Day 2: Shamrock, TX to Gallup, NM

So, we did not quite get to Amarillo last night; we stopped in Shamrock, about an hour and a half short, and crashed out at 8:30. This morning we discovered something when we prepared to hit the road at 6:30 in the morning:

If you are on the western side of the time zone, the sun rises later than it did the morning before, when you were on the eastern side of the time zone.

Ladies and gentlemen, two PhD candidates, thinking hard. Mmyup.

Today we buzzed through Amarillo -- wow, the panhandle is flat -- and stopped for lunch and shopping in Albuquerque, which turns out to be a really awesome town. I did some Christmas shopping, and got accipiter an awesome gift! :D Then we hit the road again, and since we had some extra time, took an impromptu side trip into El Malpais, which was gorgeous. There will be pictures.

We also crossed the Continental Divide, but not that you'd notice.

Tonight we're tucked away in an EconoLodge in Gallup, New Mexico. Tomorrow we hit the Grand Canyon, and see more pretty rocks.

P.S. - Tiny Owl came along for the trip, of course. He comes inside at night, because it is cold in the car.