RV park windstorm in marfa, texas
i spent april 11th, a highly significant anniversary for me, driving through the hell that is texas. specifcially, west texas. i gleened new insight into our president's psyche after driving through the area that he is from. it is literally miles and miles of flat oil fields. smelly. no vegetation. no animals. chemicals. hot.
i thought i was losing my mind at one point. granted i had been driving for over 10 hours by that point, hadn't slept well the night before despite being at a beautiful campsite, and was on day three of driving...the longest amount of consecutive days and the longest single day of driving i had ever done in my life up until that point. HOWEVER, i think anyone would have started to lose their mind. thank god for wonderful mixed cd's made by others, of which i had plenty from past and present. i reserved the best, the best of fleetwood mac that is, for the hardest stretch and managed to make it through.
as the sun was setting, i exited off the main highway onto texas route 118. a winding narrow road through low mountains. uninhabited by people. no one on the road. i popped in a mix of mine that starts with depeche mode's "waiting for the night." the sun setting against the moutains in contrast to the chemicalized air created vibrant colors and shadows. i passed a small herd along the road of...what the fuck was that?!?! they looked like pigs. i figured i was hallucinating. another mile and another heard. this time i took pictures. feral pigs. right up on the road. small ugly animals, but cool to come upon.
i kept winding around and around. as it got darker, i turned the music up. sped up. rolled the windows down. the temperature dropped from 80 to 50 in an hour. it would not be the first time i discovered that i like to drive fast on winding roads. it relaxes me and turns me on at the same time. but that's an entry for a different journal. i wound up the mountain higher and higher. at the top was an observatory, but i kept driving. it was now late and dark and the road felt good. i wound down.
at the bottom i was high. i don't know how fast i was going. i didn't care. it didn't even seem like i was driving anymore. my concentration was somewhere else. but now i needed to focus and find a place to stay for the night. i drove the 15 minutes into marfa, stopped at a gas station and asked where someone should stay in town. "you should stay at the thunderbird (http://www.thunderbirdmarfa.com/)," the young earnest fresh-faced high school blond perky clerk told me as she practically swooned. i was feeling like a dirty old man.
i went to the thunderbird. closed. some keys were left for a late night arrival and i wondered for a second as to how badly my karma would be tainted were i to take her keys and use them. they were just there. in an envelope. i went into the bar next door. four hipsters younger than i were there. it felt like a movie moment when the handsome stanger opens the door dramatically and the whole bar turns around interested. "do you know where i can talk to someone from the thunderbird about a room?" i asked. "they don't have any vacancies tonight. try down the street...and...um...you should come back after you do." the cute bartender replied. i must be giving off something. "maybe i will" i winked and walked out.
i went to the next hotel. no vacancy. i went to the historic old hotel that i suspected would be really pricey, but at this point i had no option. there were no other hotels in marfa, texas. no vacancy. then i remembered...i passed an rv park when i drove down the road and turned around. i'll see if i can pitch a tent.
i drove down there and sure enough, campers camp for $10. i found a spot on the edge of the property and started to set up my tent. it was 11:00 p.m. it was a little windy, but not unbearably so. what was unbearable was navigating the excruciating prickers in the dark. so many. i had no idea where they were coming from either. i ended up picking prickers out of my tent, bedding, clothes, and even body as late as yesterday. i was so tired, i didn't bother to stake my tent. big mistake. although i don't know where i would have staked it. the ground was packed sand and rock and there were no trees. just a dry plain.
in an hour and a half, i was awoken by the windiest night i have ever experienced. my tent was lifting off the ground at all four corners. the poles were bending. the tent was at an angle. the sound of the flapping of the tent was deafening. i shuffled to the side that the wind was the strongest, stretched out and anchored it down. there were points where i was literally pulling the tent down to try and keep it on the ground. i was getting tired and panicked and it was only a half hour into the ordeal. i texted sarah to look up the weather for me. i couldn't die in texas. not in texas. high winds predicted. should die down by morning. no rain. i kept telling myself that i wasn't going to die from wind. i just needed to wait it out. after about two hours the wind started to lessen and i fell asleep. only to be awoken two hours later by more strong winds, but by this time i could deal. i would be fine. i was fine. i fell back asleep for a little more.
as soon as the sun was up, i was up. i picked the prickers out of my things bit by bit and packed up the tent. went to a quaint and delicious place for the most enormous breakfast i think i have ever eaten. it had an old red pick up truck parked out front that if someone had offered, i would have traded the prius for. walked around the town. went to the farmer's market. bought the most delicious tamales and cinnamon tea i've ever had. watched the train pass through the middle of town until the last car had passed. and then it was time for me to move on...
