We began the day in Oklahoma City, OK. The breakfast at the Biltmore was good. I had biscuits and milk gravy -- the gravy was definitely on the milky side. We had a great hispanic waitress who got us coffee for the road.
We hit the road and stopped for lunch in McLean Texas. We ate at the Red River Steakhouse, an authentic small-town Texas eatery. The portions were Texas-size. I had a green chili cheeseburger. I thought it would come with a green chili sauce, but it was two slices of green chilis (or is it chiles?).
We pushed on into New Mexico, blew by Tucumcari, and made it to Santa Rosa. We are staying right on Route 66!
We ate at the Silver Moon Mexican and American Food Restaurant. I had a green chili pork stew with tortillas that was out of this world, off the charts! It was awesome. The first spoonful, I put down the spoon and said, "wow!".
We're staying at another Holiday Inn Express. We like the decor, the freshness, and we like the bedding that they are featuring. Also the shower head. This one is only 14 months old. I've concluded that age is a very important indicator for a hotel/motel -- I wish guide books indicated when the place was built.
It was going to be pricey. I booked the "Best Available Rate" over the internet. That was $105. Then, they were going to charge $10 for each additional adult "starting with the second". I'm not sure what that meant, since I booked a room for two. Then, they were going to charge a hefty $25 pet fee. That was putting the cost of the room north of $100 and pushing $150 with taxes. But I thought it was worth a try, and my backup plan was to use some Holiday Inn reward points and pay for the room that way.
When I arrived I told the very young woman at the desk (I think she had braces but maybe I'm just imagining that part!) that I wanted to check the rate, since it was more than what was quoted in the AAA Tour Book. I had booked the "Best Available Rate", which I had foolishly assumed was the best available rate. Silly me! First, she told me that the AAA rate was $95. Then I queried her about the pet fee. Sure enough, it was going to be $25. I said that was high. She asked me if I was a "Priority Club" member; I said I was; the fee was now $15. Finally, she looked at me and told me she could offer me the seniors' rate, which was $84. So, I got the whole thing down to $99 plus taxes. Still not cheap, but a lot better than it would have been.
I guess the moral of the story is you have to keep asking if they can do something to lower the rate.
We also visited an interesting Route 66 Museum today; I think it was in Elk City OK. Tomorrow, our target is Winslow AZ.
With our arrival in New Mexico, I feel that our travelling is over, and our touring has begun!
And that's the way the Ball bounces!
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