Long Day! Trip #3, Day 4

Oklahoma Trip #3, (Take 2) 4/6

It seemed on this trip we have had one challenge after another. Between inclement weather, the truck’s oil burning issues and staying at “not-so restful hotels”, we figured it was all part of the trip, AND were ready for another day. The cats were doing well, so that was definitely the least of our worries.

The Santa Rosa, NM, hotel, Hampton Inn, offered a free breakfast, so we filled up our tummies, and headed out. Stopped at the local gas station to check the oil and fill up the tank and wash the windshield too. It’s been nice traveling eastward, because the further we moved away from California, the cheaper price per gallon for gas. The truck, a 2006 Toyota Tundra, has been a work horse for us. We purchased it 4 years ago with 150,000 miles. We’ve owned Toyotas before and we’re counting on the dependability of the car manufacturing to keep it running, as 150K can be considered high mileage. Now at 230K, this truck is still running very well. Yes, of course, we take care of it by doing minimal maintenance, like changing the oil every 5000 miles and brakes and new tires, but we hadn’t needed any major issues until our first day of trip #3, (read previous blog). But now, it is ready to go, and has been a champ for us, except she’s going through a lot of oil. We check it as often as we stop, and sometimes it loses about a quart every several stops. We are now debating finding a newer truck, but the idea considering the price of new trucks, it is definitely out of our reach at the moment.

As we left Santa Rosa, we noticed there was a Route 66 Museum. We want to visit these awesome historical places, as Will when he was 7 years old, came to California via Route 66 from Illinois. He remembers sitting in the backseat of his dad’s DeSoto with his two other siblings, windows wide open because there was no air conditioning in the cars at that time.

One day, he and I will come back through, when we do not have cats, and our mission then will be to explore the route more closely. This time, we will just make notes to return one day. Tucumcari is another city that touts a lot of Route 66 memorabilia, hotels, diners and museums, but again, that too will need to wait for another trip. I think that is what is making these trips difficult and more stressful than a “road trip”. We have a mission to move, and the focus is getting the cats to their new home alive and safe. Leaving the animals in the car, even if the temperature is cool enough, stopping at these side trips, would just increase the amount of days we would be on the road, stretching out their journey and their angst just so we can look at “old stuff”. Not worth risking their lives, so we just make notes and keep going.

Our next stop for gas and lunch was Amarillo, Texas. Again, stopping for side trips like Cadillac Ranch and the Texas Air Museum won’t be helpful to our mission, so we keep focused on minimal stops. In Amarillo. Texas though, there is a Buc-cees Travel Stop. Strategically placed on the outskirts of Amarillo, its location helps maneuvering the truck and trailer into the facilities of gas pumps, a simple process. After filling up the truck and checking the oil, a quick stop to grab fresh sandwiches, (BBQ Beef is my favorite), assorted lunch items, and a walk inside of the large store offers the “leg stretch” needed after sitting in the car for many hours.

The city we were aiming to hotel for the night was Midwest City, located on the east side of Oklahoma City. The biggest reason we don’t like to stay in large cities is because it is hard to navigate pulling a trailer. Midwest City will be a great stopping point, and we will have driven 477 miles!. A very long day, and a very long drive from Santa Rosa, New Mexico, but, on the other hand, we didn’t encounter any weather issues, no traffic delays, and no truck issues. It was a peaceful and long day. We stayed in Midwest City at Best Western Plus, Inn and Suites. The accommodations were nice, and we were looking forward to their free breakfast in the morning.