The Road In Between

September 6-13, 2010: To avoid the flat-lined western Oklahoma fire-roads, I decided to divert south into New Mexico to enjoy the goodies of Taos and Santa Fe, then east into Palo Duro Canyon south of Amarillo, Texas, through Oklahoma City and up to Tulsa before making my way back on the Trans-Am >> The Road in Between

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$5-dollar "Indian" fry-bread, free with 5,000-calories; yikes!

Taos Publo cemetery, where religious conversion has staked its claim!

The Taos Pueblo, inhabited and staffed by the Red Willow vendors of necklaces, drums, art and fry bread.

Cadillac Ranch: A random 1974 burial of 10 Cadillacs along what once was Route 66. Anymore they’re being held together with coats of sticky spray paint. >>

Taking an iron butt lunch break in Tucumcari, New Mexico, one of those towns that makes you wonder how it survives. I ate in an abandon gas station in the midst of about five abandon hotels.

Mark and Marian Fogarty from Santa Fe, New Mexico who showed "Dirtbike Girl" a good time, a soft bed and good "where to" advice including Palo Duro Canyon and the Cadillac Ranch >>

I walked to the center of the bridge for this picture and actually had an audible, eek as it shook when cars drove by; no fear of heights really, but it's super high! >>

<< Cart-her in front of the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge north of Taos, New Mexico.

The view from the Lighthouse (below) in Palo Duro Stare Park in Amarillo, Texas was breathtaking. From the beginning of the GSL Running Trail it was an 11-mile round trip; more than I'm conditioned for, but worth every view!

<< At a hostel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I serendipitously ran into Annette Birkmann, a well-traveled adventure rider who’s been on the road through the U.S. and South America for the past five-years. She has also been a BMW travel spokesperson and said that in all her time touring, I was only the fifth solo female rider she’s come across; surprising tidbit. Great conversation, great inspiration; Annette is definitely someone with a million stirring stories. I hope to run into her … uh, figuratively, in some other corner of the globe down the road.

Above is the beginning of the Givens, Spicer, Lowry (GSL) Running Trail in Palo Duro Canyon State PArk just south of Amarillo, Texas.

The breeze rushing over the Lighthouse was an amazing break with epic views from my trail trot.

Although a scratch in the dirt compared to the Grand Canyon, the Palo Duro Canyon claims to be the second largest canyon in the U.S.