I had discussed with my mother the previous spring the idea of me delivering some horses when the current crop of foals was ready. With the drought in the West, the number of horses ordered declined. Still there were 2 horses with willing buyers ready to go this fall. Not as many as we had hoped, but still less mouths to feed in New Mexico.
Originally I was going to bring Zach and Becky. But as I worked out the math and logistics, it would take a longer time and more $$ to lug everyone around the West. I could save on motel rooms by sleeping in the truck at times and I could make my own lunches with the mini fridge. It would be a spartan few weeks, but it would be cheaper and faster. Plus there is value in being by oneself every once in awhile
So off I went on a Saturday morning. The nice thing is that the further West you go, the higher the speed limits. At some points, 80 mph. So I was able to make good time and made it out to New Mexico in 2 days. One thing that I noted was the occasional dead armadillo in Missouri. Not typically a state that you think of when you think of armadillo roadkill. I had thought their habitat was more in the SouthWest.
Well I arrived in Rodeo and rested for a day before embarking upon the 1st destination. Had a nice meal at the Sky Island Grill – very healthy portions. Craig is a handy man that my Mother employs from time to time. The project du jour was to load up a colt into the trailer. But the colt still had to be separated from the mother. So that added a level of difficulty.
Fortunately the mare was gentle. So we got them both in the trailer by leading the mare inside. Then we had to get a rope around the neck of the colt to tie him temporarily in the trailer while we lead the mother out. Easier said than done. Craig and I had to tag team on the colt as he went from one side of his mother to the other as we tried to get a rope on him. We finally got him fastened and the mother was lead out. So step one was completed.
The next morning I left for Idaho. The owner lives just across the border in Wyoming, but the horse trainer lives in Georgetown Idaho which is about 15 miles away. We were taking him there to be halter broken.
The GPS took me on some highways that I had not been on before. So it is always nice to see new country side, particularly out West. Nice mesa's, butte's and just picturesque landscapes almost every mile. Saw some wild horses – that was pretty cool. Most were black or brown. But I saw a few with that wild mustang pattern. As it got dark on that 1st day I started to look for a place to stop.
As it turned out the next town was on the Navajo Indian reservation. I parked behind a strip mall and got out to get in my daily walk. When I walked along the back edge of the mall where there was a fence, I discovered numerous empty pints of vodka. Apparently a favorite of Navajo youth when they want to indulge.
The people that I met in the restaurant and store were very friendly. I was walking out of the Burger King when a woman held the door open for me and said “god bless you sir.” I was taken by surprise – what I should said was - “I need all the help I can get!”, but I just quickly said “thank you” and went on my way.
On the way back, I did stop in at the Navajo “Art Center” - I add the quotes as it was not the art center that I had envisioned. Nothing hand crafted or locally made that I could see. Everything was manufactured – sure it had native Indian patterns, but nothing was handmade. I did buy Becky an Indian blanket and some incense, I figured it helped the local economy to a degree.
On the way to the drop off, I passed through a town called Soda Springs. It billed itself as a stop on the Oregon Trail. Which of course brought up memories of the Oregon Trail computer game – it felt like every other journey found you dying of dysentery on the prairie.
The trainer was nice, looked like a cowboy out of the old West. We got the colt unloaded just fine and I was on my way back to New Mexico. For some reason the GPS routed me back differently. It was getting towards dark and I found myself in mountains with hair pin curves. Was the GPS trying to kill me??? Thankfully the road straightened and I descended from the mountains to the valley below where it was smoother and the remainder of the trip back was uneventful.
Another days rest and it was time to depart, this time to Texas. We had to separate 2 horses that had been penned up as the buyer had been waffling back and forth on 1 or 2 horses, finally deciding at the last minute on 1. Surprisingly it was an easy load despite the horse not being halter broken.
But getting the trailer out of the corral was a chore. Over the years mesquite has grown in a few places and there were some fence posts in the way. So Craig and I finally had to unhook the trailer and rehook it at a different angle to get it out of there.
I was up before day break to leave. I did take a minute or two just to look at the New Mexico night time sky. No clouds and it felt like you could almost reach up and touch the stars. I looked at the milky way and just took it all in. Back to reality, I finished packing and I was off.
The terrain in West Texas was pretty much the same. Going North through New Mexico and Arizona there were a variety of rock formations and different colors. But West Texas seemed more bland in comparison. I do recall that it felt like you could drive for miles and not see any houses or anything.
There was a guy going east bound and he must have had some sort of car trouble. I saw him get out of the car with his flashers on and look around with his hands on hips. He must have been wondering “What am I going to do now!” I don't know if there were any service stations for 50 miles in either direction. I felt his pain.
