There really are tumbleweeds rolling across the highway across the panhandle of Texas.  Lisa and I had just never seen them before.  But that is about all we did see coming from Oklahoma across I-40 into New Mexico.  Much of the morning was overcast until we hit the Texas border and finally saw some sun.  That was also the time the winds picked up and we could imagine what a tornado could do across the flat lands all around.  Trees are actually permanently bent toward the north from the constant southern winds.

We could not believe the vast expanse of land that exists as far as the eye could see across Texas and New Mexico.  Who owns all this? And what do ranchers do with such enormous acreage?  How do they make money?  I commented to Lisa that I will never fear overpopulation concerns – We could move China in here with room to spare.

We had lunch in Amarillo at a place we had seen on the travel channel that features a free 72 ounce steak to anyone who can finish the entire meal in one hour.  The meal includes the steak, baked potato, roll and salad.  The steak itself is so big it takes seven minutes just to cut it up. If you fail to finish the meal in the hour you pay $72. “The Big Texan Steakhouse” has had some gluttonous champs here in the past.  The record was 8 minutes – 52 seconds by a man who, from pictures, looks to weigh about 110 lbs.  Another famous eater includes a professional wrestler who, in 1963, eight two of the meals in under an hour.  That’s 144 ounces of red meat that I doubt he actually digested until sometime in the seventies (if he lived that long).  For your information Lisa and I had the 8 oz chopped steak.

We finally arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico last night around 7PM (Mountain Time – which is another adjustment for us – I’ll be in bed at 5:30 when we get to Loma Linda).

We are unsure if we will make it to the Grand Canyon (maybe on the way home) but we would like to get to Vegas today if possible.  From there it is only three hours to Loma Linda.

Thanks for your prayers and thanks for reading!

Steve and Lisa