Saturday and Sunday, October 15-16
By 7:30 Saturday morning, the four of us had our dogs, our ex-pens, and our overnight bags at the van for the final packing. Oh my…things were tight. We, the dogs, the microwave, the cooler, all the suitcases, suitcase crates, ex-pens, boxes, totes, food, pillows, blankets, water jugs…. well, it all finally fit. By 9:00 we'd stopped at a McDonald's for Egg McMuffins, and we on our way east, heading for home.
The road ahead was a long one. Gone was the anticipation of what the specialty week would bring. In its place was the longing in each of us for the trip to be over so we could be home in our own beds.
As a result of being worn out from the week's activities, we stopped more frequently and played "tourist." For example, we stopped outside of Amarillo to walk into the field to see the Cadillac Ranch, where 10 Cadillacs are buried, nose down. People stop, walk through a turnstile entrance onto a rutted dirt road, and walk what might amount to a couple of blocks to see the Cadillacs. Most (not us because we did not know we were going to stop there) bring along cans of spray paint to add a bit of self-expression to the cars. I imagine someone stops by daily to pick up the empty spray cans strewn about or the pile would get deep. It seems that most of the "artists" do not know how to find the dumpster located at the entrance.
Read more about the Cadillac Ranch here http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2220
We took a picture of a huge cross located outside of Groom, Texas. I guess it depends on where you are from because when we first about the cross, we heard it was the largest in the western hemisphere. Another person told us it was the third largest. Anyway, it is huge and hard to miss. We did not stop, but Jan managed to take a picture of it. You can get an idea of how large it is compared to the building it stands near. This website has some interesting pictures and information about its construction http://www.crossministries.net/.
Another interesting attraction in Groom is the leaning water tower. Here's a picture of it too, along with a website in case you want to read more http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1266.
We drove by the Bug Ranch in Conway, Texas, where someone copied the Cadillac Ranch idea by planting some old VWs. We went by too fast to get a picture, but here is a link to a website about the Bug Ranch.
The last tourist-y thing we did was to stop somewhere in Texas or Oklahoma at a gift shop selling southwestern-type wares, from cacti (LaVonne bought one), to pottery, jewelry, clothing, toys, etc…Outside the shop we found a mural depicting a Native American scene painted on the side of a building, a sculpture of a Native American astride his horse, a tepee, and a couple of painted buffalo. Photo ops!! Here are the results.
We made it as far as Lebenon, Missouri, where we stopped just after midnight to get a few hours of sleep. (When I say "few" that's what I mean!). From there, it was 7 hours to Macomb. We made it by 3:00 Sunday afternoon! What a relief for me. However, from my house, Jan, Karen, and LaVonne still had quite a long trek. It was 5 hours to LaVonne's, then another 3 hours to Jan's, where Karen spent the night.We are all thankful for a safe trip to and from our destination and for our friendship and memories of the journey. We have a lot to laugh and reminisce about.
It's been fun re-living the experience by writing about it. Thanks to everyone who's taken time to read about our 2011 trip to the ALAC National Specialty!
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!
Joyce
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