We went down to hotel breakfast this morning, and I noticed something I had somehow missed last time we stayed at the Quality Inn And Suites in Amarillo.

The waffle maker!

They’re TEXAS waffles. Get it? Texas. Waffles.

From Texas.

I liked them. So did everyone else, which is why I ended up with a green apple, if only it had a chance to grow up.

I think all hotels should have waffles in the shape of their state. Especially for frequent travelers who forget what state they’re in.

Like me. To be honest, I don’t know.

Oh yeah. I’m in New Mexico. This is why I take pictures on the trip.

Lunch was at Dairy Queen. We had been seeing a sign for quite a few miles, then finally, finally saw it in the next exist.

I heard my mom say something along the lines of “I don’t know about this..” but I was too busy trying to decide, did I want a Moolate or a Blizzard? Until we came upon this.

I don’t know if you’ve seen the I Love Lucy episode with the “Aunt Sally’s Pecan Pralines,” but that’s how it felt.

The small gray car that was just driving into the deserted parking lot behind us had that same blank, unbelieving frustrated look. I saw the man throw his hands in the air.

We drove on.

Funny enough, we still ended up at a dairy queen for lunch. They have a five dollar special from 11-4. After the time change, we got there at 10:30, so sat and waited. But the people there were so nice they took our orders anyway. We got three chicken strip meals.

They also came with a country gravy that the lady said they make right there. It was pretty good. I preferred ranch better, but my mom said it was very close to the gravy she makes herself.

The meal also comes with a drink and a sundae of your choice. There are a lot of choices. My mom got chocolate, my little brother peanut butter, and I even ventured to have marshmallow. All of the flavors were high intensity. You could taste them. Marshmallow was very sweet, be careful.

All in all, it was a really good lunch. So if you’re ever in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, stop by for Dairy Queen! We also had really good service. And they have Wifi (now that we have fancy phones, this means something to us).

As we drove on, I was starting to recognize some landmarks and signs from when we came out.

And then, I saw it. The best sign ever. One that makes you go “OH!” and have Sherlock Holmes flashbacks.

A sign that said “Moriarty… Stay the night.” And this time I got a picture.

Bam! How wonderfully eerie is that?!

I enjoyed it.

We drove on through beautiful New Mexico. I think it’s really pretty, I don’t know why. Maybe I like huge red rocks. Which is where we are now, bunked in at a pretty decent hotel, I have to say. And the pool is 24/7, which I think is just a recipe for disaster, but maybe we’ll head over there when this post is through!

Left over pizza for dinner. Only complaint about this hotel is that the candy bar vending machines seem a little pricey. Just sayn’. I think it’s funny that water costs more than soda.

But I do like me a Snickers candy bar to – you know – tame the beast. Is that how it goes?