Made It
Started our trip at 7 a.m. yesterday in Gruene. Finished it yesterday at 11 p.m. Mountain Time in Santa Fe. We were running from weather. It caught us outside Junction. We lost two hours of travel time. There was rain. There was ice. There were semi’s on their sides. Semi’s in the walls. Semi’s without cabs. Semi’s upside down. There were pickups beat to pieces. There were tow trucks and police everywhere. We sat. We waited. We moved. Ever. So. Slowly.
Eventually, we got going. Waved at Ozona Dave. Ate a late lunch in Fort Stockton. Boogied on down the road. Made lots of stops. Changed drivers. Emptied bladders. Told stories. Bought gas. It seemed as though there was a wreck in every town. A celebration of flashing lights. There was construction in the oil patch. I saw a wind farm at night blinking red lights. We hit fog outside Santa Fe. We plodded on, not quite the Donner Party, but feeling stretched.
Now it’s morning. I’m up early but I’m always up early. The rest are snug in their beds. Today is a day of easy travel into Alamosa to visit friends. There will be time for sightseeing, for shopping. We’ll eat lunch at a favorite joint, have a margarita. This travel day will be a walk in the park compared to yesterday. It’s all part of the plan. Although, I hate to remind everyone about plans and how they can sometimes go astray. But, hey. We’re here, and Red River with it’s music and friends is just around the corner, and we shall turn it tomorrow and be there.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale