Getting Out West--The First 48 Hours

The guys left Atlanta on June 1st and passed through four states on the way to Conway, Arkansas for their night at a Comfort Inn.  Paul drove to Birmingham, Alabama and then took Hwy 78 through some small towns through NE AL and it took longer than he thought so he won't take that route again.  They continued past Memphis, TN and stopped in Conway, just past Little Rock, AR.  Riley says he is taking video footage of every welcome sign into a new state.  I think he may also be getting on his skateboard around a parking lot every time they stop in a new state.

They have sent me a few photos but I suspect that more will be coming.  The boys have also written their thoughts down so far on the laptop and will post that soon.

On June 2nd Paul continued on I-40 from Arkansas into Oklahoma and then into the panhandle of Texas and saw a lot of this out the window:

 The plan was to set up camp at Lake Meredith, in Fritch, Texas, which is 30 miles or so north of Amarillo.  A Forest Ranger had sent him some info about the campsites and the website shows this picture of Lake Meredith:

But due to the extreme drought, this is what it looked like:

Red mud is all that was there. 

But here is Paul, not to lose his cool, because he knew he had a back-up plan.

And that back-up plan was me.  Back home in Atlanta, I logged onto the trusted Trip Advisor forum to get the scoop on hotels in Amarillo and made reservations for them at a Sleep Inn that had great reviews.  After they settled in they had dinner at a nearby CiCi's Pizza.  Paul reports that only two people in the crowded place had any salad on their plates.  Come on America!!!

The next morning they visited Cadillac Ranch, click HERE to learn more about this roadside attraction.  We meant to pack some cans of spray paint but no need because Paul said that they found several half-full cans left on the ground that they used to spray.  Riley sprayed "LegaC" (which is his hometown skate "team" and You Tube channel) and Paul spray painted Islandgoers.  They say their artwork will last maybe a day or so till someone else sprays over it with their own "I was here" artistic contribution. 

They continued on to New Mexico and into the mountains north of Taos near Red River at 8,500 feet for some cooler temps.  They have sent me a few photos but I suspect that more will be coming.  The boys have also written their thoughts down so far on the laptop and will post that soon.

--Posted by Michele