Entries this day: Begin_western_state_trek Eighty-eight_miles Laura_Dr Now P Plains Train Twilight closer done_driving

Begin western state trek

10:30am CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

Not slowly, not quickly. Just steadily meditatively preparing, collecting my stuff, cleaning the kitchen, adding Josephine's goodbye note to my scrapbook.

I plan to visit Balmorhea State Park first, I think. Down by El Paso, but closer to Marfa.

11:30am

Okay. I've traveled zero miles so far on my western state trek. Here we go!

Name: tina

orbandprincess@ *redacted*

Quickly: Where can I send you money

Subject: rob...

Comment:
hi,

patrick and i put up the christmas tree lastnight. its fake. then, this morning zack and i put on the lights and ornaments that we had.

zack talked a lot about what they use to do with his mom. it seemed to do him some good. then, we whent shopping and bought more ornaments for 1.00. they are cute and make the tree look perfect. the tree colors are red and gold. and we have white and green lights. the green ones make it look more alive!

i love it!

i hope your having a fun time driving and such. where will you be for this lovely turkey day? I hope its great!

I have class soon. i dont particularly want to go. it boring.

later gater!

-tinap-

Name: Ma

kellis@ *redacted*

Subject: T'Day

Comment:
Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you're doing well.....

Love,

Ma

Name: aisha

Comment:
i know someone who is from marfa.
i hope you have a wonderful journey.
when are you leaving leaving leaving?
hopefully ill get to see you for more
than a second, again one day.
love peace chicken grease.. middle east
.. polar fleece
swiss cheese.
aisha
permalink

Eighty eight miles

1:19pm CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

Have driven 88.2 miles so far. I'm at a rest area just inside the Palo Pinto county line. Have seen some NO TOLERANCE signs regarding speed limit enforcement. Hadn't seen such in Texas before now, only in Oklahoma.

Been listening to my new Eminem tape with 8 Mile and some of his older shit on it.

1:31pm

That was the restarea where I met the guy cleaning the sink who hasn't lived outside of Texas, but has visited Texas City, Carlsbad (he says the Caverns are deeper now and take all day to go down and get back up), Oklahoma, and was born in Fort Stockton. Lives now in Stephenville.

It's 105 miles to Abilene from here. 540 some odd miles to El Paso, so about that to Balmorhea; dunno if I'll make it that far tonight or not.

Oh, and I climbed around on the concret benches a bit, didn't use my hands to balance sidways along a wall while facing the roof/wall of the shelter, turned and jumped to another platform. Good little bit of exercise before I begin again.

2:01pm

Apparently plenty of space for a radio station out here 75 miles east of Abilene. I only found 1 station across the entire band of FM and AM. It was not a hip hop station.

2:05pm

Oh, nevermind. I didn't have my radio's antenna up. Two FM stations, neither of which is hip hop, and plenty of AM stations, one of which broadcasts Dr Laura right now.

Laura Dr

2:18pm CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

Wow.

I have never previously heard Dr Laura. I have read some rants about her online, and have a sense that she stands for some things for which I do not.

Now I've had confirmation, though she's not 100% wizack. Just mostly wack.

2:29pm

Okay. Nevermind. She's totally fucking nutty. Peer pressuring a mom to get her daughter out of public school RIGHT NOW and create a big stink about how all public schools are in cahoots with Planned Parenthood, especially in California, to subversively take your kids out of school against your will and without your knowledge to allow them to do anything they want. Harshing the mom cause she doesn't have a cellphone and at least her new husband will teach her how to be a good parent.

The mom had called complaining that the school had allowed her 13 year old to go to Planned Parenthood after the 13 year old had had sex with someone that the mom presumes is a male.

Dr Laura all, "let's hope he's 4 years older than her so you can throw him in jail. Sue his family. Sue the school. Sue them and make the biggest stink you can about this because that's the only way that something is going to happen."

Dr Laura doesn't know if this woman has got the balls/means/courage to do something effective after being pressured to get her daughter out of school on an emotional whim. Jeez.

No shit the school should allow the girl to go there. *Obviously* the mom doesn't know what the fuck is going on with the girl in the first place. (See I know, but Dr L doesn't, right?) whatever.

