October 9: Elk City OK to Albuquerque NM

 We knew this would be a long day of driving.  Elk City was only 20 miles from the state line and we had to drive across the panhandle of Texas and then another 100 or so miles to Albuquerque.  The panhandle is very flat and barren looking.  There were many cattle ranches.  It looked like people lived far apart.  I found it a little depressing, but Texas is a huge state and not all of it looks like this.  As we approached New Mexico the ranch land gave way to high desert.  What I found striking about this desert terrain was the huge sky with dramatic, dynamic clouds.  The mountains loom in the distance and it is sunny.

Even on a Sunday traffic was very heavy, but we found the hotel with no problem.  We  also found the Walgreens - in search of wine and charging  cords for our phones - but it was closed at 6:00 pm.  The sign of the door proclaimed that it was open from 8:00am to 9:00pm.  We'll try again tomorrow.

One thing that has not changed in any state is the vitriol of political ads.  Democrats are evil because they spend money and cause inflation.  Republicans are evil because they support a ban on abortions with no exceptions. It is just not that simple.  I am sure that the various candidates are not that one-dimensional.