RaeRay took a long look at the future today, and we saw nothing. Wind turbines stretched as far as the eye could see to both the east and the west in the Texas Panhandle. Other parts of West Texas were simply miles and miles of rocky soil. A quaint farmhouse finally appeared, and I asked, “Wouldn’t you like to live there?” The answer was a resounding “No.”
The 700-mile trek began with a stop at my deceased sister’s old home in Farmer’s Branch. She died there in 1972, and the picture of her house that I had in my mind had long faded. I posed in front of it for a picture and then in front of the one across the street. RaeRay plan’s to find those long-ago neighbors, Bud and Barbara Mendenhall, later this week in California.
This was a traveling day meant to end in Roswell, NM. I have no idea why Roswell landed on RaeRay’s itinerary, and I really questioned it realizing that we were arriving after the UFO museum and most stores had closed. I just felt some sort of attraction to go there – much like Richard Dreyfuss did in the 1977 movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” I realized later that the real purpose of the destination was to show Morgan sights that would not appear along interstate highways.
On one side of the roadway were oil wells; on the other side were wind farms. I told her the windmills were the future. Seeing them reminded me of my grandmother’s response upon seeing her first airplane. “Someday the skies will be full of those things,” she said. In response, Morgan said she will never have a wind turbine in her back yard.
Roswell turned out to be a bore. We hunted a local diner for a quick meal and to mix with the townsfolk, but there were none to be found. We looked in a few mundane souvenir shops and then went on our way.
The sun had been shining when we took our New Mexico state line photo. Storms followed us out of Roswell until we reached the Lincoln National Forest, where we were surprised by a snowstorm. Morgan did a great job driving the slick mountain roads. I felt like a fool in my T-shirt and shorts.
We made it all the way to Las Cruces, NM, and found a Staybridge Suites hotel. I balked at the $159 price of the room, and the clerk offered a $139 AAA rate. She saw my disappointment, and we agreed on $119. We were settled in time for “The Tonight Show.” We’ll see Jay Leno’s taping of the show Wednesday night. That’s what makes our schedule tight. Tomorrow is another long day. The drive will take as much as nine hours and cover 682 miles. At least we have only two roads to remember: I-10 West and I-8.
So, until tomorrow….
--Ray
The 700-mile trek began with a stop at my deceased sister’s old home in Farmer’s Branch. She died there in 1972, and the picture of her house that I had in my mind had long faded. I posed in front of it for a picture and then in front of the one across the street. RaeRay plan’s to find those long-ago neighbors, Bud and Barbara Mendenhall, later this week in California.
This was a traveling day meant to end in Roswell, NM. I have no idea why Roswell landed on RaeRay’s itinerary, and I really questioned it realizing that we were arriving after the UFO museum and most stores had closed. I just felt some sort of attraction to go there – much like Richard Dreyfuss did in the 1977 movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” I realized later that the real purpose of the destination was to show Morgan sights that would not appear along interstate highways.
On one side of the roadway were oil wells; on the other side were wind farms. I told her the windmills were the future. Seeing them reminded me of my grandmother’s response upon seeing her first airplane. “Someday the skies will be full of those things,” she said. In response, Morgan said she will never have a wind turbine in her back yard.
Roswell turned out to be a bore. We hunted a local diner for a quick meal and to mix with the townsfolk, but there were none to be found. We looked in a few mundane souvenir shops and then went on our way.
The sun had been shining when we took our New Mexico state line photo. Storms followed us out of Roswell until we reached the Lincoln National Forest, where we were surprised by a snowstorm. Morgan did a great job driving the slick mountain roads. I felt like a fool in my T-shirt and shorts.
We made it all the way to Las Cruces, NM, and found a Staybridge Suites hotel. I balked at the $159 price of the room, and the clerk offered a $139 AAA rate. She saw my disappointment, and we agreed on $119. We were settled in time for “The Tonight Show.” We’ll see Jay Leno’s taping of the show Wednesday night. That’s what makes our schedule tight. Tomorrow is another long day. The drive will take as much as nine hours and cover 682 miles. At least we have only two roads to remember: I-10 West and I-8.
So, until tomorrow….
--Ray
No comments:
Post a Comment