Day 10 Part 2 - Alamogordo, NM to Amarillo, TX
Leaving Alamogordo, I followed the highway again, this time south.  North of El Paso, I turned east and headed for the Guadalupe Mountains.
   
Guadalupe Mountains dead ahead.
   
 
   
The souther tip.
   
Rounding the tip.
   
Heading northeast along the mountain range.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
Overhead Carlsbad Caverns.   Hard to see Caverns from the air.   There is a Carlsbad airport but its fifteen miles away from this spot, and I was out of time.  I've seen Luray Caverns in Virginia;  you've seen one, you've seen them all.  That's my story, anyway.
   
Looking east at the flatlands.  Those sandy patches are all oil rigs.
   
Passing by Roswell International Airport.
   
A closer look reveals they have an airline boneyard of their own.
   
The town of Roswell.  I was ready to jump any alien spaceships flying around but they were not flying when I passed through.
   
Continuing northeast, some interesting geology down below.
   
Heading northeast to Amarillo.
   
I started seeing lots of these.
   
Some good terrain for low-level.
   
And lots of these:  cattle pens.
   
On downwind at Tradewind Airport (KTDW), Amararillo, Texas.
 
The attendant at the Tradewind FBO was very friendly and helpful.   He fueled up the plane and charged me almost nothing for parking the plane in a big hangar.  I drove the courtesy car to the motel.
   
The reason I came to Amarillo was to see the nearby Palo Duro Canyon (from the air).   But it also gave me the opportunity to eat at the Big Texan Steak Ranch.  Lynnette and I had stopped here way back in 1983.  She still says they served the best liver she has ever had.  This is the place where they'll serve you a 72-ounce steak and if you can eat it all -- plus the sides -- you get it for free.  I had an 18-ounce steak and it was more than enough for me.
   
 
   
Previous
Home
Next