GONNA SET MY HEART AT EASE
GONNA TAKE A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
TO RENEW OLD MEMORIES"
THAT'S WHAT I'M FEELING---THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA DO.
Have not been home in many years---and I'm feeling the urge to make (perhaps) a last trip to my roots in rural Louisiana--to see what it has to say to me. I leave from Columbus, NM.
Take the border road to El Paso. In the middle of nowhere ---see these two horsemen (yes there are two) riding slowly across the desert---looking down. They wave to me.
Seriously dry badlands.
I stop an assemblage of Patrolmen and ask what the riders are doing. Looking for the footprints of illegals--of course. I also ask if these are the infamous badlands of NM sung about in Marty Robbins El Paso song. This is them he said. Nice friendly guys--they also directed me to a tire shop.
Right there--a quarter mile away are the hovels of Juarez Mexico.
I got 4 new tires and drove on to this ghost town---will stay the night here.
Here's how to boondock in Texas. (since it has no BLM bureau of land management land as the other western states do) Just find a little used road---get about a mile off the interstate and settle along the generous shoulder. Here I am next morning.
I check out several abandoned houses trying to piece the story together---why did everybody leave? Still don't know.
This old school intrigued me. Decided to investigate.
As I approach--was startled to see this: The ghost of a past principal?
Not really! A truck driver--curious like me about the building. He told me he had passed it for years but decided today he would investigate. Together we talked---AND THEN----AND THEN.
A beautiful woman pedals up. Meet Kelly---on a solitary cross country odyssey to the east coast.
I gave her a cold chocolate Yoo Hoo---seemingly appreciated.
Mike hurried to give her (and me) some delicious naval oranges.
Kelly records the moment with a time shot.
And then we sat and talked a long while. Kelly rides about 70 miles a day---about as far as I drive---has full set of camping gear.
RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES: A very unlikely convergence in a ghost town.
Moments like this make my life rich.
No comments:
Post a Comment