I found a great quote when getting ready to write this blog and it pretty much sums up my past week.

The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land. ~G.K. Chesterton

Dustin was forced to take a week long furlough from work. So, last Monday, we set out on a 5 day adventure that was to span from Tulsa to the Oklahoma panhandle with a short jaunt into New Mexico and back again. Somehow we ended up on a 5 day adventure that involved the Oklahoma panhandle w/ a tree limb almost hitting us to a cold night in the mountains of New Mexico and ending with a night under the big bright stars of Texas.

First Stop: Black Mesa, scaling Oklahoma's high point

We headed out way too early on Monday, our first stop was Black Mesa State Park near Kenton, OK. Black Mesa is located on the panhandle of Oklahoma, an area larger than the state of Connecticut w/ a booming population of 30,000 people (and I'm guessing 10 times as many cows).


Slapout, Oklahoma is one of the first towns we came across on the panhandle. Population: 3.

When Dustin and I travel we tend to get distracted by roadside attractions (you will see that trend) and when we saw the Gloss Mountain State Park, we had to stop. The Gloss Mountains or Glass Mountains (depending on which story you believe), are series of tall red mesas right before you reach the panhandle in Major County, OK. They get the name Gloss (or Glass) from their sparkley appearance due to the gypsum found in the rock.







After being on the road for approx. 8 hours we reached Black Mesa State Park and settled in the for the night, very very very very very windy night. When Dustin started complaining about the wind, I knew it was bad.

The next morning we headed up to Black Mesa, Oklahoma's high point. For those of you not familiar, each state recognizes their highest point in elevation and there are people whose goal is to reach all 50. Most fall short due to a little mountain in Alaska called, Mt McKinley, or the hill in Washington named Rainier but, they often succeed in hitting 48 of the 50.

Black Mesa soars to an elevation of 4,973 feet which is 1500 feet taller than Pennsylvania's. The hike itself it not terribly difficult really. Except for a 1/2 mile stretch it very flat but on a hot day, it could be brutal.















We signed the registry and left a note for my sister, Mandie :)

After conquering the mighty mesa we did some local roadside attractions because we are dorks like that but first we had to return to our campsite to get directions. That is where we found this.



This branch is easily 200 pounds and landed a couple feet from our tent. After marveling at our luck in still having a tent, we headed out in search of dinosaur footprints and a spot where we could stand in 3 states at one time.


The dinosaur tracks are on private property but, there were no houses as far as the eye could see.




Dustin was partial to the Oklahoma corner.


I couldn't decide between New Mexico or Oklahoma.


But, I did check out Colorado for a minute or two.

Stop Two: Sante Fe, where have you been all my life?

After our branch incident, Dustin & I decided that as much as we love Oklahoma, it was time to head somewhere less windy. We reformulated our plan and came up with a new one. We would stop to see Capulin Volcano then head to Sante Fe to find a campsite there. From Sante Fe we would head south to Albuquerque before heading east through the Texas panhandle to Palo Duro Canyon.

Capulin Volcano is located in northeast New Mexico in an area home to many dormant volcanos. They are truly dormant and have been for thousands of years (or so the government would have you believe).


Capulin from the distance.


The crater of the volcano sits 415feet down from the parking lot and over a 1000 feet down from the crater rim.




The crater sits at about 8100 feet in elevation. It was very cool and chilly up there.

Our journey continued onto to Sante Fe where we grabbed lunch at the AMAZING Blue Corn Cafe (thank you to the New Mexico visitor center girl who recommended it). Blue Corn Cafe brews their own beer and the food was exceptional!



Dustin and I have decided we really love Santa Fe. Like really love Santa Fe. So much so that this blog may change name at some point.






The miraculous stairwell at the Loretto Chapel. Apparently I am the only person to have never heard of this thing.


San Miguel is the oldest church in America.

Our home for the night was Hyde Memorial State Park just north of Sante Fe National Forest. We were more prepared for mesa and desert camping not sleeping at elevation. At an elevation of 8300 feet we tried to sleep through a very chilly night.



Stop Three: Rock Doodles, Boredom on a Farm and the Stars at Night are Big and Bright (name that tune)

We headed south to Albuquerque, NM to visit the petroglyphs at Petroglyph National Monument. These petroglyphs are found on the rocks within several canyons in the area. Some obviously pictures of something but alot were drawings that only the doodler knew and are open to interpretation. When you take 2 road weary individuals with a sick sense of humor and show them pictures to interpret, it becomes obvious that these people need serious help.









When Dustin saw this next roadside attraction he almost crashed the car.







This is Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. According to Roadside America: The Cadillac Ranch, located along the tatters of historic Route 66, was built in 1974, brainchild of Stanley Marsh 3, the helium millionaire who owns the dusty wheat field where it stands. Marsh and The Ant Farm, a San Francisco art collective, assembled used Cadillacs representing the "Golden Age" of American Automobiles (1949 through 1963). The ten graffiti-covered cars are half-buried, nose-down, facing west "at the same angle as the Cheops' pyramids." I don't get it but, Dustin loved it.

We reached Palo Duro Canyon State Park at about 6:30pm and were lucky enough to get a campsite. Despite the number of people at the campground, we enjoyed relative quiet for our last night.








And so our vacation ended. We saw mesas, desert, snowcapped mountains, a volcano, evergreen forests, alot of cows, a couple of noisy turkeys, and many interesting characters on the way.

We are already planning our next roadtrip :)