Travelogue Chapter 8: Albequerque, New Mexico, USA

Dear Readers,

Ok. It's now Thursday and about a thousand miles later. We've made it out of Missouri with a brief excursion across a corner of Kansas, through Oklahoma, across Texas, and into Albequerque, New Mexico. Phew.

By Monday night we had made it to Tulsa Oklahoma. AS for what happened in Tulsa, I can't remember a single thing. Tuesday was at the edge of Oklahoma in a little place called Elk city. On the way there, we went into what alleged to be the largest McDonalds in the 'free world' - 'Free world,' because there's a bigger one in Beijing. It was about the size of every other McDonalds I have
ever been in. Despite the fact that the building itself was quite large, it's capacity was comparable to the one on O'Connell Street. So I was profoundly unimpressed by its size, but what was kinda good was that it is loccated not beside the interstate but over it, and a statue of the famous Cherokee Will ('I never met a man I didn't like')Rogers (lasooing) is in the car park - because this is where he was from. Exciting stuff.

In Elk City, we went to a Karaoke night, and honestly, by the fifth song, I was still surprised that yet another person was singing a Country song. It's easy to forget where you are when you go from the discomfort of a car to a Holiday Inn that looks much like the last one. The lyrics of all the songs were gloriusly grim - from "I was drunk the day mother got out of rison" to "Papa loved Mama, and Mama loved men... now Mama's in the Graveyard and Papa's in the Pen." I was going to do "Indepedent Women," but I realised it wouldn't go down to well with the truckers just in the nick of time.

On the way through Texas we went to Groom to see a 150 foot metal crucifix and stayed for the biggest lunch I have ever eaten in my entire life (it also has a 'famous' leaning water tower (i.e. it's broken) - and despite what the signs said, I wouldn't exactly describe this as an 'attraction'). As for the rest of
Texas that we saw, well, yeah, it's pretty big... and we almost hit a low-flying owl... and it rained... and well that's about it.

So now we're in New Mexico, I've had green chile soup - so yes, I have lived. It was pretty hot. Albequerque is pretty big and it seems like a very nice place so we're going to stay here tonight as well. The chances of Dave getting a haircut today are higher than they have ever been on this trip. I still refuse to shave.

We're not going to make the wedding in Vegas, but we're going there anyway to meet some more Irish people - which should be fun because being in excusivley male company in confined spaces for long periods, while I'll not say it hasn't been fun, is of limited appeal.

Feeling zonked and honky-tonked,

James.

*If you would like to unsubscribe from this travelogue, please reply with the musical refrain, "Because your wanted by the Po-lice and my wife thinks you're dead," in the subject line.*