I finally pulled out of the driveway with Zeke and Minnie at 6:57pm Tuesday night. My neatly-organized bags and boxes that I had meticulously placed in the van were quickly disheveled because the dogs couldn't sit still. As soon as I drove off, both dogs were romping around and looking out the window. "Look at me!" barked Minnie at nothing in particular, "I'm going on a road trip!" Zeke preferred sitting quietly in the passenger seat, riding shotgun the entire way.
Two big boxes that I placed in the back of the van were for Eric and a special delivery. They were the primary reason I was driving to him, so that they were guaranteed a safe delivery. They contained his laptop, his PS4 system and a few other things he had packaged up so that I could mail them to him once he had an address and he could receive personal accessories (he was not allowed anything that wasn't issued to him during his basic training). He didn't package the stuff well, though, as the laptop box rattled and I didn't want that going through the postal system. I even brought along his $10 bottle of special beer that his friend Derek had sent to him last year.
The first 130 miles were along the border with Mexico, as AZ80 meanders along the mountain passes known for its drug smuggling. I usually see USBP vans parked off the roads, with their radar pointing south. I didn't see any USBP vans this time as I drove along this desolate stretch at 60mph. It's beautiful here, albeit the sense of danger never wanes.
The full moon had already risen and lighted my drive the entire length of New Mexico. I drove on auto-pilot, knowing that I'd be pulling over a few times during the night for cat naps before arriving at my destination. The roads were clear with no obstructions. I would pull over and nap behind the wheel whenever I felt tired.
I had no traffic to worry about. I drove AZ80 (which becomes NM80 crossing into NM) to I-10 just west of Lordsburg, NM, where we had our first pee break at an abandoned truck stop at Road Forks off the interstate, 14 miles west of Lordsburg. The place is now closed, thanks to the build-up of modern truck and travel stops in Lordsburg. The entire lot was overgrown with weeds growing up from the cracks in the crumbling pavement, the trash bins were overflowing with garbage and the glass windows to the former convenience store broken. This was not the sign of human life I like to be around, especially at night with no witnesses, and made this stop as quickly as possible. We continued on I-10 east to US70 outside of Las Cruces, where I took another pee break with the dogs at the Rio Grande river, which was dry at that point. There wasn't even a trickle of water flowing, as I normally see it when crossing the bridge in the winter. The river passes Las Cruces from the south. I had never seen it dry here during my other drives across the state. It was 2am, the full moon was high, and we romped around in the dry river bed. No one bothered us. When we walked under the bridge, the dogs didn't bark, which tells me that no one was sleeping here, either. All was quiet.
I like the Las Cruces/White Sands area. If it weren't so far away, I'd be exploring it more. The valley here is wide and sheltered by mountains in all directions. These mountains cut a sharp, ragged silhouette under the moonlight. I cut across the White Sands area on US70 toward Alamogordo, coasting downhill from the pass but aware of potential speed traps. I saw none tonight. The Lincoln National Forest comes into prominent view here as US70 continues from Alamogordo north to Tularosa and then into the mountains. I drove below the posted speedlimit of 65mph because of elk off the road. One very large and impressive buck was standing on the shoulder and looking back at the headlights of passing cars. Luckily we didn't meet by accident, as he was a beautiful animal.
I didn't get tired until I reached the pass at 7591' and pulled into a casino parking area not far from the Ruidoso turn-off, where I napped until cold feet woke me up a few hours later and I resumed my drive. I resumed my dark drive until Roswell, NM, when the sun finally came up again. This part is an ugly part of the country, as the mountains give way to the flat Permian Basin, which is rich in oil reserves. Oil derricks, burning natural gas pipes and now wind turbines dot the landscape. It smells badly when the wind comes from the right direction. Oblivious cows chew their cud as they stare at passing cars. I'd stop every few hours to let the dogs walk a bit, usually on a dirt road leading to some oil company's tanks or towers and back.
The small towns along this stretch of road, toward Brownfield, TX look neglected. Boarded-up wooden shacks, rusty equipment, overgrown weeds engulfing brick homes line the road here. The inhabited homes looked a tad better. I ate breakfast at a McDonald's in Brownfield, TX and bought each dog an extra sausage biscuit as I drank my coffee behind the wheel. Here US70 continues northeast to Clovis. We continued on US380 east, a straight highway in northern Texas dotted with now-plowed cotton fields and ranches. At night the stray cotton balls along the roadside look like snow trapped in the weeds, but I knew better after many drives across Texas. The scenery didn't change from boring to rolling hills until I passed Lubbock and stopped at a rest area, the Silver Falls rest area, where the dogs ran around for almost a mile along the creek and its refreshing water. I had my GPS on tracking our movement.
This rest area was a godsend for the dogs, as they were inside the van for several hours with the day's warmth heating up the van despite the AC on. Minnie and Zeke darted into the water, fetched sticks, and had fun being dogs. This also meant muddy paws. Lovely. The creek was open to travelers, but it was just a sliver of public land. Recent rains had muddied up the banks. A chainlink fence reminded travelers that the surrounding area of limestone slabs, rocks and oaks was private property. The trees were starting to change color. This little recessed parcel of land lay hidden from drivers on the highway.
Traffic never got too congested anywhere. This was a desolate part of the state. Red buttes sprang up in the distance in this rather treeless region of mostly small scrub oaks, mesquites and sotols. Weather was still mild, but the sky became overcast as I reached Wichita Falls at 3:20pm and then Sheppard Air Base ten miles later. I drove around the base, explored where important facilities were at, such as the fitness center where I showered every morning, and secluded areas to park for the night. I found both quickly.
I showered right away, then let the dogs on a 2.5-mile walk along the Windy Creek fitness trail, a trail built on a once-former golf course. A few people were jogging and walking their dogs, and I had mine on their leashes. It was after my duties to the dogs that I contacted Eric via my Facebook messenger. It was after 5pm; surely he'd be off duty by then.
Eric was finally able to get free by 7pm. By then we were both hungry. We had our first meal at a beer pub in town, the Backporch Drafthouse which is more of a sports bar than a beer pub. (Wichita Falls does not have its own brewpub!) None of the beers is brewed on the premise and the prices are a bit high. Our meal, with two beers each and an appetizer of chips and salsa, was $57. Ouch. The place was crowded, too, and not the best place for conversation.
The drive had tired me out. I dropped Eric off at 9pm. We made plans to get together again at 11am tomorrow. Some place would be open to serve a turkey meal and we would find it. I went back to the dark parking lot across from the Windy Creek fitness trail and slept soundly from 9pm until Minnie's barking woke me up around 4am. Apparently an airman had walked too close to the van and she had to protect her turf.
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