Our journey from Houston to Mesa took 22 hours and we covered 1200 miles. I drove between 75 and 85 miles per hour and the Camry averaged 33.2 miles per gallon. Not bad. We slept in the car for three hours in a "parking area" according to the sign, which was a few miles west of Las Cruces. We stopped to eat twice and stopped at numerous other rest areas. Along the way we experienced a few interesting things.
Our first stop for gas was in Ozona, TX. First, a little info, Ozona is the only incorporated town in Crockett County. It has a population of 3500, 75% of which are white. It is hunting town on the edge of the Texas Hill country.
I finished pumping the gas and went into the store to buy a drink and use the restroom. I put the drink on the counter and the clerk looked up at me. She said, "You are not from around here are you?" I am not sure what gave me away? Having all of my teeth?Speaking without a strong Texas accent? Not wearing wranglers and boots? Not buying pork skins, dip, and a six pack? I said, you are correct, I am not from around here. She responded, "You military"? "No ma'am." "Well, what brings you to our little town?" I said a vacation. She asked to where. I said California. She then said "at least you are not working, yet", and winked at me. Bizzaro.
Ten minutes outside of Ostrango, flashing red and blue lights filled my rearview mirror. I promptly pulled over and waited for the State Trooper. He said I was going 83 in a 65. I showed him my driver's license and my police ID. He wrote me a warning so that he would get credit for the stop and warned me that there were 4 more troopers between there and Fort Stockton. He said they were all rookies and might write me a ticket. I said thanks for the tip and kept it at 75 all the way to Fort Stockton.
After our late night nap, we drove on to Deming, NM. We stopped at Austin's favorite fast food place, McDonalds. We had a nice breakfast and then Austin and I went to the restroom. Now, without being too graphic, the stench that greeted us upon opening the door was unbelievable. The two stalls were occupied, so the malodorous crime was in progress. Austin and I held our breaths, and rushed though our business. Jen then took Addy to the restroom. She found a similar odor, apparently caused by women throwing their soiled toliet paper on the floor rather than flushing it. Outstanding. So, while we can recommend the food at the Deming McDonalds. We would avoid the restrooms like we would avoid Ebola, staph, or Scientologists.
I took a number of photos along the way and uploaded them to my Flickr feed. Search for will7079 on Flickr to find them.
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