Foto Tunes

April 2026 - Toronto ON

 Hosted by Tom The Backroads Traveller

 Two of Us - Aimee Mann

Two of us riding nowhere
Spending someone's
Hard earned pay

You and me Sunday driving
Not arriving
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home

Two of us sending postcards

Writing letters

On my wall

You and me burning matches

Lifting latches

On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home

You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead

Two of us wearing raincoats

Standing so low

In the sun

You and me chasing paper

Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home

Foto Tunes

 March 2026 - Toronto ON

 Hosted by Tom The Backroads Traveller

Johnny Nash first recorded and released "I Can See Clearly Now" in 1972. The American singer-songwriter also wrote and produced the song, which became a smash hit that year. While covered by others, including Jimmy Cliff (1993), the original 1972 version is by Johnny Nash.

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone

HUE VIETNAM

I can see all obstacles in my way

HUE VIETNAM

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

TORONTO

It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-shiny day

It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-shiny day

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone

All of the bad feelings have disappeared

TORONTO

Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for

CALIFORNIA

It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-shiny day

Look all around, there's nothin' but blue skies

Look straight ahead, nothin' but blue skies

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-shiny day

NEW MEXICO

It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-shiny day

Gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-shiny day

Oh, what a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-shiny day...

                                                                         PHUKET THAILAND

Throwback Thursday - Santa Rosa NM Part 2

Santa Rosa NM - Motel Signs

March 2013 - Santa Rosa NM

We'll go with an automotive Route 66 theme this week.

Santa Rosa was connected by railroad to Chicago, El Paso, and the world at large in the early 1900s.

Santa Rosa's stretch of U.S. Route 66 is part of film history. When John Steinbeck's epic novel, The Grapes of Wrath, was made into a movie, director John Ford used Santa Rosa for the memorable train scene. Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) watches a freight train steam over the Pecos River railroad bridge, into the sunset. It was also one of shooting scenes for Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw starring Lynda Carter in the titular role.

The town was the childhood home of author Rudolfo Anaya, and is the basis for the fictional town of Guadalupe in his autobiographical novel Bless Me, Ultima.

The remains of the Rio Pecos Ranch Truck Terminal. This truck stop featured a cafe at one time, and was crammed with big rigs. You can just see in the broken neon on the sign, the truck driver’s faint Howdy, which no doubt drew folks in with its friendly wave.

The terminal opened around 1955 but has been abandoned for many years and the gas pumps are long gone. In 2003 the city of Santa Rosa expressed an interest in reloacting this sign and replacing the white plastic portion with a "Welcome to Santa Rosa" message board. The owner of the sign wanted too much money and the project ell through.

Not the posts are rotting and no one is sure how much longer it can support the sign.

Weekend Roundup

  Welcome to The Weekend Roundup...hosted by Tom The Back Roads Traveler

1. Starts with "O"

2. A Favorite

3.  ONE- Chosen by Tom

Starts with O 

ORDERED ONLINE

FAVOURITE

OPAL Coober Pedy Australia

ONE

ONE bed 1 person Van Horn NM

Weekend Roundup

  Welcome to The Weekend Roundup...hosted by Tom The Back Roads Traveler

1. Starts with "C"
2. A Favorite
3. COLOURFUL - Chosen by Tom

Starts with C (BIGGEST/SMALLEST/LONGEST/SHORTEST/OLDEST/FIRST)

OLDEST CLOCK CZECH Republic

FAVOURITE

CUTE COUPLE CUPS CARDBOARD CURVE

COLOURFUL

Signs

 Joining Tom at Signs2.

Wordless Wednesday Wordless Be There 2day

March 2025 - Louisville KY

The doors in a ladies' washroom in a casino featured Kentucky Derby hats!

Driving from Palm Springs 

San Diego

Akela NM

Kentucky

2025 Northbound Recap

 

Winter 2025 Southbound Trip Recap contains links to Day 1 - 8 posts.