I had to pass through Austin on the way to Caldwell, TX. On the West side of Austin there are more wineries than ranches. At least it felt that way. Even a place that made gin and vodka. They must party hard there in the state capitol.
I pulled up to the ranch that was the new home for the horse and the front section was dedicated to long horns. I saw about 20. Then I reached the horse barn and met the new owners. The ranch owner was a retired emergency room doctor – Glenn Cochran. He looked and spoke like Sam Elliot. Sallie was his wife and Carlos was the new owner of the horse. All were very pleasant and we conversed for a bit.
Soon it was time for me to leave and meet my sister. My father had gifted me a slot machine. But Becky did not care for it in the house at all. So I offered it to Heather since it was just sitting in the barn collecting dust. We arranged to meet at a restaurant in College Station so I could drop it off to her.
But I had time to get in an oil change, or so I thought. With all the time traveling through mountain, pacific, and eastern time zones, my time pieces were out of sync. My fitbit was still on mountain time. So I was leisurely getting stuff done, then I plugged in my laptop and looked at the time. What the...? So I did a search “what time is it in College Station, TX” It was almost time to meet at the restaurant!
I got with the manager at Jiffy Lube and explained my dilemma. They hastily completed their work and although I was fashionably late, it was better than the time I would have arrived if I had not happened to look at my computer. The visit went well and I was able to log in little driving time before dark.
I made it back to the ranch that evening and had a nice supper. That was one nice aspect to the trip. It is nice to be doted upon by your mother. At home I have to do all the cooking. She fixed breakfast and supper during my visits. And that last supper was good – salmon and mashed potatoes. I had already had T-bone steak on previous occasions. For breakfast the next day – potato pancakes. I can recall having those from time to time growing up, so it was a breakfast that fit my mood well. I have to confess, I felt a little guilty – it seemed like I should be the one cooking for her. But my belly had no complaints.
The drive home was a bit more adventurous. In Oklahoma just as I was getting tired and thinking of pulling over – it started to rain. Then rain a bit harder. Then it rained hard enough that cars and trucks were pulling to the side of the road with their flashers on. I had thoughts of calling it a night – but so did everyone else. The ramps had cars and trucks lined up on the shoulders, so I figured it best to just outrun it. The storm was going North East and I was headed due North.
I switched over to local radio to keep up with the weather since I know that Oklahoma is like the tornado capital of the world. Sure enough this radio station had a weather watcher in a car following severe weather. I am thinking “Dude, what are you doing – its not worth being out in this stuff. It's certainly not worth your life.” One of the towns they mention – Thomas, OK is an exit that I had passed not so long before.
And he is giving this play by play of rain, thunder, wind, etc. “I'm going down county road 31 to get a closer look at this storm...” You can tell the guy in the studio is getting worried. He is telling the guy to back off and keep a distance, they can see what could be a funnel in the radar. Dude finally gets the hint and pulls over. Sometimes we need to think about our life choices. I can think of lots of ways to make a living that don't involve chasing tornadoes.
I finally get to point where there is dry pavement and I start looking for a place to stop. I am really fatigued now. I pull off where there is a truck stop. But I spot a casino and I see a huge parking lot with like 10 semi-trucks parked to the back. A good a place as any and I settle back for the night. I figure if a storm pops up I can always run inside and take shelter in the mens room. And if I get insomnia maybe I hit the blackjack table.
I did wake up to the truck rocking from the wind and thunder around 3 in the morning. There was one huge thunderclap nearby and the lights went out in the town. The Casino must have had emergency generators as some of the lighting stayed on and select lights in the parking lot came back on as well. It was back to the radio station.
But it was some talk show or another and so I figured there must not be any dangerous weather with this particular system. I looked at my weather app just to be sure, but nothing obvious was on it either. I read my kindle book – Wild Bill Hickock (hey I'm, traveling out West, right!)for a bit and nodded off.
I slept in a bit the next day and then it was back on my trek to Ohio. The weather system had brought in a rainy front that lasted all through Oklahoma and Missouri. Just outside St. Louis it brightened up and dried up a bit.
When I reached Terre Haute, IN it was getting dark. I put in my thumb drive that had my favorite music on it and cranked up the volume. I wanted to keep my adrenaline up so that I wouldn't feel tired during that last sprint across Indiana. Some old stuff, some new stuff on that thumb drive. Metallica to Brooks and Dunn to Imagine Dragons to Muddy Waters to Aurosmith to Frank Sinatra.
I pulled in front of the house around 10:15 or so in the evening. Sat there for a moment and reflected on the trip. It was nice to have some 'me' time to reflect on things. The West is always spiritual so there is a calming, peaceful feeling to it. Now it is back to the grind and reality – time to eat my own cooking.
