Oklahoma City to Sante Fe via Amarillo and Ojo Caliente

Not much to report on this part of the trip as it is mainly driving between towns.  We left OKC and decided that we needed some retail therapy, so found a handily placed shopping centre which had a Macys, JC Penney and other good stores.


I needed another pair of "long shorts", so managed to find those and also managed to get some face cream that I had run out of.  Y also got cosmetics and creams that she needed as well as a small carry-on suitcase, instead of schlapping her big case into the hotel each time.


Then it was on the road again, and just driving.  We decided that we would not stay on the road after 5.00 pm and luckily found Amarillo at that time, so we booked into a Holiday Inn Express (or Select) am not too sure.  They do have a bar and restaurant here, so will probably eat in the hotel.  Ate a nice Mexican meal.


Up earlyish the next morning and were on the road heading towards our next destination Ojo Caliente. After we left Texas and drove into New Mexico, the clocks went back an hour so, in case anyone is interested in the UK, we are now 7 hours behind.  We also noticed that the terrain had changed as Texas was pretty flat and New Mexico is quite hilly with lots of scrubland but no cactii!!  Come to think of it, haven't seen a cactus growing wild, since we've been here.


I think it is only now that we are both realising how extensive the distances are between towns and cities in the States.  There are times when we have been driving for hours and not seen a barn, never mind a house.  Plenty of cattle here and there and of course horses.


We drove West on the I-40, which is the highway that now bypasses the old Route 66.  Drove for about 3 hours until we hit Santa Rosa, which was one of the main stops on Route 66.  Ate at Joseph's Restaurant in Santa Rosa. So can at least say I have been on Route 66!!

Joseph's Restaurant - Route 66

The Road Trip

Back on the I-40 again until we hit US-285 towards Sante Fe.  From the 285 we were on the I-25 and then US 84N.  We passed through Sante Fe and Taos going to Ojo Caliente, where we are spending two nights.


The distance from Sante Fe to Ojo Caliente is about 50 miles, but we drove about 150 miles because we missed the turn-off.  "Satty" got completely confused again - she evidently doesn't like hilly country - and was re-calculating like mad.  While driving on the 84 N we drove alongside the Rio Grande.  We stopped at a Visitors Centre where I managed to take a few photos of the River.  When we were on the US 64 we passed over the gorge, but as we couldn't stop, didn't manage to get a photo of this.  But it looked beautiful.


Arrived at Ojo Caliente spa at about 7.00 pm, instead of the 5.00 pm we were hoping for.  We were shown to our room, which is really lovely and has all the mod-cons.  Y booked dinner for 8.30 pm, so she managed to go to one of the pools before-hand.  I just collapsed and had a shower.  The air is very dry here, similar to Eilat, so you don't really feel the heat as badly.


Today, Thursday, we were up at our usual time, had breakfast and then had a walk-about to find out what was being offered.  Y seemed to be allergic to one of the plants here as she was sneezing and her nose and eyes were running.  We have since found out that she is probably allergic to the Ash Cotton Tree.  Evidently, it has the same effect on quite a number of people.


There are four different kinds of springs - Iron Spring (supposedly beneficial to the blood and immune system); Soda Spring (supposedly to relieve digestive problems);  Arsenic Spring (supposedly to relieve the symptoms of arthritis and stomach ulcers); Lithia Spring (supposedly to relieve depression and aid digestion).  NOTE:  The Acronym SPA is from the Latin "Salus Per Aquas" which means "health through water".

The Vista

Our Room

View from our back patio

The surroundings as seen from our Patio

The Small Pool

Y decided to go to the big pool this morning and have a swim, while I stayed in the smaller pool and just enjoyed the feeling of the warm water and then just sunbathed.  This afternoon we have booked ourselves a treatment each.  Y is having a deep-tissue massage and I am having a Reflexology moment.  

The Spa Area

Spa Area

Hotel Reception

Restaurant

Just back from the treatments which were fab.  Y gone to have another lie by the pool, while the sun is still out.  Together with the reflexology, I was also given a neck and ear massage.  Never had an ear massage before, but it felt good.


Dinner was excellent again and it's back to the room.  Off to Sante Fe tomorrow.