Author: docsurf

Today started off with a send-off breakfast with Greg & Coleen at Chops & Eggs. OMG what a great breakfast..shade of The Hash House a Go Go in Las Vegas.

This was a vegetarian version of eggs benedict…what no meat? Nope.

This was a great day of driving. I was intending on going to my friends in Somerville, but decided to wait till I’m on my way back to Corpus Christi. Wait!! What??

That’s right, Greg & Coleen graciously offered up their home in Corpus for me to caretake from May to October! God works in strange ways. So Anita correctly pointed out that it made more sense to drop the car off at their house, fly home and then fly back in May rather than slogging my way back and forth. Since I’m looking in this neck of the woods it only makes sense.

So what made this day of driving special? I started getting into the Texas hill country. What a beautiful transition from the arid conditions to the beginnings of green countryside.

Some of you know I have an affinity for abandoned brick buildings. Here’s a couple from El Campo, TX.

Ended up in Bastrop. Had BBQ inside H.E.B. (Think Fred Meyer on steroids). It was pretty good for being what it is.

Stayed the night at a Super 8…though not very super. Rattiest room I’ve been in at darn near the highest cost. Ah well.

More west Texas driving….which is to say boring. I’m so glad I got the XM/Sirius radio prior to leaving…it makes these stretches easier to handle.

I’ve come to realize I’m sure I’m more interested in a smaller community as Brownsville is over 190k plus and Harligen is a bedroom community of 81k…so they are pretty spread out together.

The good news about today is a good Mexican seafood bar and grill. The food was good but this…

This is called a ballena (referring to it being as big as a whale). I guess they go by other names in other parts of Mexico.

The end of the day was capped by a trip to the liquor store across from my hotel. The had my favorite brand of rye whiskey Sagamore. But they had two other variations I’d never seen before, so my good friend Nils will get to enjoy opening the bottle together.

Lots of west Texas driving today, but not too much to speak of. This area at first glance seems to be in decline. Perhaps a closer look would reveal more than what’s on the surface.

It was interesting to note that between Laredo and Brownsville there were at least 100 miles of electrical towers being erected. These are high transmission style towers…apparently they are for the oil companies drilling in the Permian Basin (Midland, TX area…think Landman). They need it to be able to continue and expand their operations in the area…who knew?

Amazing the amount of money being invested in the infrastructure.

I’ve made it to Corpus Christi and to our friends Greg & Coleen Walloch’s home. They’ve taken me in and we enjoyed lunch at the beach and an opportunity to see spring break in full progress!

The photo doesn’t really do it justice…and I missed the girl on the skateboard being dragged along by her dog!

Not much to say about today…west Texas is desolate. It’s a lot different than the deserts of Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. I’m not a fan…does that come through?

Having said that I should mention that I saw a large body of water with the most amazing turquoise green water I’ve ever seen. It’s the Amistad Reservoir. It’s a really big body of water. Like most places out west the level is down but it’s still big and beautiful.

Tomorrow is getting me closer to the Gulf…and hopefully some good Mexican food along the way.

So I got to start the morning looking at the type of country I had driven through the evening prior. It was gorgeous…lots of red/orange/purples. Did I mention it was gorgeous?

Got a bit of a late start but had a great drive. It started with a stretch between Morenci and Silver City, NM. For aspiring Tour de France riders it would be a great training ride…equal to Ida Baker pass in northern CA. It would be a world class motorcycle ride across!

About 25 miles outside of Silver City I went by this place;

This was a great day of driving. It was overcast the entire day with squalls of rain throughout. Between Sierra Blanca and Van Horn I drove through several of them and they all carried the clean scent of the desert with the smell of sagebrush…one of my favorites.

So I got a late start to Morenci because I was able to have breakfast with my good friend Mark Baker. Mark has been there for me through thick and thin. He’s one of the good ones.

After breakfast I made a run to Costco to gas up and then over to Dr Tino’s to get myself adjusted. Bill turned me on to him several years ago and I go to him every time I’m in LV…this trip was no exception.

I’ve ridden the Harley through much of Arizona but haven’t spent much time in the southeastern mountains….they are beautiful. There would be some pretty good riding (both motorcycle and bicycle) here.

It was a long drive and the last hour was done at night. I am not of fan of driving at night!

Morenci is a little corporate owned town…apparently they own everything. One of the few left in the states. From what I’ve read it’s a great mining company and this is the largest open pit copper mine in the U.S.

I hope to meet some of the folks tomorrow.

Another long day of driving but at least the scenery was different. The desert has its own kind of beauty and this time of year it tends to show off the best.

I wish I had taken a moment to stop and take a pic of HUGE chunks of rock that have broken off the tall cliff faces that border the highway on both sides. You get to snake through two or three miles and it is truly spectacular. I can’t imagine being there when they dropped. They had to make the ground shake.

It was a long drive but I got there in time to have dinner with Bill & Laura and Terry & Kathy.

I told them the news and again, nothing but supportiveness. I should mention that our breakup is mutually agreed upon and it seems we are treating each other better since the decision was made. Anita is a wonderful woman. We hope to be able to work on our friendship.

I’ll end by saying I stayed the night at the Circus Circus…yeah the price was right and comfortable enough, but spend the extra 10-15 bucks and get a better spot….one that has valet parking a accessible bars!!

Up after a good nights sleep (thanks to some gummies I got while in Pullman.

I said my goodbyes and hit the road to Twin Falls. Not much to say about it other than it was a long trip.

I’ve been having some issues with my current iPhone. I asked Anita her opinion and after some research it appears my best bet will be to hold off till the 11th when the new phone is released…needless to say I’ll wait another day for the crowd to thin.

Got checked in and headed to Woody’s 2.0 for a much needed beer. Well I got that and then some thanks to a great bartender, Sophie.

So this is the first day of the trip. It’s a short one to my Big Brother Greg & wife Jeannie’s house. I get to tell them whats up.

So before I get to their house I stop at Les Schwab to get a front end alignment…although I don’t know if I still need one. The major service I had done in Cd’A this past week included CV boots and axles and I don’t feel it pulling any longer.

Well….the rep at the desk convinced me to do it anyway, so $145 later I was assured my car wouldn’t wander.

I had a little time to kill and wanted Jeannie to be home prior to my arrival so I stopped in for a beer (or more). Still had time to kill so took a nap in the car only to be woken up by a text from Jeannie letting me know she was home. A few minutes later I got there.

As most of you know I’m not a stranger to divorces…I’ve been through more than my share (and my family has been there through them all). I suppose I was worried this time might be different but God bless them they were right there for me.

I shed more than a few tears because of their support, but after a bit of wine I was fine.