– Santa Fe, New Mexico to Denton, Texas –

I love running in Santa Fe. We’ve gotten so used to the route now. I think we have run in Santa Fe the most out of almost any city, save for Denton and maybe Beggs, where Mark’s parents live. As always, the altitude is pretty different from Denton, but we are used to it now, and we are even getting used to the cold.

It was pretty chilly this morning, especially since we got up so early, but we made do. Once we were done with our run (which, if you’ve never read another blog post about a trip we’ve taken to Santa Fe, is right behind our hotel), we came back to shower and pack up. It didn’t take too long, and before we knew it we were on the road to our breakfast. It’s never soon enough for Mark when it’s Tia Sophia’s, but we made it before the crowds, for sure.

Since it isn’t hot, Ripley was able to wait in the car while we ate. Breakfast only took about half an hour, since we made it to Tia Sophia’s so early. Mark had his usual breakfast burrito, and as I usually do, I had the huevos rancheros. We both had chile Christmas, as you can see from Mark’s burrito picture. It was fantastic, again. We found out this evening when we made it home that Mark had left his hat at Tia Sophia’s, which is a huge bummer, since he got it for Christmas. I guess we will see if they still have it.

Once we were done with breakfast, we hopped in the truck with the little dog and headed for home. The trip back to Denton from Santa Fe is a very familiar one, and we made good time. We stopped in Tucumcari to take some photos on Route 66, which was fun and at least broke up some of the monotony of the drive. Still, we didn’t waste too much time. We were ready to be home.

In Amarillo, we stopped in a new place that we’d never seen before called Texas Tea. We happened across it while looking for something to eat and decided we had to give it a try. It is a new business that has opened within the last couple of months, from what I can tell. Basically, they sell gallons and cups of fresh sweet and unsweet tea. They also sell ice. That’s it. And it is the best thing ever.

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but I am a bit of an unsweet tea addict. The shop has lots of flavors, and little sample cups so you can try them all. I definitely think Denton needs one of these, and I hope the one in Amarillo survives. The owner was there asking about our experience and what we thought about the two, so he seems pretty invested in the business. We will be back if it is still there the next time we drive through Amarillo!

We made it home a little later than we’d intended, but since we both have the day off tomorrow, it shouldn’t be too bad. Mark leaves for a work trip to India in a few days, but we are going to take the last few days of our winter break, before he leaves, to enjoy being at home and doing nothing. Our next trip together will probably be spring break, though we haven’t decided yet where we want to go.

This summer is our big Atlantic Canada trip with my parents, which we will begin planning shortly. I’m really looking forward to it!

– Trip Total : 2,219 miles –