The three months prior to this trip were intensely busy and stressful at work. In addition, my other hobby had been sucking up copious amounts of what little free time I had, including a rehearsal the night before that went until 2100. I didn't get home until 2200 and didn't get finished packing and in bed until midnight. So, when my alarm went off at 0330 I was NOT happy. My energy reserves were almost non-existent and I knew this 15-hour trek to Chama was going to be a rough one. But hey... I was heading to CHAMA and there are far worse ways to spend a day.

I got up, staggered around for a while, loaded the truck, nudged Michele out the door and we were on the road by 0500. Still 2 hours to sun-up. At least we were on schedule. As soon as I got to the freeway Michele went to sleep. Lucky her. Somewhere around Buffalo, TX (2 hours north of Spring) I got REAL fuzzy around the edges. Stress and sleep deprivation caught up to me with a vengeance and the sun hadn't even come up yet! So, I pulled over and walked around for a few minutes smacking my head to wake up. My short walk, plus a "5 Hour Energy" drink, woke me up enough to press on.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, except for some dense fog between Wichita Falls and Amarillo.

Please let me know if you find mistakes - RioGrandeDude  @ SmittysHouse.net

Getting foggy...

BNSF MoW Train

East-bounds, east of Amarillo

Dense fog east of Amarillo

No, not THAT Silverton...

This ol' Soo engine is a long way from home rails.

We briefly stopped in Amarillo for lunch, gas,

and a few photos of ATSF #5000

Cadillac Ranch.

Just west of Amarillo

Terrain begins to change

WOO HOO!

More east-bounds west of Tucumcari

Michele took over at Tucumcari. My "5 Hour Energy" had long since worn off and the grub we got in Amarillo knocked me out. So, at our planned fuel stop in Tucumcari I asked her to drive so I could sleep for a while.

On every previous trip to Chama we've gone through Santa Fe and Espaņola. However, this time I wanted to get dinner at Jeff's Joint in Taos, NM. Jeff Stebbins is a long-time C&T Engineer. So, we went through Las Vegas, NM and made our way north on 518 over a pass I can't remember the name of to Taos for dinner.

This is a very pretty drive and Michele got really excited over that rainbow.

My nice clean truck... too bad it won't stay clean this week!

Arriving in Taos, finally.

Time to EAT!

The food was good. The interior decor was exceptional. As we paid for our meal, Michele mentioned to Jeff that we were on our way to Chama (I usually keep a low profile and since I don't know Jeff personally, I didn't bring it up). He became very interested and we chatted for a few minutes. I mentioned we were staying at The Hotel and he asked me to deliver a handful of flyers/menus to Barbara Hogan, which I did.

Food: Check

Fuel: Check

GPS: Check

Heading out of Taos at dusk.

The Highway 64 bridge

 over the Rio Grande

Chama at long last!

I was getting VERY tired again as we left Taos and we still had 2 hours to go. The weather didn't cooperate either, but it did provide a HELLUVA light show as we neared Brazos Pass. We dropped down from Brazos Pass, hung a right at Tierra Amarilla, and HIGHBALLED to Chama. I don't remember it ever raining on us, despite the light show, but I was so exhausted I may have forgotten.

Despite my fatigue, we made the (now) traditional drive through the yard to take in the long-anticipated sights and smells of a working, steam railroad yard. Barbara was kind enough to leave our room key on the front door at the hotel once again. After lugging our bags and gear upstairs, I grabbed the camera went over to the Engine House for a few quick shots before crashing into bed. The drive took about 18 hours (including the dinner stop) and that's 3 hours LONGER than normal. I don't think we'll take the Taos Detour again.