Whilst traveling here and there and everywhere we did take the time stop along the way and leave the beaten path.

The interstate from Texas to Arizona followed the old Route 66 so we got off as much as we could to see what we could see. After getting into Texas we continued to find little out of way stops, some winners, some "interesting".

Often we found closed businesses in various states of neglect like this Pancake House / Taco Bell / Post Office / Gift Shop / Gas Station / Fort / Horse Stable:

Once in a while we came across something really cool.

Like Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona, which boasted two Studebakers (my father is a fanatic):






Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona:





 This old church in Santa Rose, NM (also home of Blue Hole):





An old Phillips 66 Gas Station and homage to Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys near Caprock Canyons State Park in Texas:



While it does "waste" time to not travel in straight line there's so much to miss if you do. I'm much rather find the hidden treasures than miss them just to get where I'm going a little faster. Luckily, my kids have adopted this trait; the first day of our trip I told the kids we were taking a back road up through Florida rather than the interstate and I was met with "oh cool!" and "yippee".

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.