MTTS Day 1: I left late. I always leave late, but I was actually waiting to see if my meds came in the mail. They didn't. So I set off without them around 1pm, jumped on the 95 and was on my way. Passed Hoover Dam, into Kingman, AZ to get onto the 40 and then a long ways to Flagstaff. I didn't make a hotel reservation because I wasn't sure how far I'd get the first day. It turned out to be a good thing. Even leaving late, I was in Flagstaff by 5:00, too soon to turn in for the night. I stopped at a Taco Bell for dinner. They got my order wrong. First they forgot my cinnamon twists so I went back and asked for them and then I realized that they had given me beef soft Tacos instead of chicken but I ate them anyway. I enjoyed the break and the 30 degree temperature drop from Vegas (82F!). Afterwards, while in the parking lot, I booked a room in Gallup, only another 2.5 hours further. I figured it would be best to get that far, so it would only be another 2 hours to Albuquerque in the morning and I'd have some time to get settled and explore on my own before the rest of the Minis got to town from Boulder. It also turned out that Gallup was the furthest reach of my gas tank. I arrived at the motel with only about 20 mi worth of fuel left. The place was cheap, and smelled a little like someone had smoked in the non-smoking room. I was able to park Rory right outside the room, literally at the curb outside the door, so it was like he was sleeping right next to me. I read for a while, the book I'd been reading about a group of women on a road trip to Las Vegas from Wisconsin, so it felt appropriate. Outside, right across Route 66, cargo trains rolled by all night. It wasn't a great night's sleep.
Day 2: In the morning we fueled up and then got back on the road. Besides podcasts, I've been listening to a playlist I made called MTTS which from what I can tell was probably made back in 2008 for the rally that year. But I have to say, it's a pretty kick-ass playlist. I don't recall what made me put these particular songs together, but it's really good. I started to make a new one for this year, adding a few more recent songs, mostly stuff with the words road, drive, car or street in the title. You can make a pretty good long list just from that. I didn't spend a lot of time working on it though, so I've deferred to my previous MTTS list.
I arrived in Albuquerque around 12:30, but I was able to check into my hotel early, so that worked out. I did a little internet recon, then headed into Old Town. First I got a car wash. The thunderstorms we'd driven through yesterday were refreshing but left Rory with a dirty boot. I determined that the rest of the Minis should be arriving in town around 4:00, and the evening event is not until 7:00. It's at the local MINI dealer, Sandia MINI.
In the meantime, I did a little IPS fan geeking; I stopped by the Sunshine Building which is what they used as the exterior of Mary and Marshall's office on the show. In reality, it houses a theatre, so a closer inspection revealed posters for upcoming concerts, so that was kind of neat. Too bad the show isn't filming anymore, I found a website that gave details of places/dates where they were were shooting around town. But alas, the final season is done. Next I was off to a nice place for lunch called Sadie's. I think I remember Chris Hardwick recommending it once on the podcast. I got a chicken burrito which is huge. Half of it is still sitting on my plate right now.
Next I'll go back to my hotel and change I guess and get ready to go to the evening event which is called, "Westward Go!" Live music, food and drinks and mechanical bull rides are in store, and MTTS will begin for Rory and me in earnest.
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