The problem is that there is no easy way to get from the Albuquerque area to San Angelo, TX. You can fly to San Angelo, if you don't mind spending hours & hours in airports during various layovers in Houston or Dallas. Or you can fly to Midland, rent a car & drive for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, what used to be a late afternoon flight was moved by Southwest to a mid-evening flight - leaving the traveler to drive the couple of hours in the dark (literally and sometimes figuratively).
Thanks to my getting a new(er) car earlier this year to replace my 20 year old truck, I've been driving over the hills and through the prairies - for about 9 to 10 hours. Which is what I did yesterday.
At first it's fun to see the scenery change. The evergreen trees in the Sandias changing to the evergreen shrubs changing to the grass punctuated at first by lots of cholla (cactus) to occasional cholla to very little cholla and mostly grass. However, after about 5 hours, it starts to get VERY old. This photo was taken in Lincoln County, NM - looking west from the highway.
I was glad I was doing the speed limit when I drove through Vaughn. By the side of the road sat the police. In a pickup truck. And not just ANY pickup truck. Imagine said pickup with a kick-ass paint scheme of blue and black. Plus the fact it was a pickup that apparently had been taking steroids for a considerable period of time because it was very big and very intimidating. The windows were tinted so I couldn't see if the occupant matched the truck for size & intimidation.
I keep meaning to stop in Vaughn. As I've driven through I've noticed a diner - one of those old-fashioned kind with lots of chrome on the outside. It looks very 1950's. I may stop on the way back to Albuquerque for a snack. I'll keep you posted if I do.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Papillon
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