I woke up around 9:00 am local time to a picnic area I recall well: I've stopped here a couple of times in the past 2-3 years. Back in May 2001, I stopped here briefly on a blistering hot afternoon to rest and after taking a whiz on the rocks, the urine started to evaporate. After brushing my teeth and putting on my contacts, I headed home on a dreaded highway home to reality and responsibility. But first, I had to stop at a Sam's Club to balance and rotate the Rodeo tires- the closest Sam's would be either Midland, which I was in a couple of days ago, or Abilene, which I've never driven through- the choice was simple, but Abilene was 200 miles away.
On highway 85 in New Mexico, near the New Mexico-Texas border, there was a rather large XXX adult store which looks like a metal shack, smacked out in the middle of nowhere. A good place to avoid conspicion. Or is it? The operator would probably recognize every local face. I thought about stopping the Rodeo and taking a picture, but kept on driving. It's always nice to be have access to your favorite porn while on the lonely road.
In Abilene I was able to find the Sam's Club, and while in queue to get the tires balanced and rotated, I walked a mile over to the Arby's and ate lunch. The sun baked me like bread in a toaster. About an hour later, when I arrived back at Sam's, they were just completing the rotation. It felt so much better to get that finished. The tire prices are very expensive nowadays and it will cost an arm and leg to get them replaced in a year or two.
I filled up the gas tank one last time at a Fina on Highway 36 and purchased a Vanilla coke for the road.
There was a short rest at a picnic area south of Commanche, TX. A grasshopper had fallen from the a tree, and when I looked, it seemed like it holding onto a broken piece of wood and trembling as if a person coming out of a cold shower, but wait, grasshoppers don't tremble- the piece of wood was a cleverly disguised grasshopper and they were doing the wild thing.
While driving towards Gaitsville, TX, a sudden feeling of joy just rushed over me as I approached the north end of the city. For a brief moment, while monotonously paying attention to the road and listening to Iron Maiden's Stranger in a Strange Land, an almost perfect state of grace overcame me and I had to smile. Usually, when I'm driving home on the last day of road trip, I'm just chugging along feeling tired yet satisfied. It was a perfect answer to an unknown question- maybe I'm better off not trying to figure out the bliss. I like it.
I recall times when I just wanted to break down into tears without reason. I suppose it's the soul trying to reveal itself.
Highway 36 towards Temple, TX was packed with drivers going the opposite direction.
After 600+ miles of driving, I arrived at home at 1:00 am. A little darker on the skin, a little lighter on the soul. The end of the road for now. First mission is to take a shower because there's no telling what's lived and died in my shorts for the past 3 1/2 days.
