Get Your Kicks on Route 66

I don't know how far we drove today, but we changed time zones and we're 20 miles from the border of New Mexico/Arizona when we started in Texas.

Drove through El Paso which is nothing to write home about. There appeared to be a massive amount of shanties etc. Not very wealthy looking at all.

Alberquerque was fun, but I still can't spell it. Lots of turquoise. Everything looked very pink.

The strangest part of the driving is that there are such vast, open spaces that you can see the weather you are driving into. You can tell that you're about to drive into the mother of all storms, but you're on the highway so you keep going. And you drive for a while, and it becomes fine, but you can see lightning way off in the distance to the side of you.

The landscape is beautiful, exactly like it was in every western ever made. Except, perhaps, hte Sergio Leone westerns that were shot in Europe.

We're driving along lots of parts of the old Route 66 now, which I am, of course, greeting with some delight. We are staying the night in Gallup which is crazy. These towns are small/big/weird and I am not entirely sure how anyone lives here full time. It would breed a totally different mentality.

Driving in the USofA

When we were driving in Illinois I was internally composing a letter to the President to complain about the fact that the speed limit was 65mph and it was taking forever to get anywhere. Less than 100kmh is prohibitively slow in my opinion.

Then, when we crossed the border into Missipssippi (was it Missipssippi? Possibly it was Missouri, but we definitely went through Arkansas briefly) the speed limit was 70mph which was more reasonable, and made me realise that I would have to address the letter to the Governor of Illinois who was clearly holding his people back. This was not a national issue.

Now we're in Texas, the speed limit is 80mph. That's almost 130kmh. Oh yeah. But I promise I am driving very responsibly. And I am still bollocks at parking.

Other things:
The Texas government sits for 5 months and then goes on break for 18 months.
In the words of the tour guide lady 'who needs more laws?'