The Long Ride

Drive Days TX & NM

Graduation was sweet.  A lump in the throat, the heart swelled an extra 10% and life to live.  It is now time to roll down the road to the next adventure.

The next adventure is a drive.  A looooot of a drive.  Roughly 17 hours over the next 2 days, out of Texas, through New Mexico (with a stop over) and on to Durango Colorado.

As I write this, we have packed up from our overnight at Brantly State Park (206 miles southeast of Albuquerque).

In the past, the “Boring Drive Days” have been anything but.  We have enjoyed the scenery, our time together, our music, experiencing things together for the first time.

I think My Lovely feels the extra beat in her heart when she gets to point out something she notices on the horizon or something hiding in the bushes just off the side of the road.

I am able to share the love in my heart when I get sappy over a beautiful barn, or share something from my past - a memory inspired by something we are experiencing now..

We look for some oddball roadside attractions so that we can enjoy a slice of Americana, as well as get a break from the drive.  Just part of the adventure. 

This is all to say that our drives have been very enjoyable parts of our trips - but this one, not as much.

[I am writing as we drive.  Updating as we go along]

We have had things to share for sure.  After leaving San Antonio, My Lovely pointed out the beautiful hills in Texas.  They weren't mountains but more like rolling ridges.  And yes, part of America's beauty.  But then we got into oil country.  Miles and miles of oil fields.  Boring oil fields.  Brown and drab green fields with oil pumps and pipelines.  We drove through several stretches where the crossroads were 35 to 40 miles apart, and almost nothing in between except hot, dry fields.  Then, the thing that I don't understand - an orchard.  Fruit trees.  We did come across several orchards (not sure but it looked like apple trees).  It was like finding a burst of fruit in the middle of your cornflakes.

We saw RV parks for the workers.  Rows of metal roof shelters to park RVs under - a field of hundreds - out in the middle of nowhere.  And hotels built out of shipping containers - also by the 100s.

We stopped at a state park which was a stretch of land near a lake (dammed reservoir) with no appealing features except a stopping point with water, electric and picnic tables.  It was 97 degrees, direct sun and the Air conditioner could not keep up until sundown.  There was nothing to do but stop over for the night.  Truly a forgettable place.  I am forgetting as fast as I can.

We thought we were going to get out of New Mexico without a good stop, but just then, we decide to stop in Roswell.  The UFO Museum.  It was a good stop.  A nice diversion and a walk around.  A little bit of entertainment and a topic of conversation as we drive away.

The Drive took us through Alberque and to that point, it was not as good as some of the others.  But they can't all be great.  

And I'm still with My Lovely, so that makes everything better.  

After Alberque the views changed.  Out with the boring and in with the rock formations,  the greenery, the mountain shapes and the varied colors came alive.  While the greenery was not as lush as our part of the world, it lost its “dull yuk”.

We crossed into Colorado and began to ascend.  The current temp is 77 degrees at 6900 ft.  We are sitting outside facing a sun setting over the range.  The breeze is slightly wafting our hair as My Lovely comments on the smell of Colorado.  And says she needs a sweater.  A nice change from not being able to hide from the heat.

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