Signs of Life

Emerging from an intense work binge that has consumed my life for two months, I look around and wonder where I am. Physically I'm in Florida, after a three-day, marathon 1900 mile drive from Albuquerque to Port Charlotte. But the last few days my head has been in the Twilight Zone. This is largely due to lack of sleep and 80 hour work weeks since late April. "Ungrounded" doesn't begin to describe the depletion I'm experiencing.

Day One

It was fun traveling without human and canine companionship--just me and my CDs on the open road. The first day was probably the most interesting. I enjoyed the drive from New Mexico to Texas on I-40, eventually saying goodbye to tumbleweed and mesas that yielded to cattle ranches and grain silos.

East of Tucumcari I stopped to grab a smoothie out of the cooler and caught a glimpse of the Llano Estacado. Part of the High Plains, the Llano Estacado, or "palisaded plains," straddles New Mexico and Texas along the border. This large mesa occupies 37,500 square miles. As I haven't yet perfected the art of levitation, this aerial photo isn't mine, but it's probably better than anything I could have shot from the ground.


I noticed something odd in the distance as I approached Amarillo.


This strange site was just too compelling to ignore. At the next exit I doubled back to check out Cadillac Ranch, a unique work of art that sits on the sprawling ranch belonging to eccentric Stanley Marsh, 3. (He uses "3" because he feels "III" is "too pretentious.") Ten Cadillacs buried in the earth and heavily layered with graffiti decorate the horizon. Children and adults armed with spray paint and Magic Markers were gathered around these rusty relics to leave their marks. Discarded cans littered the ground and the air was heavy with paint fumes.




After a quick examination of the colorful display, I hurried back to the car to see what else Texas had in store for me. I didn't have to travel far.



But the strangest sight of all was the herd of camels grazing in lush grassland outside of Wichita Falls. That's right, dozens of camels staring at passing cars. Dromedaries. One hump.

To be continued...