Now

2:37pm CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

Right now I'm driving on divided highway I-20, two lanes each direction, mowed grass in the median, with overcast sky and a couple long winged birds floating around over rolling seas of trees, maybe oak or something else generally round with slightly off-green leaves with some dark green patches on the hillsides and pear cacti visiting the sides of the roadway in great herds and sometimes solitary sentinels, keeping a watch for the others.

P

3:16pm CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

I'm in Abilene, or on I-20 north of Abilene's business I-20. Just stopped to P, get gas (for $1.399/gallon) and stretch. It's about 40 degrees F outside. And windy. brrrr! That makes me glad I'm not doing this trek on my bike.

225.2 miles traveled. I'm at a rest area just before Stink Creek Road. I've been drinking a lot of water.

Plains

4:17pm CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

Now I am surrounded by hundreds of acres of fields, on a flat plain. No hills in sight. Is this the top of the bluff that oh I forgot her name advisor from Amarillo described as the surface Amarillo? Maybe.

Almost no trees.. well some trees, but nothing I could call a forest.

Train

5:07pm CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

Wow. This was cool. I saw a train crossing from left to right under the freeway ahead of me. Fine.

Then I saw the same train crossing from right to left under the freeway ahead of me. Wow. Pretty cool.

But now our paths have gone asymptotic; I am "right beside" this train (it's 100 yards to my left) as it's traveling fully sixty miles per hour!!

For a freight train that seems quite amazing. Plus it was going up and down gentle slopes a bit ago. So cool. Of course the bullet trains in Japan and Europe are faster, but it's built sleekly with supa smoove tracks and such. This is a freight train, all big and boxy. Amazing.

Synchronistically, just as I was passing the engines of the train, the song "8 Mile" started, which features locomotive horn sound at the beginning of the song. Nice.

43 miles to Odessa. 327 miles traveled so far today.

5:55pm

Just stopped at a gas station to exchange liquids.

Hmmm. I'm not sure where I am. Hopefully as far as Midland or even Odessa, but possibly only Big Spring. 349 miles traveled.

Midland. Cool.

Twilight

6:12pm CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

It's quite dusky outside. Looking at the map I see a rest area just after um, Pecos, just just before Toyah or something. I'm pretty sure i can make it there; if not, there is one closer.. but I know I'll make the one after Pecos. I'll probably be quite awake and get all the way to Balmoreah tonight, but it's possible they will be closed for the evening when I get there. In that case, there is another rest area somewhat nearby.

I'm hoping I'll be able to just sleep without paying anything, and then tomorrow get to explore around Balmoreah which Fred and I enjoyed greatly back in 1984 or 83 or something when our parents took us cross country to Grand Canyon and such.

Oh!! That reminds me that i'll be close to Las Vegas, where I can toss a single dollar into a slot machine and not be tempted to do more, no matter what the outcome.

Back in the day, Fred and I got to play at the upper level of Circus Circus in Las Vegas, which I mentioned to someone who responded with "Circus Circus?? Awh that place is terrible...." or something. We'll see.

closer

7:04pm CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

I'm at another rest area - the one before Pecos. Just chillin' for a second and stretch before the next one which is 119 miles away. That's the one I have my sights on tonight, but that seems a bit far for me. Maybe.

Oh wait. no. The one I have eyes on is a picnic area with no facilities. I can use a Toyah restroom when I wake up. I've only got like 50 miles to go before sleepin' a bit.

done driving

7:44pm CST Tuesday 26 November 2002

Skipped the picnic area idea when I found an exit indicating Balmorhea is 37 miles away. 449 miles traveled so far.

8:37pm

Have just arrived at Balmorhea. Now I know how to spell it. Sleep now.

My computer screen is off to save battery power; fifty four minutes left. Um, oh my car feels quite warm right now, or warm enough to sleep comfortably, but who knows if it will stay warm all night. Not me.

Okay, goodnight.

9:11pm

Man fuck trying to sleep all crunched up in my car. I've got my sleeping bag on top of a picnic table now. much better!!

Goodnight for real.