And so, on the 14th, I started heading back toward home. I wish I’d been able to stay out roaming longer but sleeping in strange places takes a toll on you after some time. This last night especially was bad. I should have stopped in Texas but by the time I would have I got stuck in a hail storm and had no choice but to stay in the shelter of a semi truck’s slip-stream until we got through the hail. My windshield was cracked in two places before I had the wherewithal to sneak up real close behind the semi. I also realized I had to follow it’s tracks perfectly, because the hail had piled so thick on the road that whenever I veered from the safety of the semi tracks, I lost control of the car. I tried to find underpasses to hide under and even tried to stay at several hotels I found–the hotels weren’t open and the underpasses were full of cars so I couldn’t stop without obstructing traffic. It was a grueling 3 or so hours of white-knuckle driving. After getting through all that, I stopped at a rest area with a scenic view in New Mexico; the view ended up being beautiful in the morning but sleeping in the driver’s seat like I did meant that every time a semi passed on the highway I would jolt awake with my heart pounding, certain I’d finally fallen asleep while driving. And it happened all. Night. Long.
Had I slept better that last night I likely would have stopped at the Grand Canyon, but I was exhausted and irritable and I smelled like stale sweat. I wanted a shower.
Now, I stopped somewhere between Louisville and… St. Louis, I think, after leaving Kentucky? I don’t recall where I stopped that night very clearly, I think I got another hotel. I do recall the next day stopping several places in Oklahoma and just never taking pictures. Oh well. I did bring home some souvenirs for mom and friends. And dad? I think so. Anyway, I stopped and then continued through Oklahoma, into Texas, and eventually stopped in New Mexico. For clarity, a lot of the shots at night that are coming up that’s lightning through cloud cover. I never saw the lighting bolts directly, but they lit the sky up every 2 or 3 seconds. That was before the hail started kicking my ass.
Next day, woke up to a “scenic view” that was true to it’s name, but I’ll be grateful never to drive through anything like I did that night ever again. I hit that storm with about 14-16 hours of driving under my belt as it was–I had been planning to stop soon. Spending three hours gripping that wheel and fighting it through the hail was terrifying.
I stopped to collect a couple of flowers in… New Mexico? Arizona? I don’t recall, but they turned out to have a hitchhiker. I don’t know if this was illegal back then, but I believe now you’re not allowed to transport plants across state lines like this, but nobody stopped me at the borders to say so. Also, I totally peed in that giant pink bottle on a few occasions. It looks as though it was recently used in that photo above lol.
I saw these horses from a ways off and for some reason decided to come check them out. I eventually left because I was concerned I was bothering them, but I just liked seeing what appeared to be a little horse family. I sort of wish I had taken a little time to try and get better shots of them, but I didn’t know if they were wild or what and I was slightly afraid they would hurt me if I got too close or did anything they didn’t like.
Now, how can anyone look at those photos above and say Arizona is ugly? Parts of it aren’t terribly attractive, sure, but Arizona is also one of the most beautiful states in the union in quite a few regions. Up above is around Flagstaff, an area I’ve always liked. The green, the elevation, the weather, the snow. Sadly, after this, you get to watch us descend back down into a layer of smog.
Home sweet home.
So there we are, that’s it. There’s a lot that didn’t get captured in photographs that I didn’t record here; I did keep a journal during this trip though I don’t know recall where it is, though when/if I next find it it would be fun to transcribe that to go along with this though it’s probably at least a little cringey. Oh well, what can you laugh at if you can’t laugh at who you were? In any event, if you’re reading this, I hope you saw something you liked, or got some amusement or entertainment for a minute or two at least. Cheers until next time.