. Good times all around. The one baffling part is how people flock towards each other at movies, whether in a theater or in a car. We were the first ones parked in a wide open field and within 15 minutes, we were surrounded.
Anyway, we have a big day ahead of us, so it's off to bed.
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