Scooping a good outlook on my little map I drove up a ways from my camp and turned into a lot full of bleary eyed, road worn sunrise onlookers. Most wandering with little digital cameras vying for a good shot of the canyon sunrise in all its hand held splendor.
Pulling out my oversized camera tripod and placing my camera filled backpack on a rock, I studied the flora to figure the best composed shots for such as sunrise as this. There were many over the shoulder glances at me and my gear, I'm not sure if they were looks of disgust or envy- possibly both...
Snapping off shots to get good framing, composure, and light settings I move around some and find some nice trees to frame my sunrise.
Southwestern sunrise in all its Eastern splendor- red rocks, bleached sandstone, pines peaking out where seed found soil enough to birth and root...it was magical and I don't feel the photos do it justice.
Once the sun had fully risen and I had used up my shots of this canyon in all its grandness I found the lodge cafe would open in a half hour, so I cleaned up my tent and campsite, arranging everything neatly back into the car's spacious, inverted seat trunk and found my way to breakfast croissants and muffins that put me back twice that of any fast food establishment, good thing they don't put signs out with the prices, that way in our morning camping grogginess we will purchase based on our stomachs emptiness and not the emptiness our wallets will soon endure, ces't la vie.
At this point I had little left to see of the canyon without doing the typical cone licking trails a few feet down the gorge's side- so I left from the opposite direction I entered, and headed towards Flagstaff.
Between 8-9 I was having some trouble focusing on the road and cars ahead on only 4 1/2 hours of sleep, so I pulled into a gas station/deli and attempted to nap to the passing of Harley's and semi's engine braking down the grade upon which I was perched.
After some time of non-movement and un-rest I grabbed some water and tea and pointed down the road again. Many of the last stops have not had my favorite wake-me-up, the Double Shot from the Bux, its compact with much caffeine and does not like to be sold in convenience stores...cuz thats too convenient.
Shooting for the border of New Mex and Tex by nightfall, I passed through Albuquerque and decided to stop and see what this little big southwestern town is all about. Somehow ending up downtown, I spotted an interesting coffee shop and aimed for parking near by. Greeted by a big coffee shop smile and southern hospitality I was served a sweet chilled something that I must have ordered in my dazed state of road weariness. It was pushing the high nineties and cloudy- so more or less outside the Mini was quite uncomfortable, and inside the coffee shop, which was much bigger than it looked from first glance, felt amazing even with crying babies and their stuffy snot nosed, intrusive, older siblings running amuck.
I was pointed to a restroom bordering a recording studio, and HD video editing bay (not the usual run-of-the-mill back rooms of a coffee shop) after passing a bar/club-like room with neuvo art/paintings/photos hung upon blackened sheet metal and cracked concrete. Turns out the owner used to work in Hollywood, did something in the first Starwars film- or rather Episode 4- and a few years back moved to Albuquerque to "follow the industry" out there. Now he does post-production for local television and such, including a major tv show I hadn't heard of nor can recall the name of now.
I ended up falling asleep sitting at a table in this fine establishment- head against the wall, mouth fully open (I'm sure), screaming kids and jabbering old lady... and it felt wonderful.
I think this town is the strangest I've ever been. Not sure exactly why, it just gave me and odd feeling- like one of those towns in movies that you move to and looks alright on the outside, but really has some hidden secret goings-on...yeah thats Albuquerque. It's a town full of coffee shops and restaurants by day that turn to bars and clubs by night...and here I am thinking that only super heroes and villains do such things-but so does Albuquerque, NM.
Walking around the little downtown area I kept getting this feeling like I was being followed or watched, and that I didn't belong- like it wasn't a place I was supposed to be wandering- and by the looks of it I thought we'd get along fine. As evening approached I decided it best to continue my route and rid myself of murky Albuquerque.
Arriving in Santa Rosa, NM after a mostly uneventful drive from the afore mentioned town, I was initially confused with the owner of an RV, by the camp manager, when I wanted a tent site for one, when he thought I had a whole RV and car in tow. After clearing up the matter I was given my choice of a few plots of dirt at the back side of an RV park and set up camp, again as the sun set and light dwindled, though this time with a bit of a New Mexican sprinkle, large drops on my tent and I- but quickly abated when dark drew upon us.
I found a local pizza place, enjoying something other than fast food or truck stop sandwiches, I devoured and "small" order of breadsticks.
Went straight back to my tent for a nice long rest before the arduous task at hand upon sunrise- Texas and Oklahoma...
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