John is excited because I’m here in Breaking Bad territory, Albuquerque, NM. TV crews filmed an accident scene for the infamous show just down the street from my cousin’s house, where I’m staying. I’ll have to take photos so John can experience the thrill of fandom vicariously. I wonder if it counts if the person actually seeing the sites hated the show?
I left Lubbock, Texas, this morning after dining on instant oatmeal and a banana, not my finest meal but it served the purpose. The coffee was hot and strong. I made it and put in about one tablespoon too many. John usually makes the coffee when he gets up at the ungodly hour of 5:45, long before I make my appearance, so I haven’t much experience in the exact measurements. I enjoyed it anyway. My father used to say, “There’s no such thing as strong coffee, just weak coffee drinkers.”
The Texas terrain can get a little monotonous after driving for hours across the hill country around Lubbock to the north central plains. Red dirt and bushes cover most of the plains with an occasional tree towering over the flat lands. Oil wells and power lines stretch across the territory. I saw cattle corralled in feeding pens at several ranches, though other herds roamed free.
Along the two-lane divided highway, cars and trucks zoom along at 75 miles per hour. When the speed limit dips to 65, then to 45, you know you’re coming to town, though that usually means a post office, one gas station, and a bar/food joint, with dirt roads leading off from the highway in some areas. The larger areas had a bank or two and other buildings. Here and there a huge oil refinery sits at the center of town.
As I drove north and west, the land changed again to plateaus and mesas. The mountains poked up from flat earth as I crossed into New Mexico.
For lunch I stopped at a Tex-Mex place with the unlikely name of Fred’s Restaurant and Lounge. I ordered the special, a bowl of posole, a traditional Mexican soup that dates back to before Columbus. The waitress told me people often serve it at Christmastime (sort of like the Italian soup we enjoy at Ocean Pizza’s traditional Italian dinner). It contains hominy, bite-size pieces of pork, chili peppers, and broth. Quite tasty.
I drove into my cousin’s driveway at 2:56 pm (I told her I’d probably arrive around 3). She said I reminded her of her dad, who operated on precise military time. I gained an hour when I passed into New Mexico, but I’ll lose it in a couple of days when I drive from Colorado Springs to Omaha. At least I’ll benefit from Daylight Saving Time along the way.
Tomorrow: my little car has her 10,000 mile checkup and then we’ll tour the city with my cousin. The camera’s in the car, so I’ll post a couple of photos with this blog tomorrow.