We got an early start and made it through NM, through Texas and into Oklahoma. It's a tri-state day! Go Dug. Originally we both planned to drive, but he's more comfortable driving than sitting and I'm happy to let him. He's driven buses and big vehicles before and I haven't. Really, I don't mind learning, but would rather do the safer thing with the kids aboard.
Mr. bottomless tummy, the growing 6 year old, wanted a 2nd breakfast about an hour on the road, so we stopped at a gas station diner for a Belgian waffle the size of Dugan's head and a giant side order plate of bacon for Sage. We were talking about how the cows and sheep outnumber the people in New Mexico and Dug said "There used to be more pigs before Sagie came through!"
We drove all day till dinner time in Amarillo, TX. It was mostly a depressed and depressing town. We did find a gem in the rough in the form of Moose's 66 diner, a funky local biker bar in an old garage with overhead doors. Everyone there knew each other, but were quite welcoming to us. We met the 3rd 4 year old girl of our road trip there. The kids played around with the pool table and played I spy....thing one on a moose, a blue haired troll, a pirate, a car hanging from the ceiling, etc. Almost everyone was tattooed, pierced and wearing black leather. There was a woman customer at the bar in chaps and a fringe leather jacket with a long brown pony tail and the longest fingers I've ever seen. They were a good inch or more longer than mine and she wasn't a tall person. She was about 60 and missing at least her front 4 top teeth.
Our waitress, Brianna, introduced herself to one latecomer saying "I'm Brianna, everyone calls me Breezy. My Mama gave it to me when I was little and it stuck." The heavy, grey bearded biker started to tease her saying "They call me Breezy, because I'm so easy and I like it best when she's on her kneezies." She blushed and several of the women got on his case saying "She's Bonita's niece, leave her alone. Keep it clean there are kids here." He grumped that he thought he WAS keeping it clean.
After saying, "Y'all aren't from around here are you?" after we ordered in Chicago accents, one of the women at the next table over said we should get a Moose shirt and advertise back in Chicago. I actually wanted one of the bar's shirts, a black tee that said "Some people are simply alive because it's against the law to kill them." Unfortunately, they were a cash only place and we only had enough for our meal/tip and were out of cash.
It was a poignant and personal stop. Half way through our dinner, more bikers came in and began to pass around the obituary page of the local paper. A guy they all knew had a fatal accident on his bike. One woman expressed relief that he'd been leaving "Shooters" instead of "The Moose" that night. Another said that one of the cops said "It's you people's fault if you die, for riding bikes in the first place." That went over well.
One biker at the table next to us was one of the most friendly to us. She was a middle aged blond woman who shared a design for her 4th tattoo with her table mates. It said survivor down the side and was a woman whose body was a pink breast cancer ribbon. The design was about 5x7, but the tat was to be about 2 inches high. Despite all the bad news and recent tragedies, they seemed to be a tight, happy circle of friends. After the Moose stop, we were back on the road till 11pm, but we gained 3 states and lost 2 hours along the way.
I'm singing the praises of the inventor of the portable DVD player! We're still doing a bunch of art and travel games with the kids and limiting the movies, but there are certainly times when it's GREAT to have one on board.
Mr. bottomless tummy, the growing 6 year old, wanted a 2nd breakfast about an hour on the road, so we stopped at a gas station diner for a Belgian waffle the size of Dugan's head and a giant side order plate of bacon for Sage. We were talking about how the cows and sheep outnumber the people in New Mexico and Dug said "There used to be more pigs before Sagie came through!"
We drove all day till dinner time in Amarillo, TX. It was mostly a depressed and depressing town. We did find a gem in the rough in the form of Moose's 66 diner, a funky local biker bar in an old garage with overhead doors. Everyone there knew each other, but were quite welcoming to us. We met the 3rd 4 year old girl of our road trip there. The kids played around with the pool table and played I spy....thing one on a moose, a blue haired troll, a pirate, a car hanging from the ceiling, etc. Almost everyone was tattooed, pierced and wearing black leather. There was a woman customer at the bar in chaps and a fringe leather jacket with a long brown pony tail and the longest fingers I've ever seen. They were a good inch or more longer than mine and she wasn't a tall person. She was about 60 and missing at least her front 4 top teeth.
Our waitress, Brianna, introduced herself to one latecomer saying "I'm Brianna, everyone calls me Breezy. My Mama gave it to me when I was little and it stuck." The heavy, grey bearded biker started to tease her saying "They call me Breezy, because I'm so easy and I like it best when she's on her kneezies." She blushed and several of the women got on his case saying "She's Bonita's niece, leave her alone. Keep it clean there are kids here." He grumped that he thought he WAS keeping it clean.
After saying, "Y'all aren't from around here are you?" after we ordered in Chicago accents, one of the women at the next table over said we should get a Moose shirt and advertise back in Chicago. I actually wanted one of the bar's shirts, a black tee that said "Some people are simply alive because it's against the law to kill them." Unfortunately, they were a cash only place and we only had enough for our meal/tip and were out of cash.
It was a poignant and personal stop. Half way through our dinner, more bikers came in and began to pass around the obituary page of the local paper. A guy they all knew had a fatal accident on his bike. One woman expressed relief that he'd been leaving "Shooters" instead of "The Moose" that night. Another said that one of the cops said "It's you people's fault if you die, for riding bikes in the first place." That went over well.
One biker at the table next to us was one of the most friendly to us. She was a middle aged blond woman who shared a design for her 4th tattoo with her table mates. It said survivor down the side and was a woman whose body was a pink breast cancer ribbon. The design was about 5x7, but the tat was to be about 2 inches high. Despite all the bad news and recent tragedies, they seemed to be a tight, happy circle of friends. After the Moose stop, we were back on the road till 11pm, but we gained 3 states and lost 2 hours along the way.
I'm singing the praises of the inventor of the portable DVD player! We're still doing a bunch of art and travel games with the kids and limiting the movies, but there are certainly times when it's GREAT to have one on board.
We stopped an hour short of Oklahoma City and splurged on a Comfort Inn with heated indoor pool and breakfast since today was a long haul. We've only spent 2 hotel nights and one at Dug's Dad's out of 16 nights since we got the Chalet, so it was a welcome break. The kids swam, ate and played. And everyone got a hot shower or bubble bath and hair washings. Ah the luxury.
Dugan made a page of his infamous monsters as a thank you to the hotel employees. He gave it to a woman at breakfast who liked it so much she taped it to the hotel fridge so everyone could share it! The only minor tragedy is that we lost Sage's tee shirt that Dug originally brought Dugan from Germany when he was there with Dave Attell on an Insomniac shoot. It has an east german car crashing through the Berlin wall. We lost it in the hotel from atop a pile of wet towels and clothes between the pool and our room. Despite retracing our steps twice and asking everyone we could find, we had to leave without it. If it turns up, they'll mail it, so there's still a slight chance........
Now we're refreshed and ready to crank out for the final run for Chicago. Two days to go.
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