Well, the “Big Adventure” has lived up to its name, so far.

You may remember from my last column on Oct. 4, we have sold our home, rented two condos, both here and in Henderson, Nev., in the first steps of our retirement years.

We began our trip on Tuesday, Oct. 3rd. Heading north toward Payson, our first destination was Albuquerque. Stopping at McDonald’s in Holbrook, for a pit stop I decided to get a small shake. The young fellow working the counter was having a difficult time making change. He then set it down and went and prepared my shake. He came back, handed me my shake, then he said, “Have a nice day.”

“My change?” I said.

He looked a little surprised and said with a smile. “Oh yeah.”

I hate to think he would have kept it, but the smile made me wonder.

The drive from Holbrook to Albuquerque is scenic with many views of the red sandstone cliffs.

As we approached Albuquerque, we watched the lightning flash from a distant thunderstorm.

We arrived in Albuquerque around 7 p.m. We did not make hotel reservations at any locations there.

Since it was my time to eat, we stopped at a restaurant for a dinner of “non- junk food.”

Next, we stopped at a Doubletree in the downtown area, but they had no rooms available. I asked the front desk man where he would suggest another nearby hotel. He wished me good luck since the upcoming weekend was the time of the annual InternationalHHH Hot Air Balloon Festival. This colorful event attracts thousands of visitors and participants each year.

We saw a Hyatt Garden Hotel from the highway. But about the time we got off the freeway, Diane’s GPS stopped working and we lost sight of the hotel. We drove around for about 20 minutes. Finally, we found it.

They had a cancellation right before we arrived. “It has two queen beds at the rate of $109, he said.

“I’ll take it,” I quickly replied.

We drove around to the entrance only to find it locked up and police tape wrapped around it. There were two patrol cars blocking the entrance with lights flashing.

I asked one officer what was going on and he said a large truck had attempted to drive under the overhang to the entrance to the hotel. There wasn’t enough clearance for the trailer he was pulling. They closed the entrance to have the structure’s integrity checked. We went in a side door and checked in.

Our next planned stop was Oklahoma City. I slept through the town of Tucumcari, N.M., but we stopped at the most impressive truck and rest stop I have ever seen. It was a Love’s facility in Amarillo, Texas. I’ve seen them before, but this one was extra special. There were potted flowers by the gas pumps. The restrooms were extremely clean, and there were more potted flowers inside them.

The staff was extremely friendly. There were three or four fast food chains located inside and their own hot dog stand which was elaborate as well. It also had a Cinnabon facility inside. We turned our heads as we walked by. It also had a huge gift store with all kinds of Texas souvenirs.

We wanted to make Oklahoma City before darkness set in. It was dusk when we arrived at the Hampton Inn in Del City on the east side of Oklahoma City. At first we couldn’t see the hotel because the light was turned off on the sign.

We pulled into the parking lot and once again there was yellow tape around the entrance.

“We are remodeling the entrance,” the clerk told us.

It was dinner time, so we looked for a restaurant close by.

What happened next is the subject of my next column.