Soon after leaving Amarillo the terrain began to take on more desert-like qualities and there was a gradual steady climb in elevation.  By the time I got to Santa Fe I was at 7000 ft altitude.  The scenery was stunning.  Downtown Santa Fe is full of art and beautiful landscaping.  At the end of the main plaza is this beautiful historic church:  St. Francis Cathedral. 

Today I drove west from Oklahoma City and noticed how the local radio DJs' voices became lower and slower the closer I got to TX.  The drive through the TX Panhandle was long and lonely but the bright spot was my stop in Amarillo.  There I met a very helpful Chase Bank teller named Jennifer.  She told me about a local downtown restaurant: The Potato Factory.  Lunch was satisfying.  As I was leaving the restaurant I met three individuals who looked rather official in their red jackets.  One was carrying a large ceremonial pair of scissors.  The ribbon cutting ceremony was about to happen.  I only wish I had time to get their story.  

As I drove through MO I was impressed with the gentle rolling hills and lush green forests.  Then I came to Springfield, MO and was surprised to learn it's the home of Homer Simpson.  Or so they say.  Who knew?

Then I came to Oklahoma where you don't need a tornado to go fast.  The speed limit's 75 MPH!

Also I want to extend my apologies to the butterflies of the world.  I think I single handedly wiped out several species as I drove through MO & OK.  They met their demise on my windshield.  Especially the ones that bleed "yellow". 

First stop St. Louis, MO.  Not far from the Arch is the Anheiser Busch Institute where you can probably major in beerology.  Further down the road I saw a bumper sticker that read "Re-Elect No One".  I completely agree.  If you're not a Democrat you have No Candidate worth voting for!

My daughter gave me a nice send off with a beautiful Mother's Day card.  Love you Em!  

My journey has finally begun but not without a few tiny glitches.  First I was still packing up the car at 4 AM the day I left.  And with only about 4 hours of sleep I also forgot a few things...like my make-up.  I discovered the omission when I happened to look in my rear view mirror hours later.  Yikes!

Research the places you want to visit.  Read everything you can about your destination and learn some skills you'll need to have a safe trip.

Did you know there are over 4000 types of knots?  I learned 2 of them.  That should be enough.

Test your gear before your trip.

This tent was left out in the rain for 24 hours.  The rain fly does not cover the sides or vestibule.        Water leaked in through the side windows and pooled on the floor of the vestibule. This tent is not designed for rainy camping conditions.  It just won't do for my destinations in the Pacific NW.

Place an article of clothing in your tent when it's raining.  After 24 hours this shirt was quite damp even though no rain actually leaked onto it.  Conclusion:  100% cotton is no match for 100%  humidity.

 I tested this camp stove to see how long it would take to boil water.  Outdoor temperature was 48 degrees with 25 mph winds.  This stove boiled water in 7 minutes!  Impressive.

Of course I used only one burner and it was cranked all the way up.  I think it used almost 1/2 the fuel in the propane canister.  Oh well.

Got a new tent.  Hope this one doesn't leak.  It was more complicated  to assemble.  Luckily this nice lady in the video showed me how to do it.  Amazingly it only took her 5 minutes to assemble, thanks to cleaver video editing.