I am not pleased with Grants, N.M. Our day ended here, so we headed off of 66 towards a campsite listed in the AAA guide. As we passed the ranger station, we noticed a large, fenced-in facility to our right... and realized the campsite was right next to a prison. Finally, the "don't pick up hitchhikers in this area" signs we'd seen while driving through town made sense. Right away, we got back into the car and drove back to town to get a motel.

This was a whole new ordeal. The first place we went to, the Sands Motel, was going to cost too much a night - and the owner knew it. The second he saw me, he said that there are a lot of cheap motels along the train tracks. So I went there, stopping at a place advertising $19.95 for two people. But when I walked in, the guy asked to see my ID and stared at it for 5 minutes until a voice from the other room said, "Tell him to go down the street. Tell him it's cheaper there. Tell him we have no rooms." We continued our search, but most places were charging double that price. We finally found a place - but it had no refrigerator, so we went looking for ice to keep our food cold. But even though it was only 11, all of the gas stations in town - even those next to the Interstate - were already close, as were convenience and grocery stores. To make matters worse, we became aware of an awful smell in the town... and this is the place where I got pulled over yesterday. I REALLY don't like Grants.