Tuesday 19 July 2011

Day 10 Albuquerque to Gallup


The odometer is currently reading plus 2,000 miles, or 3,200 Kms, and still 5 days to go. Our fearless leader had us go in and out of Albuquerque 3 times today before we headed for Gallup. Landscape changing yet again, dry country, church hordings say pray for rain, must be working we got some and late afternoon a rain front chase us down the highway to Gallup. Visited stranded bridges, Villa de Cubero, (the Hemingway myth), the Continental divide. We are still at somewhere between 6500 feet and plus 7500 feet above sea level, if some of the photos are blurred that's because my vision is also blurred at this altitude. The good thing up here is you only need one beer to feel plastered. One good thing bout leaving Albuquerque is I won't have to spell again. Gallup claims to be the Indian tribe capital among other things, it's basically one long street, nice town, so was Grants, nice tidy town. Came across a monument for the battle of Khe Sanh. The Australian rock band Cold Chisel did a song by that name, though the only Australian involvement in the battle were pilots and crew of Canberra bombers involved in the massive bombardments used against the North Vietnamese. I like the Jimmy Barns version. The first verse of the song goes like this;


"I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh
And I sold my soul with my cigarettes to the black market man
I've had the Vietnam cold turkey
From the ocean to the Silver City
And it's only other vets could understand"

It was banned in Australia shortly after it was originally released, but a Dj in Adelaide got it rolling. Quite a few singers have covered.
Ok so we were reversing out of town
Long road out of Eden

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