So instead I got up early to shower and after walking Gretel around the block, drove off at 0541.
I drove straight through until I got to Hatch, NM and had lunch at Sparkys, where the pups enjoyed their own lunch. We also stopped at the nearby Rio Grande, which was high after yesterday's rain. The water had receded since the rain and left the banks very muddy and smelling of feces. The dogs wanted to romp in the water, but it was flowing swiftly and didn't want them caught in a current they couldn't get out of safely.
I kept a steady pace. The advantage of starting early is that it leaves one with much daylight. I stopped only to let the dogs pee or to gas up, bypassing my usual stops in Truth or Consequences and Albuquerque.
However, the drive and the heat, or perhaps it was the canned dog food, got both dogs sick. One of the dogs vomited all over the driver's seat while I was gassing up in Belen, NM. It was a soft, liquidy vomit that trickled down the sides and back of the seat. Oh great! All I had to clean it up with were the paper towels for the windshield. The smell of dog vomit, akin to baby puke, lingered the rest of the drive.
The Rio Grande Valley here along I-25 was greening and it got greener once I was on I-40 heading east. The area along the interstate did not look drought-stricken. The hills and buttes were green! What a change over southern Arizona.
I got to Santa Rosa at 6pm. I pulled into town and saw water in the Pecos wash, so I stopped here to let the dogs cool off. The Pecos here reminds me of the San Pedro river: shallow and wide and canopied by tall trees.
The dogs love water and ran straight to it. They also didn't want to come back to me because they were having too much fun. I granted them this break as they have been holding up well so far, staying calm for most of my drive. Except for the occasional puking episode.
There was enough day light to explore the Santa Rosa Lake. I didn't even know there was a recreational lake near town. It's nine miles from the town center on the north side. There is even a campground here, but reservations must be made online.
The lake looked low. The campground and trails are along the main road in this park, but it's $5 to park and all I have on me are $20 bills. I could not do the Lakeshore trail, but I did do a short scenic loop trail where the narrow canyons below were visible. This is a nice state park worth exploring in greater detail when time allows. It appears to be popular with cyclists, too. I was getting tired, but I pushed myself and made it to Amarillo.
Amarillo is a nice town to stop in for the traveler. It's got all the amenities. I became familiar with that town in 2018 and like its dog parks and brewpubs and many great diners, but everything was closed when I got to town at 11pm and just wanted to camp out somewhere for the night. My closing act was walking a mile around Memorial Park off Washington Street, a shaded park just south of the community college.
Pecos river
Santa Rosa Lake State Park
Amarillo
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