Colorado - Drive Back to Dallas

 Tuesday morning we get up and on the road at about 4:30 am (5:30 am Texas time). It’s dark and the right turn signal and cruise control aren’t working. Ugh. But, the elevation through Colorado makes it tough to use cruise control anyway. And then we discover that when the headlights are on, the cruise control doesn’t work. Oddness.

Early drive out of Colorado Springs (it starts getting light early).

We’re not long in Colorado and stop in New Mexico for breakfast.

We saw antelope through New Mexico. I thought they were deer, but Tony said they were antelope. My picture attempts didn’t work well. In the early 1800s, antelope numbered between 30 and 60 million, ranging from as far north as Canada to as far south as Mexico City. By the turn of the century, however, European settlers had nearly hunted them to extinction, bringing the antelope population to a low of approximately 13,000. Today, antelope have a scattered but widespread distribution throughout western North America and, while the overall population has undoubtedly recovered, some regions are faring better than others.

There is an antelope next to the pole.

This is what antelopes look like.

Best billboard I’ve seen from Buc-ee’s (Buc-ees) was in Amarillo. Unfortunately we passed it and I didn’t have my phone out. “1039 miles to Buc-ee’s” (sic) – the one that just opened in Sevierville, Tennessee, on June 28. I did try and find a picture online, but only saw that 1) Amarillo is getting a Buc-ee’s and 2) Buc-ee’s has great billboards!

We also passed Cadillac Ranch (Cadillac Ranch). I always thought it was in the middle of nowhere – but it’s right off Interstate 40!

Cadillac Ranch

We stopped at AllSups (Allsups) and I had my first ever, world-famous beef and bean burrito. And, I liked! It’s fried so you don’t get doughy, drippy insides. Wouldn’t say it tastes like beef or bean, but it’s a pretty yummy burrito. And, they have them all up 287/87 at all of the little towns that you slow down to go through (75 mph when not going through these towns). Some of the “big towns” have two Allsups (one on each side of the road).

The famous Allsup's Burrito

I drive for a little bit of this trip, not wanting to drive through Amarillo. The end of the road feels like around the Texas Motor Speedway before getting home. The monsters were very happy to see us when we got home. It was a good impromptu trip to Colorado for riding.

Before the Million Dollar Highway (the road is up there).