i thought i was losing my mind at one point. granted i had been driving for over 10 hours by that point, hadn't slept well the night before despite being at a beautiful campsite, and was on day three of driving...the longest amount of consecutive days and the longest single day of driving i had ever done in my life up until that point. HOWEVER, i think anyone would have started to lose their mind. thank god for wonderful mixed cd's made by others, of which i had plenty from past and present. i reserved the best, the best of fleetwood mac that is, for the hardest stretch and managed to make it through.
as the sun was setting, i exited off the main highway onto texas route 118. a winding narrow road through low mountains. uninhabited by people. no one on the road. i popped in a mix of mine that starts with depeche mode's "waiting for the night." the sun setting against the moutains in contrast to the chemicalized air created vibrant colors and shadows. i passed a small herd along the road of...what the fuck was that?!?! they looked like pigs. i figured i was hallucinating. another mile and another heard. this time i took pictures. feral pigs. right up on the road. small ugly animals, but cool to come upon.
i kept winding around and around. as it got darker, i turned the music up. sped up. rolled the windows down. the temperature dropped from 80 to 50 in an hour. it would not be the first time i discovered that i like to drive fast on winding roads. it relaxes me and turns me on at the same time. but that's an entry for a different journal. i wound up the mountain higher and higher. at the top was an observatory, but i kept driving. it was now late and dark and the road felt good. i wound down.
at the bottom i was high. i don't know how fast i was going. i didn't care. it didn't even seem like i was driving anymore. my concentration was somewhere else. but now i needed to focus and find a place to stay for the night. i drove the 15 minutes into marfa, stopped at a gas station and asked where someone should stay in town. "you should stay at the thunderbird (http://www.thunderbirdmarfa.com/)," the young earnest fresh-faced high school blond perky clerk told me as she practically swooned. i was feeling like a dirty old man.
i went to the thunderbird. closed. some keys were left for a late night arrival and i wondered for a second as to how badly my karma would be tainted were i to take her keys and use them. they were just there. in an envelope. i went into the bar next door. four hipsters younger than i were there. it felt like a movie moment when the handsome stanger opens the door dramatically and the whole bar turns around interested. "do you know where i can talk to someone from the thunderbird about a room?" i asked. "they don't have any vacancies tonight. try down the street...and...um...you should come back after you do." the cute bartender replied. i must be giving off something. "maybe i will" i winked and walked out.
i went to the next hotel. no vacancy. i went to the historic old hotel that i suspected would be really pricey, but at this point i had no option. there were no other hotels in marfa, texas. no vacancy. then i remembered...i passed an rv park when i drove down the road and turned around. i'll see if i can pitch a tent.
i drove down there and sure enough, campers camp for $10. i found a spot on the edge of the property and started to set up my tent. it was 11:00 p.m. it was a little windy, but not unbearably so. what was unbearable was navigating the excruciating prickers in the dark. so many. i had no idea where they were coming from either. i ended up picking prickers out of my tent, bedding, clothes, and even body as late as yesterday. i was so tired, i didn't bother to stake my tent. big mistake. although i don't know where i would have staked it. the ground was packed sand and rock and there were no trees. just a dry plain.
in an hour and a half, i was awoken by the windiest night i have ever experienced. my tent was lifting off the ground at all four corners. the poles were bending. the tent was at an angle. the sound of the flapping of the tent was deafening. i shuffled to the side that the wind was the strongest, stretched out and anchored it down. there were points where i was literally pulling the tent down to try and keep it on the ground. i was getting tired and panicked and it was only a half hour into the ordeal. i texted sarah to look up the weather for me. i couldn't die in texas. not in texas. high winds predicted. should die down by morning. no rain. i kept telling myself that i wasn't going to die from wind. i just needed to wait it out. after about two hours the wind started to lessen and i fell asleep. only to be awoken two hours later by more strong winds, but by this time i could deal. i would be fine. i was fine. i fell back asleep for a little more.
as soon as the sun was up, i was up. i picked the prickers out of my things bit by bit and packed up the tent. went to a quaint and delicious place for the most enormous breakfast i think i have ever eaten. it had an old red pick up truck parked out front that if someone had offered, i would have traded the prius for. walked around the town. went to the farmer's market. bought the most delicious tamales and cinnamon tea i've ever had. watched the train pass through the middle of town until the last car had passed. and then it was time for me to move on...