Winter 2025 Palm Springs Recap 21 days 

Winter 2025 Las Vegas Recap 20 days

Winter 2025 San Diego Recap 6 days

Weekly Recap Mar 1 - Mar 7 2025 San Diego CA - On the Road North

Weekly Recap Mar 8 2025 - Mar 14 2025  Northbound to Toronto ON

The links above will take you to the detailed posts. 

Just kidding...

TOTAL DAYS DRIVE SOUTH - 8 (7 nights)

TOTAL DAYS PALM SPRINGS - 21

TOTAL DAYS LAS VEGAS - 20

TOTAL DAYS SAN DIEGO - 6

TOTAL DAYS DRIVE NORTH - 8 (7 nights)

TOTAL DAYS AWAY  - 61

STATES California - Arizona - New Mexico - Texas - Arkansas - Kentucky - Tennessee - Ohio - Michigan

Normally we would not have come home the same way as we went south, but we had no planned excursions.

We had initially planned to do several stops on the way home that would have taken us in late March. But as the tariffs were announced we decided that we wanted to get home as soon as possible. We had wanted to spend some time in Dallas, Louisville, Nashville and St. Louis but that was not off the agenda.

I had also hoped to visit NYC this year, no to that as well. We had talked about a golf trip on the east coast which also won't happen now.

Our money will be spent anywhere but in the States.

WEATHER

We never needed our spring or winter coats on boots.

CALIFORNIA

ARIZONA

NEW MEXICO

TEXAS

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

OHIO

MICHIGAN

SIDE TRIPS

Tucson AZ We've been here before. This time we managed to catch a Dumpster Must Go parade!!!

And murals!! 

A stop in Mesilla NM where we've been before.

Abilene TX we enjoyed the Dr. Seuss statues. And some murals.

Little Rock AR  NEW Bill Clinton's Childhood Home

Memphis TN been here a few times. NEW Rock 'N' Soul Museum

NEW Louisville KY It's too bad, we had planned on a few days here to really see some stuff, but $hit    FELON47 (8647) happened!

HOTELS/FOOD NORTHBOUND

Best Hotel Brentwood TN Hilton Suites

Best Hotel Food Richardson TX Hilton Garden Inn

Worst Hotel and Food - Miamisburg OH Doubletree Hilton

SNACKS

Discovering great jerky (we'll ignore the fact that John threw it out thinking it was garbage LOL)

John now loves crystallized ginger. We had to stock up on Goo Goo clusters.

FOOD

We had one McDonald's meal, our only fast food on this trip.

We ate at Cracker Barrel twice on the way home.

BEST SIGHT!!!!

THINGS I LEARNED ON THIS TRIP

Red Rock NV the difference between a tortoise (lives on land) and a turtle (lives in the water)!

Tumbleweeds aren't native to the U.S. They accidentally arrived in South Dakota in 1870 in a shipment of flax seeds from Russia. Funny to think that such a staple in American West folklore is based on an invasive species. It could be argued that cowboys are an invasive species, so perhaps it's fitting.

The brightly colored balls on power lines, often orange, red, yellow, or white, are visibility markers, or marker balls, designed to make power lines more visible to low-flying aircraft and helicopters, particularly in areas where they might be difficult to spot.

All these years and so many Cracker Barrels in our travels but I never wondered where the name came from. Cracker Barrel's name comes from the 19th-century practice of general store customers gathering around "cracker barrels" filled with soda crackers to chat and socialize.

We love date shakes!!!

I owe John a bean dip like he had in Lordsburg.

Bringing a HDMI cable to stream our own shows from laptop to big TV worked really well!

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

It was not uncommon to see hospitality employees wearing masks. There were also quite a few tourists with masks.

American restaurant portions are way too big!!

Radio reception is nil driving through southern New Mexico and Texas. Funny enough, though, you can get Mexican stations and the bible thumper stations.

Texas has the worst construction.

I missed having two bathrooms!

I also miss my kitchen and stuff and trying new recipes.

I miss the frozen gluten free shrimp that we found.

I didn't miss housekeeping, doing laundry (sheets/towels), stripping beds.

SONG LIST

Eyes On You

Miles On It

She's Probably in Texas

An English friend received my postcard!