Which is why I'm not in the room! There's a Panera Bread about a half-mile uphill, so I went there to do some writing before sunset. Then I went out at 6ish to take some pictures with my camera. The good thing is that since it's uphill from the motel there's a slightly better view of the sun going down over mountains. Thanks to Discount Tire and Panda Express you can't really see a lot of Albuquerque, but beggars can't be choosy I guess.
Anyway, I got up at 9ish, which was too late for the free motel breakfast. Why can't these jerks have breakfast out until 10 or 10:30 like fast food places? I mean really is it that crazy to think some people might want to sleep in a little? Especially someone who doesn't go to bed before midnight.
The Best Western in Las Cruces was fine for the night, though when I went to the sink this morning I stepped in a puddle that I think was created by the air conditioner. I reported it to the clerk at the counter, though who knows if they'll bother to fix it. Well it is almost winter so it might not matter before long.
I went to McDonald's for breakfast and then across the street for gas that was only $2.74/gallon. While I was programming the GPS some old guy was trying to get my attention. I think he wanted to use the pump. Well he is old, he might die in the two fucking minutes it takes me to get the GPS set up for the next leg of the trip.
That leg was winding through Las Cruces to I-25, which goes all the way north to Albuquerque. It was pretty similar to yesterday, though less cacti. By the end I actually saw some fall colors. New Mexico isn't the first place you think of for fall colors, but in some spots they have deciduous trees that turn colors.
I passed by a town (and state park) called Elephant Butte. I know you're supposed to say "Bewt" not "Butt" but come on. What geniuses thought of that? There was also Truth or Consequences which was a publicity stunt in the 50s where the town changed its name to that of a game show.
I stopped at some rest stop not long after I left Las Cruces to use the bathroom. They had vending machines but they didn't work. I put two quarters in one and neither one dropped, in large part because they have these big metal grates over them, I assume so thieves won't break the machines open, all those hungry meth heads with no money.
About 12:30 I stopped in some crap town called Sorocco that somewhere has a church celebrating 400 years. I needed to take a shit, so I did it at Wal-Mart. And almost had to run down some idiots who didn't grasp that the aisles between parking spaces are for CARS and people.
Pretty much across the street was a Blake's Lotaburger, so I went there. It's set up kind of like those old drive-ins except no one goes out to your car, so you have to go inside to place your order. There's nowhere to eat inside, so you either go outside to their picnic tables or eat in your car. The double cheeseburger thing was good, but needed some green olives. I'm just saying. Makes me miss Halo Burger and Bagger Dave's in Michigan. There was a stray dog in the parking lot that at least didn't come over to bother me; neither did the drifter-looking guy who sat at a table loitering for a few minutes.
I got to Albuquerque at about 2:30. Of course NMDOT has my exit all fucked up, which made it a pain to actually get to the motel. I ended up going to McDonald's and getting a chocolate shake while I waited for check-in time at the motel. I couldn't stay too long because too many kids go to McDonald's; it makes it annoying.
And you know the rest because I put it at the beginning. I should go look up where they filmed Breaking Bad around here so I can take some pictures. I was actually here in 2006, a couple of years before that show, so maybe I'd already been by some places. The last time I was here I went on a "ghost" tour of the Old Town area. A couple of guides walk a group of people around at night and tell you about various hauntings. I didn't get any ghost orbs in my pictures. I wonder if they still do that? And I did the museums and stuff last time so like Phoenix there's not a lot I really need to do.
For the weekend I'm going to Santa Fe, which I didn't go to in 2006. I'm not sure what I'll do there either yet, but I'm sure I can find something. I think they're supposed to have a lot of art galleries and crap there, which is why in a parallel universe, Emma Earl's aunt retired there, along with her parents.
Anyway, if I don't post anything tomorrow it's because I didn't feel like going to Panera Bread or Starbucks or something. That or I got killed by a machine-gun I set up in my trunk to kill meth dealers. I'm the one who knocks!!!
2 comments:
Breaking Bad!! Also elephant butts! I've never been to west Texas, Arizona, or New Mexico, but in my head the geography is identical.
Watch out for meth dealing kids on bicycles and stuff.
I always research hotels or motels before I go to them. I'm not super picky, but the thing I hate most is lots of noise in the halls at all hours of the night. This is usually caused by slamming doors and stampeding children. One time I stayed at a hotel too close to the Detroit Metro Airport and heard jet engines reaming all night. The best thing is a cottage away from other people.
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