We made it to Elk City, Oklahoma. The last three hours of driving were in the dark. We left the Earthship to go to the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, stopping at the Gorge on the way.

There were many vendors in the parking lot, and I found a great, super soft, double sided Navaho style blanket.

The museum building was interesting, an adobe single floor (I think, as that’s where we were allowed to go), that wound and twisted around a central courtyard, the rooms small and all having an adorable fireplace.

The collection was eclectic, with textiles of the area, lots of silver and turquoise jewelry,

pots, figures, some Christian imagery that I found a bit scary, even though I grew up Catholic, a room of Maria Martinez pottery.

I hadn’t heard of her until this trip, and it happens that my aunt owns a few of her pieces. I hope they are well insured. Maria’s become quite the collectors’ item. There were a few rooms of contemporary works, and some great woven baskets.

I had been thinking of some rugs that I’d seen in a shop in Taos two years ago, when my family was there on a ski trip. Mom was game to go look at them, and see if I could find one I liked. It took longer than I’d hoped, and the store owner was so helpful in taking things off racks and laying things on the floor. He really had a passion about them and told us of the individual weavers and the processes in dyeing the rugs. After his hard work, I did find one!

Can’t wait to get it home.

It was doubtful that we were going to make it to Elk City by sunset, and by now that was impossible. We set off down Rte 64, through the mountains and past ski resorts, through valleys and more tree covered hills.

After Cimmaron and Philmont Ranch, where my brothers went to Scout Camp many decades ago, the land settled down into wide plains, covered in grasses and the occasional group of cows.

This landscape continued for hours, across eastern New Mexico, and into Texas. I missed our chance for breakfast (lunch by now, getting close to dinner) in Springer, and we stopped in Clayton, at the Eklund Historic Hotel and Restaurant for dinner, but they weren’t going to open til 5. That was a half hour away, and we could get some miles eaten up. As we passed through town to get back on our route, I noticed that much of the town was boarded up. Pretty sad. It was the case in Gladstone—well, that looked to only have one business, anyway— and Texline. We finally got some fast food in Dalhart. That place was hopping.

We raced the sunset, but had crossing the time line against us. The sun was setting at around 5:00, and all of a sudden it was 6:00.

The landscape was becoming more agricultural, with grain elevators and other machinery every 20 miles or so.

Then it got too dark to see what the land was like.

The bright lights of Elk City were a welcome sight. I could stop driving soon and relax.