ZR-1 Corvette Road Trip to the Southwest and San Diego

[QB93Z]

Day 25 We left Tucson and drove east on I-10. Not far out of Tucson, we saw some Union Pacific diesel locomotives on a side track near the highway. As we drove past them we saw more than 50 locomotives. All of them looked well used. It must have been a UP bone yard:










We drove about 35 miles south of I-10 to visit Chiricahua National Monument. There was no traffic on the road to the Park:








Chiricahua National Monument is a relatively small region of the Chiricahua Mountains that has been set aside and protected to preserve the unique rock formations and the surrounding habitats. There is a nice Visitor Center and one road that leads up the mountain to allow access to the pillars and pinnacles. There are numerous hiking trails to many other areas of the park.





The pillar formations were created by a combination of up-lift, cracking, and erosion.


The shape of the rocks and the early morning sun create interesting shadows. But maybe this image is an alien scanning the region:







to be continued......

[QB93Z]

In many areas the softer layers of rock wear away faster and the result is balancing rocks.














We hiked out into the rocks to an area called The Grotto and had fun climbing on the rocks:







We got back on I-10 and drove to Deming, New Mexico.


Jim

[-=Jeff=-]

I think Tucumcari, NM was the town used for modeling in Radiator Springs in the Original Cars movie

[QB93Z]

Originally Posted by -=Jeff=-

I think Tucumcari, NM was the town used for modeling in Radiator Springs in the Original Cars movie

That makes sense. Tucumcari's "US-66" strip is one of the largest we have seen and the people here love their town.. It is a shame that so many of the buildings are decaying.


Jim

[Mr Blue]

Jim

Thanks for evoking memories. I visited Bandelier 34 years ago. An amazing place to say the least. Thanks for the travelogues. It allows the rest of us to live vicariously through you posts and pictures. Any encounters with the jackrabbits?

Be safe
David

[QB93Z]

Day 29 - We drove from Tucumcari, NM to Tulsa OK. We are on the home stretch of this road trip. We are planning about 450 miles per day. This gives enough time to sight see a little and still make distance down the track. Our route for the day is I-40 to Oklahoma City then I-44 to Tulsa:





One of my favorite things about I-40 is the effect of the prevailing wind from the south. Many of the trees and bushes have a permanent tilt to the north:







As we approached Amarillo, TX we saw a team repairing a high voltage power line using helicopter access:











Continuing on, we stopped at the Cadillac Range, six vintage Cadillacs half- buried in a field:





to be continued.....

[QB93Z]

There is a tradition the people add paint to the Cadillacs. We didn't have any spray cans but we did have Lyndi's acrylics so Lyndi Painted a tribute to our two Kitties:





Who ever built this water tower is probably looking for a new job:







I-40 in Oklahoma parallels the original US-66. We stopped in the town of Shamrock to see two fine examples of the vintage Route 66 attractions:








to be continued.....

[gbrtng]

Did Jerry tell you about the goofy "filling station" on RT66 that you will be passing?
You just have to stop ... there are more varieties of soda pops ... beyond your imagination. It will be on your right ...

TGF

[tnova]

Glad you arrived safe and sound. Following your daily blogs became a morning ritual. Great to meet you in San Diego. Tony - tnova