Day 1 Austin to Amarillo Day 2 Amarillo to Raton Day 3 Raton to Castle Rock Day 4 Castle Rock to RMNP Day 5 RMNP to Fort Collins Day 6 Fort Collins to Moab Day 7 Moab to Flagstaff Day 8 Flagstaff to VEGAS Day 9 VEGAS to Las Cruces Day 10 Home Again

Day 2 (7/1/02) - Amarillo, TX to Raton, NM

It was an overcast morning in the Texas panhandle.  After a brief photo op at Cadillac Ranch, we headed out Route 66 (AKA I-40) to New Mexico, stopping  again at the state line and then in Tucumcari before heading into Santa Fe.  In Santa Fe, we ate lunch at The Burrito Company and shopped around the plaza and the Governor's Palace for a bit before heading upstate.  We took the scenic route out of Santa Fe, by Camel Rock, up through Taos and the Carson National Forest, past the Philmont scout camp, and out by Angel Fire.  Our next destination was Mount Capulin National Monument, an extinct volcano.  Unfortunately, the ranger decided to pack it in early that evening, so the road was already closed by the time we got there.  We could see him out behind his ranger house tending to the yard.  Apparently (and fortunately) he didn't notice us as we hopped the gate and started hiking the road up the mountain.  The road to the top was too long to hike before dark, though, so we didn't get to see the crater.  But we did get to see a beautiful sunset.  We had a bit of difficulty finding a motel room in Raton, but we finally stumbled on a room after the third try.