Lubbock to Cruces
Well, another trip found me hundreds of miles from home, this time in Lubbock, Texas. Now don't get me wrong, Lubbock, I'm sure, is a great place to live, raise a family, go to school, whatever. But I will say it straight out - I am DAMNED GLAD that I do not live there! As "the leprachaun" would say, no offense to Lubbockons, Lubbockenos, Lubbockese, or whatever they call themselves. I am just glad I don't live there.
Unlike my trip to Fort Collins, Colorado, I had to drive to Lubbock, much like the Flagstaff trip which I wrote about. Now, on the way, I noticed that there was a cut-off between Portales, NM and Muleshow, TX so I took it - no problem, until I returned home.
As I left Lubbock, the wind was roaring at about 50 miles an hour - yeah, it sucked. I was driving a Honda Odyssey and it was hell keeping it on the road. The wind did not let up until I got to Roswell, NM. One thing I really liked on the road from Muleshow to Portales, though, were the prarie dog colonies. Every little patch of land that was not being irrigated seemed to have a colony on it. Those little guys are really cute! So once I got to the Hondo Valley, west of Roswell, the landscape really changed. When you are in Portales, or Clovis, or Vaughn, you really are in the western edge of the great plains. Leave Roswell heading west, however, and you are in a different world, that of cattle ranching in the valleys, desert rivers, and Billy the Kid. I always enjoy this part of the drive - I wrote my thesis on this part of New Mexico- Billy the Kid country, and it is, in a word, beautiful. Okay, here is an example.
Once I entered the Hondo Valley at Riverside, at dusk, with the hills all around, I noticed a small alfalfa field on the left side of the highway, down in the valley. In this field were maybe a half dozen cows. Along with the cows were about a dozen Mule Deer, and in the tree line along the river, at least two dozen wild turkeys. Simply beautiful, and easy to understand why people sought out this place to settle a century and a half ago. Ruidoso was cold and windy when I stopped for gas and hot chocolate and I totally bypassed Alamogordo.
So anyway, I got home about 8:30 in the evening, after leaving Lubbock about 3 (Texas time) and was glad to be home to three tired, but excited kids, and my wonderful wife. Of course it took two days to get all of the tumbleweeds out of the nooks and crannies in the van, but so be it - I was home.
Unlike my trip to Fort Collins, Colorado, I had to drive to Lubbock, much like the Flagstaff trip which I wrote about. Now, on the way, I noticed that there was a cut-off between Portales, NM and Muleshow, TX so I took it - no problem, until I returned home.
As I left Lubbock, the wind was roaring at about 50 miles an hour - yeah, it sucked. I was driving a Honda Odyssey and it was hell keeping it on the road. The wind did not let up until I got to Roswell, NM. One thing I really liked on the road from Muleshow to Portales, though, were the prarie dog colonies. Every little patch of land that was not being irrigated seemed to have a colony on it. Those little guys are really cute! So once I got to the Hondo Valley, west of Roswell, the landscape really changed. When you are in Portales, or Clovis, or Vaughn, you really are in the western edge of the great plains. Leave Roswell heading west, however, and you are in a different world, that of cattle ranching in the valleys, desert rivers, and Billy the Kid. I always enjoy this part of the drive - I wrote my thesis on this part of New Mexico- Billy the Kid country, and it is, in a word, beautiful. Okay, here is an example.
Once I entered the Hondo Valley at Riverside, at dusk, with the hills all around, I noticed a small alfalfa field on the left side of the highway, down in the valley. In this field were maybe a half dozen cows. Along with the cows were about a dozen Mule Deer, and in the tree line along the river, at least two dozen wild turkeys. Simply beautiful, and easy to understand why people sought out this place to settle a century and a half ago. Ruidoso was cold and windy when I stopped for gas and hot chocolate and I totally bypassed Alamogordo.
So anyway, I got home about 8:30 in the evening, after leaving Lubbock about 3 (Texas time) and was glad to be home to three tired, but excited kids, and my wonderful wife. Of course it took two days to get all of the tumbleweeds out of the nooks and crannies in the van, but so be it - I was home.
posted by Unknown at 7:09 PM
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