4/4/2011
Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what your gonna get!! Can you believe I woke up to the sight of snow? I opened the door of my room at the Best Western and the trees were all white!!! I’m completely serious. New Mexico is surely a special place. When I checked out, Donna the general manager there informed me that the drastic swings in weather are normal. I took that to mean that I should expect the unexpected.
Now I didn’t encounter a soul today but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t eventful. Or perhaps I am acquiring a heightened sensitvity to my surroundings. Today’s run started with barking dogs of course. They were behind a fence but unlike the other fenced dogs I’ve encountered, Cujo decided to crawl under the wire and come right up to me. Now I know Nick back at headquarters would have loved for me to get of picture of this but, the last thing I think about when a rabid dog is about to bite off my private parts is pulling out the camera. I did however have lightning fast reactions grabbing for my can of mace. This early morning wake up put me on high alert all day.
The next animal I passed was a dead deer. I wondered to myself how the thing died and how come nothing had come to eat it. I didn’t have too much time to dwell on it though. I wanted to cross my next border. As I headed towards Texas a little something on the ground broke through my tunnel vision. It was a lucky penny. It was old. 1940 old to be exact. I checked it out and imagined that someone dropped it some seventy years ago while making their way out west. Perhaps he was having some wild journey and heading towards greener pastures on route 66. How long did that penny sit there undisturbed??
The next creature I encountered were these strange caterpillar like creatures. There were so many of them tangled in some kind of webbing. I had to take a picture. When I looked at were I was, I realized I was in the Glenrio welcome center. Really, it was a ghost town. But, It was also right on the border of New Mexico and Texas. I ran over to the sign to document crossing into my fourth state. Trust me when I say it never gets old.
Just like most borders I’ve crossed, the lines that are drawn seperate distinct smells, sights, and cultures. Today’s border was no exception. Immediately the scenery changed. The red rocks and trees growing off the mountainsides were replaced by miles and miles of grass. I began to see lots of stetson hats. Even the little boys were wearing them. The weather seemed to change and the side of the freeway was flat and easy to run. And while I was just getting on schedule, I get hit with a time zone change. I’m sure that will put a dent in my sleeping pattern.
As you might have noticed, I stopped at the first picnic area in Texas. It’s twelve miles from the border. I decided my mom should meet me there. We ended up cooking instant noodles because some hot soup was needed to stay warm. While we were cooking, we saw a strange character that never stopped talking on his phone. Then, a little bit later, another strange character pulled up in a red corvette. He kind of got on his phone then walked in the vicinity of the other guy for a bit. The guy from the corvette then got back in his car and followed a big rig onto the interstate while the first guy stayed on the phone. I don’t know what was going on but there was certainly something fishy going on. My mom and I didn’t stay to watch the scene unfold. It was time to call it the day.
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